Ongwediva
A resident of Ondangwa has accused the Ondangwa Town Council of doing nothing to impound animals that roam the streets.
Mcboidy Luwetha, whose garden was completely destroyed by livestock, says the town council repeatedly failed to impound stray animals – a situation he says has now become untenable.
Luwetha said he farms bananas, mangoes, lemons among others, but his lawn was also ruined. “Am I really living in town or in the bush? These animals also pose a threat to my children,” related Luwetha.
He said the council’s failure to impound the stray livestock, despite a municipal bylaw that compels Council to seize such animals, has turned his garden into a grazing area every night.
The animals clamber over his fence to graze unhindered on crops and fruit trees in his garden.
Apart from the destroyed garden Luwetha further lamented the fact that his fence has repeatedly been destroyed in the process, while his neighbours’ fence also risked being destroyed.
“A neighbour’s rear car mirror was almost broken a week ago when a bull jumped over the fence and then it broke the neighbour’s gate. I called the officials while the bull was still in my garden, but they didn’t show up,” Luwetha said.
He says the situation has been dragging on since 2011, but Council repeatedly failed to remedy the situation. He said the municipal impounding kraal does not seem to serve its intended purpose.
Luwetha appealed to the Town Council to act on the situation whereby animals roam freely around town, claiming he cannot continue to water plants that will be destroyed by “Council’s livestock”.
The acting CEO of Ondangwa Municipality, Paulus Ndjodhi, said there is a risk Council may be sued for seizing the wrong livestock and advised Luwetha to call him directly when the animals are in his garden, so that the municipality can impound them. He assured the complainant that should the animals be impounded, the owner would be liable to compensate Luwetha for any damages he may have suffered.
Luwetha was not appeased by Ndjodhi’s advice, saying he had already informed the acting CEO on several occasions about the persistent problem, but to no avail.
Ndjodhi said the municipality is trying its level best to curb animals from roaming through the town’s streets, but noted that the situation is not easy to control, because the place is surrounded by livestock farmers, who do not adhere to the municipal regulations.