11 Nov 2019

Station commander of Baines Drift Police Station Superintendent Onneetse Gagosha has expressed concern over poaching at the farms that lie along the Limpopo River. 

The Limpopo River demarcates or acts as a border between Botswana and South Africa.

Supt Gagosha said that they had found many wire traps along the border line as they patrol the border, a sure sign that there was poaching along the river.

The Baines Drift police station boss was convinced that the poaching activities were perpetrated by both Batswana and South Africans since the wire traps were found right in the border line.

Supt Gagosha found that poaching was rampant when Limpopo River was dry as it was, since the animals would be fending for water in the dry river. 

He also found that poaching was rife when there is a full moon, since the latter provided some light to aid commission of crime.

The full moon, Supt Gagosha said, provided sufficient light for poachers to identify and thwart an encounter with animals such as elephants that could otherwise be dangerous.

“Yes, we sometimes make some successful arrests following tip-offs by some members of the community,” said Supt Gagosha, who revealed that they had recorded more than 10 poaching cases. 

He also added that in some instances they had nabbed some culprits with government trophy.

The local poachers, he found, came from villages closer to the farms such as Mathathane, Tsetsebjwe and Moletemane and even those who reside within the farms.

The Baines Drift police boss found that students too, during school holidays, engaged in poaching. 

He therefore called on parents to discourage their children from poaching, which could land them with some adverse criminal records.

The superintendent also cautioned that the crime carried hefty charges. He cited that equipment used in the commissioning of poaching such as vehicles and guns could be confiscated and then auctioned at a later date.

Though placed in the midst of farms and more than 40km from the nearest village that falls under its policing jurisdiction, Baines Drift Police Station is responsible for villages such as Moletemane, Mathathane and Tsetsebjwe.

Pre-independence, Supt Gagosha said, the now police station was used as an entry point into Botswana at a time when police officers also discharged immigration duties. Within the same locality there is also a functional prison facility.

Meanwhile, the strong winds on November 8 had caused some destruction to the buildings, which resulted in, amongst others, some power cuts at Baines Drift. ends