The river has over the years lost its natural aura because of human interventions and climate change.
This week when addressing a full council meeting, Francistown Mayor Godisang Radisigo announced that funds have been availed for the rehabilitation of the river.
He explained that the funds are from the National Environmental Fund (NEF) project, which is supported by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. The Ministry established the NEF a few years ago to promote and provide financial support for projects that are geared towards the protection and conservation of the environment.
“The Francistown Phase IV and Bokamoso Umbrella Development Committees were funded to the tune of One Million Four Hundred and Twenty-Five Pula Four Thebe (P 1 425 684.04) to implement a project titled Tati River Rehabilitation Project,” he revealed. Radisigo said the intention is to rehabilitate the Tati River and its tributary Ntshe River.
“This project is intended to control the growth of the reeds within the Tati River and its tributary Ntshe River systems, remove some waste within the river and construct gabions within the severely degraded portions of the river to allow accumulation of sand,” he added. According to the Mayor, the project is amongst the 16 that have been allocated funding out of 110 countrywide proposals that were submitted to the Ministry in September 2022.
He said ward development committees will be supported by technocrats from the council during rehabilitation process. Leaders in Francistown have for years been holding conversations with constituents and other stakeholders with a view to finding a long-lasting solution to the troubles bedevilling the Tati River. Member of Parliament for Francistown West, Ignatius Moswaane whose constituency covers the bulk of the Tati River, is amongst those who for years, have been fighting tooth and nail to save the river from total depletion.
Besides consulting his constituents, he has on several occasions pleaded with sponsors to fund a massive project of resuscitating the river from its imminent death. The degradation of the Tati River has mainly been attributed to sand mining. Sand mining is precipitated by the rise in construction activities in the city. In the last two decades the river has experienced increased erosion and collapse of riverbanks. Radisigo emphasised that there is need for authorities in the city to come up with an integrated approach to address challenges, such as illegal sand mining and unsustainable mining practices which degrade rivers.
When Tati was still at its best there was a lot of human activity along the river promoted by Batswana of Zezuru or Shona descent who had backyard gardens drawing water from the river. Today sand has been totally depleted and reeds, which make the river filthy and impassable are everywhere. There have also been concerns from members of the public that the river has turned into a sanctuary for criminals because it is no longer easily traversable like in the past.
