Double trouble: Matsiloje farmers battered by FMD, El Nino
Friday, September 14, 2018
FRANCISTOWN: Pastoral farming in the Zone 6B area in the North East District (NED) is no longer the vocation that for yonks sustained many rural households. It now seems to be a curse that makes farmers wonder what pain it inflicts on their lives. Recently, farmers in the Zone 6B area woke up to bad news from the Ministry of Agriculture Development and Food Security (MADFS) that a herd of about 200 cattle from Zimbabwe, an FMD hotbed, had crossed the border into Matsiloje, Botswana.
Pastoral farmers in Botswana especially Matsiloje and surrounding villages need no explanation of what the cattle emigration from Zimbabwe into Botswana mean to their lives.
While it is widely acknowledged that Khama holds the title of Kgosi, the government’s failure to properly gazette his recognition has raised serious concerns about adherence to legal procedures and the credibility of traditional leadership. (See a story elsewhere in this newspaper.) Recent court documents by the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Kgotla Autlwetse, shed light on the intricacies of Khama’s recognition process....