MAUN ÔÇô The North West District Council (NWDC) Chairman Duncan Enga says as much as he was pleased by eSwatini King Mswati’s tour of the Okavango delta on Wednesday, he was a little let down by the fact that out of all the few camps he visited, none of them was a local Motswana business. While admitting that the king’s visit was an honor and a privilege for the district, he said he would very much appreciate it to see a change on what has become a norm by people holding positions of power from other countries, most of who for some unknown reasons always visit tourism establishments owned by foreigners only as compared to Batswana owned companies. “We are all happy that the majesty was here to see and appreciate the delta as a world heritage site, but on the same note I am a bit disappointed by the fact that even though I don’t know which establishment he visited, it is obvious that he visited a non Motswana business. Going forward as a tourism business concern, I would like to see government in the region changing the status quo”, he said.
Nevertheless Enga said Mswati is no ordinary man, and that although it was very brief, his coming here will certainly open doors for the district as a whole, considering that other heads of states might consider visiting, not only the Okavango delta but other heritage sites like the Tsodilo hills, thus adding to the economic development of the district.
King Mswati flew into Maun on Wednesday morning enroute to the delta and was in the company of two of his sons, the Minister of Environment, Natural Resources and Conservation Tshekedi Khama and a few other officials from eSwatini. It is still not clear which establishments were visited, save for just a “few places” which Minister Tshekedi said the King was able to pass through. Speaking after touching down at Maun airport before returning to Gaborone where he is attending the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) summit, Mswati noted that he was impressed with the beauty of the delta, more so that it was his first visit. He said amongst the many things which caught his eye, he was very much impressed by the abundant wildlife roaming the delta as well as the way the environment is preserved. “I also liked the way things are handled there. You could tell that people there are professionals indeed. I also got to meet tourists from around the world who had come to appreciate what God is doing to Botswana. I can only wish for this country to grow from what it is today. This was my first visit to this district, and I promise many more will follow”.
