Berekum Security Council meets parties over ultimatum to relocate goats

The Berekum Municipal Security Committee (MuSeC) has met parties concerning the ultimatum to relocate goats from the Berekum Traditional Area.

The MuSeC held the meeting on Tuesday with the Management of the Semanhyia Learning and Development Farms, a goat rearing and research centre and the Berekum Traditional Council over an order by the traditional council for goat rearers to move their animals from the area.

Three sub-chiefs represented the Berekum Traditional Council, while Mr Frederick Benneh Frimpong, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer represented the management of the farms, located at Senase in the Municipality.

The meeting according to Mr Kofi Adjei, the Berekum Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) and the Chairman of the MuSeC was to find a lasting solution, possibly to reverse the two-week ultimatum given by the traditional council for all goat rearers to relocate their animals.

Describing the outcome of the meeting as “commendable,” Mr Adjei told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in a telephone interview that, “all the parties were satisfied with the recommendations.”

Nonetheless, he explained, “because the Acting President of the Council was not readily available, the meeting could not take any concrete decision and the sub-chiefs are expected to relay the recommendation to the traditional council for the next meeting.”

“Everybody at the meeting noticed the Semanyhia Learning and Development farms was doing a great job, and we expect a good outcome of the meeting,” Mr Adjei stated.

In another interview, Mr Frimpong also described the meeting as “a step in the right direction,” and expressed the optimism that either the traditional council would consider and perform the necessary rituals to allow the goat rearers to keep or maintain their animals or extend the deadline of the ultimatum for them adequately to prepare to relocate.

Sometime in 2023, the GNA gathered the traditional council had ordered livestock keepers rearing goats to either sell their animals or move them out of the Municipality.

Further checks revealed the order was due to the expected ‘Doteyie’ (pre-burial funeral and interment) of the late Daasebre Dr Amankona Diawuo II, the Paramount Chief of the Berekum Traditional Area who died on Friday, June 9, 2023.

The Council had since remained silent, as some of the chiefs contacted by the GNA declined to comment on the matter.

But, a source at the Berekum palace told the GNA the traditional deity (local god) of the Berekum people “forbids goats”, and it was therefore forbidden for anybody to rear goats on the Berekum soil, not only to preserve customs and traditions, but also in order not to attract the wrath of the deity.

The source who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed the traditional council met somewhere last year and gave all livestock keepers rearing goats to either sell their animals or move them away.

Source: GNA

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