On the call for the lifting of the hunting ban

Human elephant conflicts are becoming more frequent as the animals' numbers increase PIC: THALEFANG CHARLES
Human elephant conflicts are becoming more frequent as the animals' numbers increase PIC: THALEFANG CHARLES

The government of President Masisi in Botswana has announced that it will hold a two-month nationwide consultation to review the ban on hunting, notably of elephants.

The ban, introduced by Masisi’s predecessor, Ian Khama, in 2014, has come under increasing criticism from people living in areas with significant wildlife populations and impoverished communities previously reliant on hunting income.

The announcement of the consultation, to be run by the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, followed a vote in the country’s Parliament on June 22 calling for the government to consider lifting the hunting ban elephants.  The motion was put before Parliament by the MP for Maun East, Konstantinos Markus, a member of the governing Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) of President Masisi.

Editor's Comment
BDP primaries leave a lot to be desired

The BDP as a party known to have ample resources has always held its primaries well in time, but this time around that was not the case. The first leg of the primaries was held last weekend, with the final leg being billed for the coming weekend. This time around, the BDP failed to shine in its primary elections. The elections were chaotic; most if not all polling stations didn't open at the specified time of 6am. Loyal BDP members braved the...

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