Khama admits to delays in compensation
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Friday December 14, 2018 13:12
Khama said that while the compensation is also not a match to the damage caused by elephants, he admitted that they have taken too long to compensate the affected parties.
When responding to a question asked by Member of Parliament for Boteti East Sethomo Lelatisitswe, Khama stated that the extent of damage caused by elephants in the Boteti East villages as reported to the Wildlife Office in Letlhakane ranged from crop raiding, damage to field fences, kraals, water installations such as reservoirs, water pumps, pipes, engines and water tanks.
Lelatisitswe had asked the minister to brief the House on the extent of damage caused by elephants in the Boteti East villages as reported to the Wildlife Office in Letlhakane per village, the status of compensation and when the compensation will be reviewed. He also asked whether the ministry would consider allocating community game farms to villages along Makgadikgadi so as to control movement of wild animals from grazing lands.
Khama said that the magnitude of damaged property by elephants during the period from January 2018 to date expressing the number of reported incidents included 100 at Mokubilo, 94 (Letlhakane), one incident at Khwee, 65 at Mosu and 16 at Mmea village, making a total of 276.
However, he indicated that of the 276 reports received, only 81 have been paid a total amount of P134, 617.47. He said that they had envisaged that the process of payment would be completed before November 30, 2018 but there have been delays.
“I must confess that the turnaround time of compensation is not satisfactory. We have had a challenge of transport, but I am also constrained to continue to accept the excuse of transport because we have been saying so for such a period of time. It is incumbent on that department to repair those vehicles or to find an alternative solution bearing in mind that we do have an office in Rakops, and I am not sure why we should have a delay as it is. However, we have made significant progress in meeting those timelines, paying the compensation and attending to those claims,” he said
Khama could not provide answers as to when the compensation would be reviewed.
“I am unable to state when the Workers Compensation Act (Cap 47:03) would be reviewed because it does not fall under my ministry’s mandate. My ministry has sensitised the community on the danger posed by elephants during scheduled Kgotla meetings through attendance, though attendance is not satisfactory. Officers talk to farm workers every time they are out, attending reports in the areas,” he said.
Moreover, he welcomed the idea of developing game ranches on the periphery of protected areas to act as buffer zones to control movement of wild animals.
“My ministry is considering creating such game ranches to be managed by local communities. Therefore, villages of Mmatshumu, Mmea and Mosu may be considered since they formed Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBRM) trusts,” he added.