Matabeleland farmers panic
By Mandla Tshuma
Deputy Home Affairs Minister, Obedingwa Mguni
… as shoot-to-kill deadline looms
MANGWE — Cattle farmers in Matabeleland South, along the Zimbabwe-Botswana border, are in panic mode as a June deadline from the neighbouring country to shoot-to-kill stray cattle that cross into its territory looms.
Zimbabwe’s western neighbour adopted the aggressive measure in March in order to curb the spread of foot and mouth disease to protect its beef industry.
It was then that Zimbabwe asked for a grace period in order to also raise awareness among farmers resulting in the country being granted a three months grace period which expires on May 31.
With effect from June 1, all Zimbabwean cattle that stray into Botswana would be shot and burnt without any compensation.
Clement Malaba, a member of Mangwe Farmers Union, said they were appealing to government to engage their Botswana counterparts on the matter because farmers risked losing their livestock.
There are over 90 000 cattle along the Botswana-Zimbabwe border in Matabeleland South and North, which could be affected by the “shoot-to-kill” exercise.
Until now, Botswana would return all the cattle that strayed into its territory, but it appears that has not helped solve challenges of the foot and mouth disease.
“We have not been given enough time to comply and every farmer is panicking as we speak. Cattle are not like human beings who can take instructions and they will always cross the borders. It would have been better if the Botswana authorities were to continue returning them, but there is nothing we can do about another country’s laws,” said Malaba.
Deputy Home Affairs Minister, Obedingwa Mguni told villagers at Halisupi, in Gwanda South that Botswana, which had been helping Zimbabwe with foot and mouth vaccines for the past five years, would also stop offering that facility next month.
Mguni said the shooting of Zimbabwean cattle would not only be a loss to the Matabeleland South farmers, but to the country as whole as that would reduce the national herd.
Botswana has always blamed Zimbabwe for fuelling the foot and mouth disease within its borders, while locals accuse their neighbours of being behind rampant cases of stock theft.
The Ministry of Agriculture has embarked on an awareness drive to educate farmers on the “shoot to kill” exercise in areas likely to be affected.
The Deputy Agriculture Minister responsible for livestock, Paddy Zhanda, said government’s hands were tied in influencing the policies of its western neighbour, save for it to embark on a concerted awareness drive to educate its locals on the shoot to kill policy.
According to the Department of Veterinary Services director, Josphat Nyika, awareness campaigns have been done in Beitbridge, Gwanda, Matobo, Mangwe, Bulilima and other districts.
Botswana’s Agriculture Minister, Patrick Ralotsia, was also recently quoted in that country’s media as saying that had it not been for Zimbabwe’s request for the grace period the shooting to kill policy would have been long implemented.
Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union national livestock chairperson, Irene Maphenduka, criticised the Botswana policy of shooting Zimbabwe cattle.
“It is not a good thing at all because farmers along the border areas are going to lose their few remaining cattle to this shooting, yet they need to be helped to restock,” she said, adding that government should put deterrent measures on people who vandalise the border fence. She added that the awareness campaigns should be intensified so that all farmers are reached before June.
Zimbabwe Farmers’ Union president, Abdul Nyathi, told the Financial Gazette that there had been a decline in the number of stray cattle going into Botswana – a sign that their members were heeding the message.
“Since the awareness campaigns started we have been in constant touch with Botswana authorities and no Zimbabwean cattle have of late strayed into that country,” he said.
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