Africa-Press – Botswana. In March 2014, Kgalagadi Land Board allocated a farm, measuring 4 323 hectares, to Kokotsha, Inalegolo and Phuduhudu Community Trust (KOINAPHU) for pastoral farming purposes.
The farm, which was a portion of the former BLDC ranch at Phuduhudu, was currently not being put to effective use.
Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Ms Talita Monnakgotla said responding to a question at Ntlo ya Dikgosi from Kgosi David Toto II of Kgalagadi South Region, on Monday.
However, with the restructuring of the district boundaries, Ms Monnakgotla said she was aware that the farm now fell under Hukuntsi District, but Kokotsha village remained a member of the trust and had full entitlements to its use.
“I’m aware of the severe shortage of agricultural land around Kokotsha. This is because Kokotsha is situated between the farms to the west and east, the Wildlife Management Area to the west, Werda village to the south and the district boundary with Mabutsane District to the north,” she added.
This shortage of land, the assistant minister said, was further confirmed by the ongoing Ghanzi-Kgalagadi Integrated Land Use Management Plan (ILUMP), adding that the study included the possibility of de-zoning part of the Wildlife Management Area to increase the communal grazing area.
Should the de-zoning be approved, the assistant minister said it would address the issue of shortage of agricultural land in Kokotsha.
Kgosi Toto II wanted to know if the minister of Lands and Water Affairs would consider a farm to Kokotsha livestock farmers in order to improve their livelihood by supplying Tsabong Multi-species Abattoir as they did not have adequate land to carry out farming activities due to overwhelming land usage that surrounds the village.
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