The government has warned Ngamiland cattle farmers whose cattle have crossed into the Okavango Delta that their cattle will be killed if they do not remove them from the delta in the near future.
The warning was recently made by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, DR Micus Chimbombi, when addressing Farmers Associations in the district. Reiterating what Chimbombi has said, the MoA Public Relations Officer in Ngamiland, Bautule Kealatotswe, said that at the moment no time has been set for killing the cattle in the delta but that depends on how farmers react to the warning, adding that, if need be, they will act swiftly.
“We are currently trying our best to make sure the situation is rectified amicably by encouraging farmers to get their cattle out , but we will not shy away from killing the cattle if need be,” he stressed.
Asked whose responsibility it is to take out (matimela) stray cattle from the delta, the PRO said that they are liaising with the District Council Department responsible for such cattle with the hope that they will get them out of the delta.
He said that they are similarly working with the Department of Wildlife to remove buffaloes, estimated to be in the hundreds, which have crossed from the Delta into the grazing lands. To do that, he said that they are acquiring the services of a helicopter to help them drive the buffaloes back into the delta and that, likewise, those resisting to be moved back will be shot.
The fear amongst the farmers and government is that buffaloes, which are known carriers of foot and mouth, will spread the disease to the cattle. Apart from that, the PRO says that they are continuing their efforts to maintain the buffalo fence which separates grazing lands and the delta.
He said that this is being hampered by the flooding rivers in the area.
“But we can assure the nation that we are doing our best regarding this matter,” he said.
Tour operators in the area are also reported to be worried that tourists are complaining that they are seeing a lot of cattle and not animals they have travelled from their home countries to see in the delta.
