KATIMA MULILO – Former Linyanti constituency councillor Dorothy Kabula has accused the Ministry of Trade and Industry of frustrating her plans to build a crocodile farm in the constituency.
She alleges that the ministry cold-shouldered her because she left office as a councillor of the ruling Swapo Party. Kabula says despite getting the nod from the ministry to proceed with the project initially, including approval, the same ministry has now backtracked by ‘diverting’ the project to Kongola. “In 2009 I had an opportunity to go to China where we found that crocodile and frog meat are popular. When I came back I met people in the constituency including the CDC and community leaders to brainstorm on the crocodile and frog farms in Linyanti. I wrote a letter for the two projects and only the crocodile farm project was approved by the Ministry of Trade and Industry in 2010,” she said.
Kabula said officials from the trade and industry ministry even visited the constituency in search of viable sites for the location of the project.
According to her she only realised that her initiative had been sidelined after learning that another constituency has been given the same project even though she was the first to initiate the income-generating project. “In 2010 I went around and met all community members in the constituency to tell them that the project is coming to the constituency. Unfortunately my term of office ended and I could not have known what transpired thereafter. Last month, some people in the constituency started calling me to find out about the farm when they saw that the crocodile farm will be established elsewhere,” she said. She further claims that since the approval of the project there has been no communication between the ministry of trade and industry and the community regarding the said project, adding that the initiative could have played a significant role in alleviating poverty and creating jobs for residents in the Linyanti constituency.
“The ministry of trade is not involving the community of Linyanti. That project was initiated for the community. The ministry should come and explain to the people why the project has been shifted to Kongola. If the people had made such a request and there has been approval they should be given the project,” according to Kabula. Although she is not opposed to the project being established in the Kongola constituency, the fact that her former constituency initiated the project should be taken into consideration for the sake of fairness, she said. Choi and Ngonga in the Linyanti consituency were already earmarked as possible project location sites, according to her. She further said the incumbent Linyanti councillor, Cletius Sipapela also appears to have been sidelined in the whole process by the ministry.
“I called the councillor recently to ask him about the project and all he could tell me was that the project was going to Kongola. It does not mean that if someone leaves office they should be sidelined. When I was still in office people in the constituency were even told about how the project would operate. People even congratulated me at that time. It does not augur well that the project has now been shifted to Kongola,” said the former councillor. Village development committee (VDC) vice chairperson in the Ngonga area, Mishake Fulai, confirmed the existence of the project in question.
He said a
follow-up
meeting took place in 2012 between the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the incumbent
councillor and members of the community.
“We were told about the project. People from the ministry of trade were here. The second meeting took place in 2012 together with the councillor to explain to people about the whole project and the job opportunities to be created. But they never told us about when they would start the actual project. The councillor knows about it. Since then we have not had any meeting. We were still waiting until we saw a similar project at Kongola last month,” said Fulai. John Kapelwa, also a member of the CDC in the newly created Judea Lyaboloma constituency echoed similar sentiments saying in one of its meetings the committee was informed that the project has been relocated to the Kongola constituency. Linyanti constituency councillor Cletius Sipapela who claimed ignorance about the initial stages of the project said when the project was first mooted it fell under the Linyanti constituency until the demarcation of 2013 by the Delimitation Commission, hence the present confusion. “From the little that I know the project was started by the former councillor, honourable Dorothy Kabula. The two areas of Kongola and Sangwali were picked for a feasibility study. The area where the project will be built currently used to fall under the Linyanti constituency, before the demarcation of the Delimitation Commission of 2013,” he said. Sipapela however offered some glimmer of hope by saying the crocodile breeding project is on-going and that it would be expanded to other areas. “This project will continue to grow. We are even told eggs for the hatchery at Kongola will be collected from areas such as Linyanti and Singobeka. Let’s leave the project to grow. It will breed other projects in the region. Another dam will be constructed soon at Sangwali,” Sipapela said. Approached for comment regional head in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Gift Kasika said a feasibility study that was conducted determined that the area where the project would be built, adjacent to the Kongola Bridge, was the most suitable because of its tourism potential and close location.
“The feasibility study determined that the site adjacent to the Kongola Bridge is ideal simply because tourists drive through that area most of the time. That area is inundated with tourists. Long distance drivers would have discouraged people from visiting the project,” explained Kasika.
According to him during the
approval of the project no
specific area
was identified apart from the fact
that the project was supposed to be located
between the
Kongola and
Linyanti
constituencies.
“Yes, we saw a lot of places but we were still looking for suitable areas for the project through our feasibility study and environmental impact assessment study and we ended up finding the area in Kongola to be the most suitable place,” said Kasika.
He further said more projects are likely to follow depending on the budget and viability issues.
The ground breaking ceremony for the crocodile farm to be known as Manyeha Crocodile Leather Processing and Training Centre took place last month in the Kayuwo area of the Kongola constituency some 110 km west of Katima Mulilo.
The crocodile farm will be built next to a stream on the Kwando River covering 7 hectares adjacent to the Kongola Bridge and it will cost government over N$27 million.
Once completed, it is envisaged to create over 100 non-permanent jobs during the construction phase and about 60 permanent jobs when fully operational.
By George Sanzila