Grisly scenes of decomposing cattle at the government-owned Kavango Cattle Ranch have seen officials coming out of their cocoons following a New Era exposé of the terrible conditions the animals find themselves in.
In recent weeks, politicians from Kavango West uncovered the sad state of affairs as unattended livestock roving around the muddy waterpoint in dire need of water, feed and care at the Namibia Industrial Development Agency’s (NIDA) Mangetti West cattle ranch.
The farm, which comprises 38 camps primarily for livestock production, is administered by NIDA, and there are over 10 000 cattle on the farm and about 70 employees.
During their surprise visit to the ranch, the Kavango West leadership discovered numerous cattle carcasses at various waterpoints, which comprises over 40 cattle posts. Estimates are that since January 2015, the number of cattle on the ranch decreased significantly from more than 16 300 to less than 10 000 currently.
The shocking conditions, coupled with the alleged abuse and neglect, has since seen government officials as well as the powers that be at NIDA flocking to the ranch to familiarise themselves with the situation.
Interestingly, NIDA attempted to pour cold water on the media reports by suggesting only 10 cattle deaths have been reported at the ranch.
This is despite overwhelming evidence pointing to the contrary.
Clearly, had the Kavango West leadership not visited the farm, the situation would have continued unabated, with no effective oversight and accountability to those responsible for this mess.
This sad episode reminded us of the painful decision when the authorities terminated the contracts of about 200 employees at 56 government-owned orchards in the north during 2018.
The dismissal of the workers resulted in total neglect as the trees eventually died.
This, again, was a missed opportunity, which would have protected farmers from agricultural imports.
It is really unfortunate that for a country that is confronted by a long-simmering issue of land redistribution, which has forced farmers grazing their cattle in corridors, we still can’t seem to get the basics right.
There is clearly an I ‘don’t-care attitude’, considering the reactive approach adopted to the crisis unfolding at the Kavango Cattle Ranch.
Yes, we welcome the immediate measures to arrest the situation, including a plan to sell off some of the livestock to revive the embattled entity’s fortunes.
Experts with the know-how of running such facilities should be given the chance to restore the public’s confidence as far as the affairs of the Kavango Cattle Ranch are concerned, and those who mess up should be held accountable for their actions without fear or favour. All things considered, we should stop treating dishonest officials with kid gloves.
We must and should always expose the truth to save taxpayers’ money.