MOLEPOLOLE - Located at Lephepe in Matsheng region, the disease control gate was a tool to control the movement of livestock products including meat from entering Kweneng region from Central and other districts in the northern part of Botswana.

The districts from which the animal products were barred are such districts as North West and North East to prevent the spread of contagious and deadly diseases such as the Foot and Mouth Disease.

But this is nolonger the case because the gate is not manned and the situation is troubling the people of Lephepe, who live in fear of being attacked by the Foot and Mouth Disease as it was the case between Ngami and Ghanzi districts.

The residents therefore pleaded with the government to close the veterinary gate so that the movement of animals and their produce could be controlled if not restricted; indicating that if the gate allows free movement of livestock the possibility is high for the contagious disease to penetrate the other region.

Kgosi Gasemosarwa Lebati said during the times in which the entrance of cattle and beef was was barred to enter Kweneng District the cases of stock theft were few, but since the opening of the gate there has been much higher numbers of stock theft cases.

Kgosi said in most cases the livestock is stolen from either side of the districts and taken or sold at the other side, but he said when the gate was closed such cases were minimal because one needed to have a permit to transport cattle from Kweneng to Central District.

Lephepe VDC also expressed displeasure over this issue stating that in addition to the escalation of stock theft, the fence between Otse in the Central District and Lephepe is not maintained properly resulting in free movement of animals as well as increase in stock theft.

They indicated that they noticed that the escalation of stock theft was experienced mostly after the departure of the veterinary officers who were assigned to be responsible for the functioning of the disease control gate.

They also pointed out that during those times when the veterinary officers were there to look after the fence and the gate between the two villages the fence was regularly maintained and that reduced the rate of stock theft and stray livestock (matimela).

They said currently two people are assigned to maintain the fence, but such people are expected to do that without a vehicle and therefore becomes difficult for them to do a good job.

However, Dr Letsebe Mogomotsi, the Principal Veterinary Officer in Molepolole does not see the free movement of livestock and meat produce between those two districts as a threat to animal health, adding that the initial purpose of restricting the movement of livestock and their by products was to control the spread of the foot and mouth disease which was by then common in most areas.

Dr Mogomotsi however said for now foot and mouth is not common and districts such as Central , Kweneng, Kgalagadi, and North East, which have been classified as green areas, meaning that they are foot and mouth free zones, are nolonger prone to the desease.

He said there is no scientific justification, which could force them to start restricting the movement of livestock from other districts into Kweneng we are not justified scientifically to restrict the movement of animals. He also said they have not removed the fences of some gates even though such gates have been opened to allow free movement of livestock, and such gates are maintained regularly so that in case there is an outbreak of any contagious livestock disease it could be easily controlled.

On the escalation of stock theft he said as the department they are very much concerned about the control of diseases and therefore there is no way they could be linked to the escalation of stock theft.

Dr Mogomotsi said the maintenance crew is always there but sometimes it happens that their resources could be deployed to those areas which are in need of more resources like Ngami where there has been the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease but all in all he said the department of veterinary is still in control of the whole situation. BOPA