Action on animals on roads
A committee has been established address the challenges of animals in road reserves as a matter of urgency.
The committee, led by the chairperson of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), Eugene Tendekule and involving stakeholders from the ministries of agriculture, justice and works, the Joint Crime Prevention Forum, the attorney-general's office and the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) met on Friday to discuss the way forward.
According to a NAU newsletter, the committee was established a result of increasing road accidents on national roads involving animals in road reserves, which are claiming many lives. The committee is looking at several alternatives to prevent animals from entering road reserves.
The newsletter pointed out that one of the alternative solutions that were discussed in the meeting is the maintenance of fences of road reserves as well as border fences between farms.
“With the support of the office of the attorney-general, action will be taken to keep animals - all animals - out of road reserves. The Namibian police will play a major role in this regard. It is expected that this action will also be applied across all the national roads in the country,” NAU said.
According to union, the NRSC suggested that the main problem of animals in road reserves is the absence of fences along the national roads. According to the Roads Ordinance No. 122 of 1972 the owners of the farms over which the road stretches, are responsible for the maintenance of the fences and can such owner, who does not maintain his fence, be prosecuted.
The meeting further suggested that maintenance of border fences between farms is also a focal point for many years, especially in many cases where the State is the owner of the land due to the resettlement programme. In this case there is also legislation, namely the Fencing Act of 1922 which is still applicable and which clearly stipulates the responsibility of an owner with regard to maintenance of border fences.
“There are still legal issues need to be ironed out by the attorney-general's office before we pass a legal framework that will be passed into a law. This needs a critical review by legal experts before it can be passed into a law,” Tendekule said.
He continued that the biggest challenge their committee is faced with is areas of operation. He said challenges in communal areas are not the same as challenges in commercial areas. In communal areas there are only domestic animals, while commercial areas there are also wild animals that are found roaming along national roads.
Once be enforced into a law, road users will be responsible of reporting animals to be found within the road reserves to the nearest police station so that will remove them and owners or those who fail to repair the protective fence will be fined.
ILENI NANDJATO
According to a NAU newsletter, the committee was established a result of increasing road accidents on national roads involving animals in road reserves, which are claiming many lives. The committee is looking at several alternatives to prevent animals from entering road reserves.
The newsletter pointed out that one of the alternative solutions that were discussed in the meeting is the maintenance of fences of road reserves as well as border fences between farms.
“With the support of the office of the attorney-general, action will be taken to keep animals - all animals - out of road reserves. The Namibian police will play a major role in this regard. It is expected that this action will also be applied across all the national roads in the country,” NAU said.
According to union, the NRSC suggested that the main problem of animals in road reserves is the absence of fences along the national roads. According to the Roads Ordinance No. 122 of 1972 the owners of the farms over which the road stretches, are responsible for the maintenance of the fences and can such owner, who does not maintain his fence, be prosecuted.
The meeting further suggested that maintenance of border fences between farms is also a focal point for many years, especially in many cases where the State is the owner of the land due to the resettlement programme. In this case there is also legislation, namely the Fencing Act of 1922 which is still applicable and which clearly stipulates the responsibility of an owner with regard to maintenance of border fences.
“There are still legal issues need to be ironed out by the attorney-general's office before we pass a legal framework that will be passed into a law. This needs a critical review by legal experts before it can be passed into a law,” Tendekule said.
He continued that the biggest challenge their committee is faced with is areas of operation. He said challenges in communal areas are not the same as challenges in commercial areas. In communal areas there are only domestic animals, while commercial areas there are also wild animals that are found roaming along national roads.
Once be enforced into a law, road users will be responsible of reporting animals to be found within the road reserves to the nearest police station so that will remove them and owners or those who fail to repair the protective fence will be fined.
ILENI NANDJATO
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