Africa-Press – Botswana. Farmers are a pivotal backbone to the country’s economy and food security sustainance, Member of Parliament for Kgatleng Central Mr Mpho Morolong has said.
Speaking during a meeting with farmers at Mochudi kgotla on Friday, Mr Morolong said if it was not for the farmers’ efforts, the burden of depending solely on government’s provisions could have staggered the country’s progression. He reminded farmers that they owned a resource of national importance, being their livestock, hence demanded Kgatleng farmers to share notes on how to improve the livestock rearing into a gainful resource.
Mr Morolong assured them that it was fundamental for farmers to lead in the discussions on improving livestock rearing since they were the ones who understood their challenges and opportunities that exists. However, he said he was aware that stock theft was a challenge across the country, a phenomenon that worried all including Dikgosi and the police.
Farmers decried that stock theft culprits were allowed access to lawyers to handle their cases against ‘broke livestock owners’. They pleaded with government to relieve the magistrate from cases of stock theft in favour of customary courts on grounds that magistrates were burdened with work hence could not cope with livestock issues, which needed special handling.
They cautioned that if the government continued to be lenient with culprits, underlining situations where suspects were ever in a routine of arrests and bailouts, they may end up taking the law on their own hands to deal with the criminals. Some farmers alleged that there were some police officers who seemed to connive with criminals thereby obstructing justice. Mr Twice Kgang, a farmer from Temesele cattle post, said in most cases there was no how a cow may be stolen or slaughtered without a witness.
“We know who kill our livestock and we even go and buy meat from them yet we know it is from a stolen cow. People are afraid to come out and report because they suspect the police will expose them as informers to criminals,” he said.
In response to the farmers’ concerns, Mr Morolong encouraged farmers to collaborate by forming crime watch clusters and to refrain from concealing identities of criminals.
Assistant Superintendent Ramokowe Phalaagae of Mochudi Police Station said since farmers seemed to be in one accord that some police officers collaborated with thieves, he will scrutinise such scenarios to ensure wrongdoers were dealt with.
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