Impatient phane harvesters flout permits regulation

SELEBI-PHIKWE: While phane harvesters are expected to acquire licenses from the Ministry of Environment Wildlife and Tourism for the ongoing harvesting season, many Batswana continue to harvest without permits mainly because they apparently do not know the procedure of acquiring them.

This is despite the fact that the permit regulation is in its second year of implementation. Some harvesters of the wriggly but delicious delicacy worms do it for the pot while a majority harvest for commercial purposes. Harvesters along Selebi-Phikwe/Serule road that  The Monitor  visited were harvesting without permits.  One of them, who preferred anonymity said she came all the way from North East District and camped along Serule road because the area was not overcrowded with harvesters compared to other areas.