10 Jul 2014

Government has decided to construct a state of the art multi-species abattoir in Tsabong.

Addressing Kgalagadi District full council meeting in Hukuntsi, deputy permanent secretary in the ministry of agriculture, Dr Philemon Motsu stated that the district was well endowed with smallstock and yet it had in the past, unable to access lucrative small stock meat markets in urban areas hence the abattoir being aimed at alleviating such problem.

He said the proposed multi-species abattoir would slaughter both small stock and cattle or any other animal intended for human consumption with a capacity to slaughter 20 to 35 cattle units per day or 140 to 245 smallstock.

The abattoir, he said will be constructed on a turnkey basis in order to reduce time and costs. He however, indicated that the project is neither in the District Development Plan Seven (DDP 7) nor National Development Plan 10, therefore there might be financial constraints since it was not budgeted for.

He said once completed, the abattoir will be leased out to private sector to commercialise it, adding his ministry will also embark on a bench marking mission in either South Africa or Namibia to identify how best the abattoir can serve the community and secure its sustainability.

He said they will consult a consultant to advice on the business model of how best to manage the abattoir since it is evident that many local council abattoirs across the country have collapsed primarily due to mis-management.

Furthermore, he stated that the ministry will identify and engage specialised abattoir engineering firms for the abattoir construction and pleaded with the local authority to assist with servicing the four hector plot allocated for the abattoir.

Lehututu councilor, Mr Jeffrey Modukanele applauded government’s efforts saying the abattoir is long overdue since the area is renowned for smallstock farming. He said there could not be an appropriate time to construct the abattoir like during this period as it coincides with the implementation of the special ISAAP in the region.

“The abattoir will provide an appropriate market for those who have benefited from the special ISAAP,” he lamented. Mr Modukanele however, raised a concern at the shortage of water in the region, saying the situation might cripple the success of the abattoir since it will require a lot of water. Ends