Farmers count losses as predators stalk livestock
Lebogang Mosikare | Thursday May 18, 2017 15:18
The farmers told Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism Minister Tshekedi Khama that their situation was compounded by the fact that government was not compensating them for losses due to predators such as hyenas.
Khama had convened the meeting to get input from farmers on how to best address the problem of elephants and wild animals that are wreaking havoc in Matsiloje and surrounding villages.
During the meeting that was addressed by Khama, farmers complained that it took them a very long time for them to receive compensation from government after elephants destroyed their fields or when carnivores killed their livestock.
Matsiloje Village Development Committee chairperson Joel Mpetsane expressed concern about the state’s deliberate policy of compensation that leaves out other wild animals that devour livestock.
“It boggles the mind why farmers are compensated after their animals are killed by predators like lions while at the same time, the same courtesy is not extended to farmers whose livestock are killed by hyenas and other wild animals.
“Farmers incur the same losses after lions kill their livestock just as they suffer when hyenas kill their livestock,” he said.
Mpetsane said although they appreciate that government has increased compensation to farmers whose livestock have been killed by wild animals, the compensation is still low as it still less than the value of livestock that is killed by wild animals.
He also said the killing of livestock by wildlife is continuing to impoverish farmers in the Zone 6 area whose cattle were in the past culled to control the spread of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in the zone. A member of Matopi Farmers Association, Josephine Odirile, echoed Mpetsane’s sentiments, calling on government to provide above market rates for compensation in recognition of the fact that farmers rely on their livestock for a living.
Earlier in the week, the chairperson of North East District Florah Mpetsane equally expressed concern over the destruction of livestock by carnivores.
“Predation of livestock by carnivores also remains a challenge.
I am happy to announce that the Department of Wildlife was allocated P3 million to cater for all compensation for the past three years,” she said during a full council session in Masunga on Monday.
She added that farmers who are yet to be compensated will receive their compensation by the end of June. “(Tshekedi) Khama recently highlighted that government will do all it can to minimise human-animals conflict by among others building shade nets to fence ploughing fields and increasing staff as a way of intensifying monitoring,” Mpetsane said.