Storm brews in Lake Ngami�s troubled waters

Boniface Keakabetse | Friday March 6, 2015 14:15

A battalion of security officers descended on fishermen this week, in the climax of the troubles that have afflicted the lake, since it refilled in 2009.

Lake Ngami, a seasonal water body, is believed to be among the last remaining fragments of the ancient and mammoth Lake Makgadikgadi, which is believed to have overflown and drained into Victoria Falls, before becoming extinct more than 20,000 years ago.

The placid waters that returned to Ngami in 2009, a result of flows from a tributary of the Okavango Delta, resuscitated the long abandoned fishing industry and gave many villagers hope of a new stream of income in a land of few opportunities.

Sehitwa, the major village closest to the lake, rapidly became the epicentre of the newfound fishing industry, with thriving business as seen in the numerous fishermen exporting tonnes of catfish and tilapia to Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

At the last count, about 222 fishing licences were issued for the lake, with about 135 fishing camps around the waters. However, beginning with a spate of drownings as activity increased in the area, Lake Ngami’s blessings have slowly turned into a curse, with the swelling numbers of the fishing community weighing on the newly awakened water body.

Signs of environmental stress became evident when the lake’s waters flooded many hectares of land previously used for grazing, reducing the potential output for farmers.

Migrating farmers also turned to the lake to rear their cattle, contributing to overcrowding and the ensuing environmental degradation.

However, it is the primary beneficiaries – the fishermen – who have been at the forefront of transforming a blessing into a curse.

The numerous shanty camps around the lake, with the associated waste and lack of ablutions, has weighed heavily on the ecologically sensitive lake.

As fishermen from far and wide descended on Lake Ngami’s shores for the treasure trove of fish available, the lack of ablutions and concrete laws, made the area a cowboy wasteland, where necessity is the mother of invention.

The fishermen ignited an environmental time bomb and found themselves despised by local communities who began lobbying government to evict them. The situation was exacerbated by the fact that many of the fishermen are not from the villages closest to the lake.

On February 27, the slow cogs in government’s machinery finally reached action point, with the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism announcing a 12-month fishing ban at the lake citing overcrowding and pollution. The ban extended to the nearby Lake Xau.

The regulation states: “In exercise of the powers of the Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism by Section 3(1) of the Fish Protection Act, the following regulations are hereby made that no person shall undertake any fishing activity at Lake Ngami and Xau with effect from 1st March 2015 to 29 February 2016.”

Environment Minister, Tshekedi Khama told journalists in Maun last week that the ban was due to pollution at the two fishing areas and added that government was ready to compensate all fishermen affected by the freeze.

Fishermen, on the other hand, say they are not aware of the compensation offer.

The Lake Ngami Fishing Association, which says the ban has affected more than 1,700 fishermen, recently held a series of meeting in an effort to persuade government to reverse the ban. However, there is no turning back as events last week clearly demonstrated.

After the announcement of the ban, the government moved fast to enforce it. The number of security forces in the area and the lake were reportedly doubled in response to threats of defiance by fishermen at Kgotla meetings.

The fishermen had reportedly threatened to press ahead with their fishing activities and ignore the ban.

Association chairman, Loago Mokanki, reported a heavy security presence at the lake after fishermen vowed to ignore the ban.

“Initially fishermen resolved that they would not obey the ban as it was communicated by the word of mouth. We held a meeting at Maun Kgotla where the fishermen resolved that they would still fish despite the ban.”

The Fishing Association chair said last Friday, a contingent of army officers, police and suspected intelligence agents arrived in the area and instructed fishermen to shut down their camps, pack up their gear and leave.

According to Mokanki, the association approached Maun Police after suspecting that the state would use force against the irate fishermen threatening to ignore the ban. ”We went to seek legal guidance from the divisional commander’s office as we had a tough situation where our members had vowed to take the law into their own hands and fish despite the ban,” he said.

“We then accompanied the police to Sehitwa where we found a contingent of armed security men waiting to act. We told them we would negotiate with the fishermen to leave and everyone heeded the call and left the lake.”

The nervous calm around the lake belies the anger fishermen hold towards government. According to Mokanki, the source of the anger is that the ban was communicated just four days before the start of the fishing season on March 1.

“Many had already invested in buying fishing equipment such as fishing nets, boats, salt, refrigerators and other necessities. These are all very expensive. Fisheries authorities have since told us to look for alternative fishing grounds elsewhere.

This may transfer the overcrowding and pollution problem experienced at the lake to other areas. They should have come up with solutions at Lake Ngami instead,” he said.

Fishermen believe government let their community down by not building ablution and other facilities in the area to preserve the environment. Other people in the area say the end of the 25-year dry patch caught government by surprise as it had not anticipated the ballooning of fishing activities around the lake. Hence, the government was ill-prepared to deal with the situation.

Whatever the case, the authorities are however steadfast on the ban. Senior wildlife officer in Maun, Mpho Sethogile says fishermen from Lake Ngami are free to fish elsewhere. However, his department will first ascertain the carrying capacity of the alternative rivers to avoid another problem of overcrowding.

“The majority of Lake Ngami fishermen had permits allowing them to fish in other areas. Only a few had licences exclusive to Lake Ngami.”

It is understood some former Lake Ngami fishermen have already heeded the advice and have set off in search of alternative hunting grounds.

The migration, however, has raised concerns in the target areas.

Dineelelo Thapelo from Sechamoka Community Trust in the Okavango panhandle village of Sepopa is among the worried lot about the exodus from Lake Ngami. “If more fishermen come here, we are going to have a problem. Our trust has not finalised a management plan for this area which would indicate how many fishermen our area can carry.

My fear is that we may have the same problem as Lake Ngami because there are no facilities like toilets here,” he said.

Goabamang Kobamelo of Shorobe Management Trust is even more blunt saying former Lake Ngami fishermen are not welcome in his village. This confirms Mokanki’s fear that they will not be allowed to fish in alternative waters.

Meanwhile, the resuscitated Lake Ngami is once again forlorn, this time its abandonment not the result of thirst, but the over-eager attentions of humans.