MMADINARE DEVELOPMENT TRUST CHAIR WANTS CONTROVERSIAL CT27 HUNTING DEAL TERMINATED.
Oshinka Tsiang
The Chairman of Mmadinare Development Trust, Modiri Obuseng has vowed to fight to get the controversial trophy hunting contract agreed with Lotsane Safaris terminated or reviewed because of irregularities surrounding its signing. Obuseng first raised the alarm at the recent Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) forum in Maun where he decried the paltry amount of 1.5 million Pula for their hunting quota as compared to other communities in Botswana which were able to raise multiple millions of pula from their annual hunting quotas. In an interview with the Tuesday Grill Obuseng, who signed the contract on behalf of Mmadinare Development Trust, said there were many irregularities surrounding the signing of the contract including what amounted to interference by politicians and dikgosi from areas that make up the controlled hunting areas CT27. Under the agreement, Lotsane Safaris was granted hunting rights for fifteen years at a cost of 1.5 million, escalating at five percent annually. The current quota comprises of a total of 71 animals of a wide range of species including 30 elephants, 15 impala, four kudu, two eland, four ostriches, and four leopards. Obuseng recounted the pressure exerted on him and other board members from CT27 by the council officials, councillors and dikgosi, who had convened three consecutive meetings at the company premises and another at Bobonong and finally at the company premises where the contract was signed. Obuseng said he and some board members from other trusts were unhappy with the amount offered but dikgosi and some councillors from the areas comprising Mosega Conservation Trust, Molema Community Trust, Mmadinare Development Trust and Mapanda Conservation Trusts were in agreement with the amount offered. Obuseng said the TAC was adamant that the trusts could not get any better deal. But Bobirwa District Commissioner who is also the Chairman of the TAC Big Boy Mangwa denies Obuseng’s assertion, saying the trusts ignored the TAC advice to consult further with the communities. He said the TAC was informed of a meeting sometime in December 2025 at which the trusts were to sign a pre contract with Lotsane Safaris. At the meeting the TAC advised that the Trusts should not sign the pre contract until after at least three weeks to allow for consultation with communities. But he said within four days he was informed by the Trusts that they were ready to sign. Mangwa confirmed that the meeting at Lotsane Safaris was attended by councillors and dikgosi from the eight villages making up the conservancy who were adamant that the contract should be signed. Mangwa said as the TAC they have never told the communities that the offer was the best they could get.
The contract comes into effect in January 2027. Some of the obligations for the operator include construction of an eco-friendly safari camp in CT27, deployment of a local anti-poaching and anti-stock theft unit in the area, road maintenance, drilling of boreholes and construction of shared water points and promotion of economic diversification and rural development of CT27. Other benefits to the communities would be the provision of meat from the hunted game. There are unconfirmed reports that Lotsane Safaris had paid for travel and accommodation expenses of many who attended the meetings which led to the signing. Obuseng asserts that the reasons given for the low valuation of their elephants is that they have smaller tasks compared to elephants in the Northern part of Botswana which he says is not always true. He says the other issue is that people in the area are always eager to get rid of the elephants because they are a menace to crops. Consequently the easily succumb to low valuation. Obuseng is worried that by the end of fifteen years, there will be very little show in terms of developments and benefits from their quotas.
The contract with the current operator Kwadiwa Safaris comes to an end at the end of the current hunting season. They are to pay 1.3 million pula to the trusts.
Obuseng said he felt that his apprehension over the contract with Lotsane Safaris was being viewed as sabotaging of the deal. Now Obuseng wants the contract reviewed. He says he will raise the issue at a meeting of the trusts during which he will report on the outcome of the CBNRM forum in Maun which was called to explore establishment of a CBO Association. Concern over the deal reached the national assembly recently during the debate on a motion calling for a commission of enquiry on Community Based Organisations or Trusts.
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