What’s next? That is the question most Ngamiland residents are asking as the survey the Covid-19 wreckage around them. The collective trauma of the pandemic seems to be spawning a ‘never again” mindset as Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) operating in the country’s hardest hit district chart a post covid strategy. Executive Director of Ngamiland Council of Non-governmental Organisation (NCONGO) Siyoka Simasiku makes no bones that the future is not what Ngamiland residents, NGOs and businesses thought it would be only a few short months ago.
He maintains that NGOs and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) should evolve from being one trick ponies towards strengthening their resilience through diversification.
NCONGO represents about 50 NGOs/CBOs in Ngamiland that deal with sustainable social and economic development matters, as well as conservation and livelihoods. It assists member organisations in capacity building, networking and communication.
Simasiku noted that the region was hardest hit, particularly as at least 80% of the population depends on the tourism sector directly or indirectly. The pandemic has also made it difficult for CBOs to access funding either domestically or internationally. Most CBOs reliance on single tourism product did not help the situation. Okavango Kopano Mokoro Community Trust (OKMCT), whose core activity is providing mokoro trails to tourists, faced such a challenge.
OKMCT chairperson Therisanyo Maratapelo acknowledged that relying on a single product can be disastrous. OKMCT saw its annual turn-over of more than P3 million tumbling down to less than P500,000.
“Our on-going projects crushed to a halt and these included the age-old housing project,” he said.
OKMCT comprises of six settlements of Ditshiping, Daunara, Xuxao, Boro, Xakhao and Xharakhao.
“Government does not provide some services to our settlements as they are not gazetted villages. We therefore fill in with the provision of basic services that include transport for the sick, funeral services and others.” he said.
The core activities were affected across the sub-sector and these included mokoro trails, boating, game drives, and accommodation.
Major tourism events that normally provide the much-needed livelihoods to many businesses in the informal sector or SMMEs also suffered. And these included the Tsodilo Hills Heritage Challenge, Mascom horseracing derby; Lake Ngami Fish Festival, Okavango Bream Classic Fishing Competition, Okavango Delta Music Festival, Maun Experience, public holiday music festivals, sport tourism and many others were cancelled.
Employment losses across the tourism sector in general were staggering. By April 2020, only 300 employees of the sector’s more than 26,000 workers were fully engaged. The retained staff was primarily for the maintenance of facilities.
As Lodge general manager, Ngonidzashe Shumba recently noted that though the business had stopped operating, the cost of running the facilities continued as water treatment plant and other equipment have to be kept going.
“The equipment had to be maintained and the facility provided with adequate security; so the cost continued to soar, including paying salaries, while no revenue was coming in,” he explained.
The pandemic’s precipitated job losses exacerbated the poverty levels in Ngamiland, which at the time ranged between 21.6% and 33.4%, and were already perhaps the highest in the country.
Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana (HATAB) had initially engaged and made proposals for government assistance to the sector. And government wage subsidies were subsequently dispensed as Botswana Revenue Services (BURS) wage subsidy to the sector. But this did not cover the entire sector, as tourism freelancers and independent operators were left out.
This category includes chefs, professional guides and mokoro polers; and some of them are unaffiliated to any professional association or grouping.
In a study entitled – ‘The Impacts of COVID-19 on Nature-based Tourism in Botswana: Implications for Community Development’ the researchersnoted the omission.
“Due to their predominately informal nature, these industry players could not be assisted through the BURS wage subsidy initiative… Thus, the independent and informal tour operators and freelancers were excluded from benefiting.”
The study by Okavango Research Institute (ORI-UB) researchers was carried out by Lesego S. Stone, Moren T. Stone, Patricia K Mogomotsi, and Goemaone E.K. Mogomotsi. It was published by Tourism Review International in June 2021.
Botswana Guides Association (BOGA), through its founder and chairman vigorously took up the cause for the independents and freelancers, though most of them were not the association’s members.
Government acceded for this category’s inclusion into the subsidy by providing funding of P2.3 million. The German government also donated P16 million through Kavango-Zambezi Transfronteir Conservation Area (KAZA-TFCA), which also assisted the independents and freelancers. The German funding was also used for infrastructure development, and anti-poaching activities.
The tourism sector also managed to negotiate with government to extend the industry-specific wage subsidy to cover the period from July to December 2021.
The community-based natural resources management (CBRNM) entities also managed to navigate the challenges of the COOVID-19 pandemic through other means that include lease rental and selling of the hunting quota.
Sankuyo Tshwaragano Management Trust, for instance realises lease income from its two concession areas and its Kaziikini Camp, while Okavango Kopano Mokoro Community Trust have two joint venture partners in their NG32 concession area.
The hunting safari that was re-introduced by President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s administration in 2019 has proven to be God-sent for the community trusts in the face of the pandemic.
At the advent of the coronavirus pandemic the hunting sub-sector was just recovering from a debilitating ban that was unilaterally imposed by former president Ian Khama on January 1, 2014.
According to the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, prior to the ban, the sub-sector contributed between 58% and 76% of the community trusts’ income between 2010 and 2013.
That infamous hunting ban precipitated an increase in cases of human-wildlife conflicts with a corresponding increase in compensation claims jumping from P4 million to P21 million. The ban also led to the near-collapse of 44 community trusts, including Xaixai Thabologo Community Trust which until then had relied heavily on hunting.
“The opening of hunting helped the communities during this difficult time. We’re grateful for that,” said Simasiku of NCONGO.
Simasiku, however, said the pandemic has on the other hand provided the CBOs with an opportunity to explore their full potential, particularly the cultivation of the domestic and regional tourism market alongside the current mainstay of international tourism.
In response to the drying up of international tourists, for instance, the OKMCT had to quickly introduce a boat-cruising service for the local tourists who are not eager for the mokoro (dug-out canoe) rides. The trust has also started a horticultural project, to supply both the local communities and the tourism facilities in the delta with their produce.
Sankuyo Trust, in addition to running camping facility, is now venturing into mobile safari through their newly-registered Kaziikini Safaris. Sankuyo Tshwaragano Management Trust general manager, Galesenngwe Haku observed that the venture is viable as “our concession area is very rich in wildlife. Every animal that you’ll find in the neighbouring Moremi Game Reserve is also available here.”
In fact, the industry in general is in full agreement on the urgent need for review and diversification of the tourism market. And NCONGO has started individualised training for trusts on issues of governance, financial and project management among others. Simasiku revealed that they are also working at creating a comprehensive database to help them tailor their programmes appropriately.
Chairman of Maun Business Council of Business Botswana, James Evans is convinced that the tourism sector needs to be diversified to cater for both domestic/regional tourism and international tourism. He implored the major tourism operators in Ngamiland to explore innovative collaborations with smaller hospitality operators in the district.
The UB researchers also noted that “domestic and regional tourism sector will be instrumental to the tourism recovery plan of many African countries more so that in terms of numbers there are more domestic and regional tourists in Africa, Botswana included.”
“There is a need to grow the domestic and regional market to promote resilience in the sector. This can be done through the development of facilities that not only cater to the international market, but also the domestic and regional self-drive market, which may require cheaper accommodation facilities; the sector charging local prices especially during the off-peak season and diversifying products and heavily promoting products particularly to a section of the population that can afford the high prices paid by the international market.”
Evans also agrees with this proposition, which does not provide any opportunity for conflict for the domestic/regional market and the international tourism. The peak and preference for the latter market is the winter season while the former prefers any other season except the winter.
Despite its devastating after-effects, the COVID-19 pandemic will perhaps assist the local tourism sector to positively transform itself. And that the stakeholders will heed a call by the UB researchers for “a more transformed tourism sector in which domestic tourism is encouraged, particularly during and post-COVID-19 to help the sector recover and to encourage locals to enjoy their natural resources and to get buy-in from communities in the conservation of natural resources. Sustainable ecotourism in Botswana is also promoted to encourage conservation through community participation and tourism. Through the Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) program, communities are expected to reap more benefits than costs from conserving resources that are sought by international tourists to encourage the trickling down effect of rural development as tourism takes place in rural Botswana areas.”
