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Ward councillor Enock Ndou yesterday said Tshikwalakwala and surrounding areas were the worst affected. He called on relevant authorities to intervene.
“A herd of elephants from Kruger National Park has strayed into Tshikwalakwala irrigation scheme and the animals are destroying crops and canals. This is an issue of grave concern, particularly taking into account that farmers are now preparing to plant wheat for the winter cropping season.
“We are appealing to the relevant authorities to address this problem as a matter of urgency,” he said.
Mr Eddie Hlongwane, a committee member of the irrigation scheme said: “The elephants have pulled down the fence and destroyed canals and they have destroyed several crops and this continues to frustrate our efforts to participate in the winter cropping season.”
The irrigation scheme, measuring 65 hectares, has been hard hit by a serious water shortage due to lack of funds to purchase diesel used in powering the engine pumps.
Established in 1963, Tshikwala-kwala Irrigation Scheme is the second largest scheme in the district after Shashe and it has 208 plot-holders with each cultivat-ing 0,2ha.
However, due to the acute shortage of water, plot-holders have been forced to reduce the hectarage.
Mr Hlongwane said out of four installed engine pumps, only one was working.
In May 2010, elephants destroyed crops at neighbouring Shashane and Tshamaswiswi irrigation schemes. They also killed three people, among them a 40-year-old man, a pregnant woman and her three-year-old child.
The latest development comes hot on the heels of a similar problem encountered early this year when a pride of lions from the same wildlife sanctuary, killed 10 head of cattle and two donkeys in the same village.
Cllr Ndou said he would notify the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and the local safari operator, Three Ways Safaris, about the issue.
Online Reporter