Horticulture farmer Shadreck Mapetla said he was forced to abandon his trade because elephants constantly invaded his farm, and the compensation for loss of crops from the government was insufficient. The only way to address the invasion of elephants is to reduce their numbers, he said.
"This is not a normal life. When our president … speaks about killing elephants, people refuse, but people want food from us in the village. Those who say they don't want the elephants to be killed should come, take and keep them," Mapetla said.
Local farmers' association chairperson Davidson Mapetla led a march in 2017, calling on the government to act. He said the villages gain no benefits from the elephants, as they are not within a game reserve and do not generate income from tourism.
"The only thing that sustains our village is farming, so if we don't get farming, then we should do away with tourism," he said. "We want to farm. Reduce the elephants to the required numbers that the government can be able to manage. That will be wise."