02 Sep 2018

Botswana Police Service says it is compelled to correct the Midweek Sun newspaper article dated August 22, 2018 page 3 entitled “Botswana police harass UN reporters, Basarwa.”

The newspaper alleges that there was a stand-off between the police in Letlhakane and some Basarwa led by the PRO of Botswana Khwedom Council, Banyatsi Salutu as well as United Nations (UN) reporters on Sunday (August 19) in the Tsutsuga area, Boteti.

The article further alleges that pandemonium broke out when the police interjected the meetings and demanded to know who the UN reporters were and what interviews they were conducting.

It went on to say that Salutu had met with the police representative Kelebekae Constance and explained to him that they had the right to engage representatives of the UN.

We wish to affirm that the allegations by the Midweek Sun newspaper are not true.

No police officer (s) has ever had any stand-off or engaged in a meeting with UN reporters and Basarwa in the Tsutsuga area, Boteti on the 19/08/2018 as alleged by the newspaper.

It is unfortunate that the author of the article sought to use false information to advance malicious assertions without verifying the facts with relevant authorities.

We take this opportunity to dismiss this article as baseless as it is intended to mislead the nation.

We have no reason to harass the media as that would not only be against our values as an organisation, but a disregard for professionalism and integrity.

We therefore wish to request the editor of the Midweek newspaper to retract the article and unreservedly offer an apology to the Botswana Police Service. Botswana Police Service