17 Feb 2019

Police in Nata are holding a 36-year-old Zimbabwean national for possession of two elephant tusks.

In an interview, Nata Police Station Commander, Superintendent Vincent Pitseitsile said the man was arrested at Nata Bird Sanctuary recently.

He said the man claimed he found the trophies hidden in the bush at Xarekachoo cattle posts near Nata and that he picked them. 

Superintendent Pitseitsile however said upon further interrogation, the accused informed them that he was waiting for a truck at the bird sanctuary to load the tusks, and that he was in the business of selling them. 

The station commander said the accused would appear at the Nata Magistrate Court tomorrow on two counts of unlawful possession of government trophies, and unlawfully remaining in Botswana since it was found that his days to stay in Botswana had expired on September 13, 2018.

In another incident, Superintendent Pitseitsile said a Zambian truck driver on transit to South Africa was charged P20 000 by the Botswana Unified Revenue Services (BURS) for aiding his country woman aged 33 years to cross with undeclared goods. 

He said the two were arrested and charged at Ngwasha gate along the Nata/Kasane road where there was a BURS operation. 

He said the woman was in possession of 148 bottles of 200 ml of different brands of cosmetics colognes, which she said she was going to deliver at the Francistown Bus Rank. 

He said the woman was fined P5 000 and the cosmetics were confiscated by BURS.

In addition, Superintendent Pitseitsile said another woman, also a Zambian national, was fined P400 at the BURS operation for not declaring cloth. Ends