Okavango fishermen fret over new regulations
Friday, April 01, 2016
In 2014, the government banned fishing at Lake Ngami -- Botswana’s biggest fishery -- a move that sent hundreds of fishermen out of business. Since the closure, the helpless fishermen had watched tonnes of fish rotting and going to waste at the drying lake.
In an interview, the disgruntled fishermen accused the government of harbouring plans to close down the fishing industry under the pretext of conservation. This comes after government instituted new fishing regulations, which will reduce the amount of fish that can be caught in rivers and lakes. The regulations will come into effect on April 1. The fishermen are particularly irked by a section in the new regulations that requires them to use a 25-metre fishing net, instead of a 150-metre one as was the case before.
These legal professionals, who are entrusted with upholding the rule of law, face numerous challenges that compromise their ability to effectively carry out their duties.Elsewhere in this edition, we carry a story on the lamentations of the officers of court.The prosecutors have raised a number of concerns, calling for urgent attention from all relevant stakeholders, including the President, Minister of Justice and the Attorney General. Their...