29 Aug 2024

Member of Parliament for Sefhare-Ramokgonami, Dr Kesitegile Gobotswang has implored government to review the policy on allocation of boreholes in communal areas.

Tabling a motion in Parliament on Wednesday, Dr Gobotswang requested government to consider to reduce the minimum radius between boreholes from six to four kilometres.

The adjustment, he argued, would help alleviate the problem of overgrazing caused by the concentration of cattle around a limited number of boreholes.

“Previously the minimum radius between boreholes was 8km then was reduced to 6km and now we request that it is further reduced to 4km,” he said. Dr Gobotswang also highlighted the issue of leasing of boreholes by individuals who did not engage in livestock farming.

He said some borehole owners leased their water sources to multiple farmers purely for profit, with little regard for the environmental consequences. “This means that there ends up being no regard for overgrazing as the individual will only be interested in leasing a borehole to as many farmers as possible in order to make more money,” he stated.

Dr Gobotswang also raised concerns about the impact of the current policy on marginalised communities. He said the wide radius between boreholes made it difficult for these communities to access water, further exacerbating their challenges.

“The marginalised will also be affected by the wide radius,” he said, urging government to consider the needs of all citizens in its policy decisions. In response to the motion, several parliamentarians voiced their support, acknowledging the critical role that boreholes played in the survival of rural communities.

MP for Goodhope-Mabule, Mr Eric Molale, supported the motion but raised a few clarifications, saying while boreholes were commonly used to measure distances between farms, they were not the only tool for such purpose. “In Kgalagadi, for instance, when farm lands are being allocated, the first thing that is done is to locate where there is water and corner points of the farm land converge there, where there is potable water,” he stated.

He also argued that there could be instances where there was a 500-metre borehole radius between two farms, supporting his argument against using boreholes as the sole yardstick.

Furthermore, he questioned the reasoning behind Dr Gobotswang’s choice of a 4km radius, suggesting that effective management of resources and the land’s carrying capacity were crucial in reducing overgrazing, rather than simply focusing on distance.

He said even within a 2km by 2km area, it was possible to rear 3 000 livestock, hence resource management was key. Palapye legislator, Mr Onneetse Ramogapi also supported the motion approving that a policy review would help address issues of water scarcity and land degradation, thereby improving resilience of communities against the impacts of climate change.
MP for Serowe North, Mr Baratiwa Mathoothe, also supported the motion, stating that it was long due. He highlighted that some farms currently had abundant water supply with a borehole radius of 6km.

“By reducing this radius to a smaller distance, more locals could be allocated boreholes, which would, in turn, increase the number of livestock in the country and this change would be particularly beneficial for local communities,” he said.

Minister of Agriculture, Honourable Fidelis Molao also supported the motion.

Minister Molao said he would nonetheless contribute to the motion although the allocation of land was the mandate of a different ministry as his was tasked with providing technical expertise on agricultural matters.

He said the ministry was aware of the issue of how carrying capacity of farmsteads could increase and the issue prompted some guidelines in the Thuo Letlotlo programme. He explained that one of the key components of the Thuo Letlotlo programme was water development in communal areas, where borehole drilling was encouraged to support livestock farming. ENDS