Snakes and the city
Friday, January 12, 2018
The names themselves strike terror into the heart of the average listener. Black Mamba (mokwepa), Snouted Cobra, Mozambique Spitting Cobra (collectively kake), Boomslang (logwere), Twig Snake (legonyana) and Puff Adder (lebolobolo).
These are the top six venomous snakes crawling around the capital and causing much concern as peak snake season, which runs from January till about April, kicks off. The African Snakebite Institute in South Africa categorises these six as ‘very dangerous’, meaning they have caused human fatalities.
The Ministry of Agriculture, local producers, retailers, and industry associations must work together to overcome the obstacles hindering vegetable production and distribution.This collaborative approach is essential to improve the availability, quality, and affordability of vegetables in the market.Firstly, the Ministry of Agriculture should provide support and guidance to local farmers to enhance their productivity and efficiency. This could...