Misfortune Dogs Matsiloje Family (Botswana)
Misfortune Dogs Matsiloje Family (Botswana)
Oarabile Mosikare, Mmegi Online
June 300, 2008
MATSILOJE: Martha Sekwena's family has accepted their fate. This is because they are buffeted by misfortune after another.
Last December her homestead in Lephaneng cattlepost near Matsiloje was struck by lightning.
The bolt of lightening struck down four of Sekwena's grandchildren instantly killing three of them. One of them was admitted at Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital and was discharged on January 11, this year. As if December lightening misfortune was not enough, Sekwena's family was again visited by yet another tragedy. Sometimes towards the end of March, they were visited by one of the biggest beasts roaming the earth, which left destruction on its trails. Just a stone throw away from the elderly Sekwena's homestead is her daughter Annah's home.
An elephant destroyed Annah's mud house one early morning in March. Fortunately, she was in Matsiloje during the fateful day. Annah lost her pottery in the destruction. Now the family also live under constant fear of not only the lightning but also of marauding jumbos running the terrain of Lephaneng at night.
Yesterday, early in the morning, an elephant paid them a visit again. This time around they had to bonfire and hit an empty 20-litre drum of cooking oil to scare away this unwelcome marauder. The family said the elephant then went to a nearby borehole and damaged it.
"There is no way we draw water. The elephant has destroyed our source of water," lamented Thapelo Koiho, Martha's husband. Koiho said they hoped elephants had spared another borehole about five kilometres from their home. "It is just a hope," he mourned.
The family's grief is that after the first elephant attack, Wildlife officials paid them a visit to access the damage. But since that visit they have not received feedback from the department. "It is because we are poor. Maybe they think we don't deserve compensation," lamented the distressed Sekwena. They claimed that the aggressive elephant was later shot by Wildlife officials and its meat distributed to Matsiloje residents.
But they are grateful because after last year's misfortune, IAMGOLD Botswana donated Christmas grocery and some blankets to them. They are also grateful that Tati East Member of Parliament, Samson Guma Moyo, and nominated councillor, Florah Mpetsane, have been visiting them regularly. Just like most of their neighbours, the poverty-stricken Sekwena family are subsistence farmers. They have a barren tshimo which they regularly plough every ploughing season. "Farming is no longer economically viable. There is nothing we harvest out of our toil," Koiho said. To provide for his family, the one-legged Koiho usually does piece jobs.
The family owns six goats, two cows and two donkeys. Sekwena disclosed that the Zimbabwean marauders roaming the veld have also dealt them a severe blow. They added to their woes. They lost majority of their donkeys to cross border looting. "We had inherited a lot of donkeys from my deceased parents but the Zimbabweans have stolen them," said Sekwena. The lightning, the jumbos and Zimbabwean looters coupled with poverty are the daily ordeal of the Sekwenas. They have ruled out any chances of relocating to Matsiloje because of their poverty. They are appealing to 'Good Samaritans' to come to their rescue.
Matsiloje police station commander, superintendent Booker Osupile, confirmed that he reached a report about the elephant that tormented the Lephaneng cattlepost on Thursday. Osupile added that a report was channelled to the departments of Wildlife and Veterinary. Acting senior wildlife officer Milikani Tshupeng in Francistown confirmed that his office is handling Annah's case. Tshupeng said they are waiting for expertise from the department of buildings to assess the house and after which the wildlife department would pay 50 percent of the costs.
Tshupeng also confirmed that two elephants - not one as the Sekwenas claimed - destroyed the veterinary department's borehole. About the constant destruction of the cordon fence along Botswana-Zimbabwe border, he said the fence is along the corridor of elephants, which is why it is constantly destroyed.
Article at the following link:
http://www.mmegi.bw/index.php?sid=6&aid=68&dir=2008/June/Monday30
Oarabile Mosikare, Mmegi Online
June 300, 2008
MATSILOJE: Martha Sekwena's family has accepted their fate. This is because they are buffeted by misfortune after another.
Last December her homestead in Lephaneng cattlepost near Matsiloje was struck by lightning.
The bolt of lightening struck down four of Sekwena's grandchildren instantly killing three of them. One of them was admitted at Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital and was discharged on January 11, this year. As if December lightening misfortune was not enough, Sekwena's family was again visited by yet another tragedy. Sometimes towards the end of March, they were visited by one of the biggest beasts roaming the earth, which left destruction on its trails. Just a stone throw away from the elderly Sekwena's homestead is her daughter Annah's home.
An elephant destroyed Annah's mud house one early morning in March. Fortunately, she was in Matsiloje during the fateful day. Annah lost her pottery in the destruction. Now the family also live under constant fear of not only the lightning but also of marauding jumbos running the terrain of Lephaneng at night.
Yesterday, early in the morning, an elephant paid them a visit again. This time around they had to bonfire and hit an empty 20-litre drum of cooking oil to scare away this unwelcome marauder. The family said the elephant then went to a nearby borehole and damaged it.
"There is no way we draw water. The elephant has destroyed our source of water," lamented Thapelo Koiho, Martha's husband. Koiho said they hoped elephants had spared another borehole about five kilometres from their home. "It is just a hope," he mourned.
The family's grief is that after the first elephant attack, Wildlife officials paid them a visit to access the damage. But since that visit they have not received feedback from the department. "It is because we are poor. Maybe they think we don't deserve compensation," lamented the distressed Sekwena. They claimed that the aggressive elephant was later shot by Wildlife officials and its meat distributed to Matsiloje residents.
But they are grateful because after last year's misfortune, IAMGOLD Botswana donated Christmas grocery and some blankets to them. They are also grateful that Tati East Member of Parliament, Samson Guma Moyo, and nominated councillor, Florah Mpetsane, have been visiting them regularly. Just like most of their neighbours, the poverty-stricken Sekwena family are subsistence farmers. They have a barren tshimo which they regularly plough every ploughing season. "Farming is no longer economically viable. There is nothing we harvest out of our toil," Koiho said. To provide for his family, the one-legged Koiho usually does piece jobs.
The family owns six goats, two cows and two donkeys. Sekwena disclosed that the Zimbabwean marauders roaming the veld have also dealt them a severe blow. They added to their woes. They lost majority of their donkeys to cross border looting. "We had inherited a lot of donkeys from my deceased parents but the Zimbabweans have stolen them," said Sekwena. The lightning, the jumbos and Zimbabwean looters coupled with poverty are the daily ordeal of the Sekwenas. They have ruled out any chances of relocating to Matsiloje because of their poverty. They are appealing to 'Good Samaritans' to come to their rescue.
Matsiloje police station commander, superintendent Booker Osupile, confirmed that he reached a report about the elephant that tormented the Lephaneng cattlepost on Thursday. Osupile added that a report was channelled to the departments of Wildlife and Veterinary. Acting senior wildlife officer Milikani Tshupeng in Francistown confirmed that his office is handling Annah's case. Tshupeng said they are waiting for expertise from the department of buildings to assess the house and after which the wildlife department would pay 50 percent of the costs.
Tshupeng also confirmed that two elephants - not one as the Sekwenas claimed - destroyed the veterinary department's borehole. About the constant destruction of the cordon fence along Botswana-Zimbabwe border, he said the fence is along the corridor of elephants, which is why it is constantly destroyed.
Article at the following link:
http://www.mmegi.bw/index.php?sid=6&aid=68&dir=2008/June/Monday30