Saving livestock, protecting wildlife
Saving livestock, protecting wildlife Estelle GreeffKilling wild animals such as lions for preying on domestic livestock in the deep rural village of Muyexe outside Giyani in Limpopo is a thing of the past.
The community of Muyexe in Limpopo is sighing with relief after government helped them to erect a 17km fence to protect the people and their livestock from wild animals.
Muyexe village borders the Kruger National Park at the Punda Maria Gate. The new fence was erected in response to the community’s outcry to save their livestock from being killed by predators.
The R9 million fence erected by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform will prevent animals which break fences and escape from the Kruger Park from killing cattle and damaging crops.
This will also protect the wildlife since they will not have to be killed because they are a threat to the community.
Over the years, losing cattle every week to predators from the Kruger Park, deprived the community of their only source of income.
Traditional leader Ben Maluleke praised the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform for erecting the fence. “They have done a good job. I haven’t heard of or received complaints of livestock loss since,” he said.
Rural development
The village was chosen as the first pilot site for the implementation of the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP) launched by President Jacob Zuma in 2009.
The CRDP is a joint effort between government and the private sector to fight poverty, hunger, unemployment and lack of development in rural areas.
Houses
Apart from erecting the fence, government also undertook to build 300 houses for the settlement’s poor households. Thanks to partnerships between government and the private sector, more than 350 houses have been built.
Most households now have toilets and there is also a new crèche in the village for pre-school children.