Africa-Press – Botswana. Okavango Kopano Mokoro Community Trust (OKMCT) has filed an urgent application with Maun High Court to stop a special general meeting called by the office of the district commissioner.
Scheduled for February 16 at Xuoxao village, the meeting was called by the office as an intervention following some complaints from a concerned group who accused the trust board of poor management of the trust affairs.
However, the office of the district commissioner was served with court papers a day prior to the meeting and it was indefinitely cancelled.
North West deputy district commissioner, Mr Boammaruri Otlhogile confirmed in an interview that the meeting did not materialise following a court order from the trust board who argued that the office of the district commissioner did not have the powers to convene such a meeting as per the their constitution.
The board, he said noted that it was their responsibility to call meetings while the office of the district commissioner was mandated to provide advisory role. “The court order nullified the scheduled meeting in which our office was trying to intervene because our efforts to advise the board to call a meeting and address issues raised by the concerned group were in vain. We were intervening considering the best interest of the large community,” he added.
Mr Otlhogile further revealed that the concerned group wrote to the board since last year July complaining about maladministration citing mismanagement of funds by the board, the manager occupying the posts without qualifications and without appointment letter, illegally appointed members of the board whose term had long expired and unlawful termination of employment of some board members among others.
Meanwhile, some members of the communities in some villages affiliated to the trust had expressed disappointment with regard to the cancellation of the meeting saying they were expecting the board to apprise them on the affairs of their trust.
They said the board should have engaged the office of the district commissioner on the matter rather than filing an urgent application which they said was costly.
OKMCT operates in five villages namely, Boro, Xharaxao, Xuoxao, Daunara and Xaxaba and it also operates six campsites all situated in NG32 concession.
The trust has benefited its communities from tourism as many have adapted to using the natural resources to sustain their living. It also undertakes mokoro trails in the concession area to ensure that tourism generates income that directly benefits the rural communities.
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