15 Sep 2014

Botswana Police Service's divisional commander, south, Senior Assistant Commission Oreeditse Mautle has raised a concern on the high rate of looting along the Trans-Kalahari Corridor

Addressing members of the Trans-Kalahari Corridor committee at Kang in Kgalagadi District, Mr Mautle explained that Trans-Kalahari corridor was a road network that played a significant role in connecting Botswana-South Africa and Namibia.

“The Trans-Kalahari highway road network starts from Pretoria in the Gauteng Province in South Africa through Rustenburg and Zeerust, through Pioneer gate in Botswana up to Mamunu gate and enter Namibia through Gobabis gate,” he explained.

Mr Mautle stated that it is with great concern to note that residents of villages along the highway particularly within the Kang policing area have developed a tendency of gathering at accident scenes along the highway with the sole intention of robbing the victims specifically cargo trucks.

He said the looting activities along the highway portray the country badly towards other members of the corridor. “Batswana are well known for being law abiding therefore it is seriously disturbing for certain individuals to tarnish the good reputation of the country through unlawful acts such as looting,” he said.

In some instances, he said looters resist police orders to disperse from the accident scene as it was the case last year when Kang police had to fire tear gas canisters and warning shots to disperse people who were stealing from a horse and trailer truck that was involved in a road accident near Phuduhudu.

Looting acts along the highway, he said do not only harm the country’s relations with its neighboring states but also can be hazardous to looters since some of the looted goods might be perilous for human consumption.

He urged Trans-Kalahari highway corridor committee members to liaise with residents along the highway to alert them on the benefits of the highway and sensitise them on the dangers of looting.

Meanwhile, Divisional Traffic Officer - South, Senior Superintendent Engemadzo Sechele decried persistent presence of domesticated stray animals on the highway, highlighting that they contribute to the many road accidents along the highway.

He called for rigid measures to be taken on cattle owners along the highway should their cattle be found along the road or the road reserves, adding that the deployment of cattle patrol teams in the highway can also remedy the situation.

He also emphasised the need for sufficient parking bays along the corridor as he said they will provide truck drivers some venue to relax and refresh thus avoiding fatigue related accidents. Ends