Bobirwa and cornucopia

| Friday January 9, 2009 00:00

BOBONONG: Given its high water table and good water supply, the Bobirwa Sub-District has the potential to become Botswana's agricultural hub.

The Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) is actually eyeing the region for some of its agricultural projects. According to the MP for Bobirwa, who is also the Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Shaw Kgathi, there is potential for the use of treated effluent from major treatment facilities for the promotion of aquaculture farming, including the irrigation of horticultural projects, citrus plantations, cattle fodder and the cultivation of landscaped areas for visual appeal.

Kgathi says the Indian High Commission has pledged to help solicit resources for such community initiatives.

Through the use of the waters from the Thune Dam, the Bobonong Underground Water Treatment Project, sand water from the Motloutse and Shashe Rivers and water from effluent works in Bobonong, Bobirwa could become the country's irrigation agricultural hub, feeding its own people and creating jobs in the process.

This came to light during a constituency briefing by Kgathi in Bobonong recently when the MP appealedto young farmers to take advantage of available treated effluent.

During the 2008/9 financial year, the constituency youth office was allocated P963, 480.00 for the out-of-school youth empowerment programme and most young people took up agricultural projects ranging from small stock farming, tree nursery and horticulture in the villages of Bobonong, Molalatau and Mathathane.

Established and approved CEDA Young Farmers Fund projects in the Bobirwa constituency include seven horticultural, two poultry, six small stock and three piggery projects, all valued at over P5 million.

Kgathi encouraged farmers in Bobirwa to form an association so as to tackle their challenges collectively.

One of the more serious problems here is ever-present threat of Foot and Mouth Disease. Kgathi said as long as there is no further buffer zone between Bobirwa and Zimbabwe, the threat will not go away.

It is hoped that once in place, the 10-kilometre buffer zone will result in less vandalising of the border fence. Economic diversification projects like lodges and gardens along the border should also prevent contact between animals from the two countries.

The desirability of such projects should be presented to government as a long-term solution for FMD.

But in Kgathi's view, the buffer zone could be drawn up more quickly if it was community-led rather than government-led.

'It is very important that we ourselves come up with a proposal to submit to government for approval and implementation,' he said, and suggested that a special task force be set up to drive the development of the buffer zone.

There has, however, been significant progress in the fight against FMD: the Bobirwa district has actually made history by eradicating the disease within two years, leading to South Africa lifting its embargo on beef from Bobirwa. 'If we can maintain this,' Kgathi said, 'Bobirwa will eventually be declared FMD-free by the EU.'

Opportunities for small-scale mining are also abundant in Bobirwa. Besides agates, the semi-precious stones harvested for sale as jewellery and decoration, there is huge potential for dimension stones from Lepokole Hills to the Shashe River. Kgathi once again suggested the setting up of a special team to advise on how to use the stones for the benefit of the community.

Opportunities to promote tourism at the Thune Dam where water recreational activities could be held also exist.

Heritage sites like the Lepokole Hills, the Matshekge Hills, the Mmamakwa Hills and the Maiswe Hills could be linked by means of a Bobirwa Tourist Route to the Mashatu Game Reserve and the Thune and Dikgatlhong Dams, a project that could also tap into 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup.

The cut line for the Mapanda Game Sanctuary project in Lepokole started in May last year and is ongoing. Nine kilometres of clearing has been done from a total distance of 14.2 kilometres. Progress is slow because transport has often been unavailable.

The Department of Wildlife and National Parks currently provides transport, but it cannot do so on a daily basis.

'Payment of volunteers was initially a concern, but is now better organised,' said Kgathi. 'To make payment more efficient, we have asked for the funds to be transferred from the ministry to the Bobonong wildlife office.'

To preserve the rich and diverse heritage of Babirwa, Kgathi called on Babirwa to initiate the formation of a museum in their sub-district. He urged them to look at cultural tourism as something from which to benefit.

'Liaise with the National Museum, Monuments and Art Gallery to help you identify and develop heritage sites and monuments of significance as tourist attractions and for educational purposes,' Kgathi said.