17 Dec 2019

District No. 5 officer commanding, Senior Superintendent Peter Gochela has expressed concern about the escalating cases of missing persons.

Speaking in an interview on Monday, Senior Superintendent Gochela said Maun police had recorded four cases of missing persons last week only, noting that a three-year-old boy was still missing while an elderly person was found dead.

Two other persons reported to be missing were fortunately found alive.

Regarding the three-year-old missing boy, he said the boy was in the company of two children aged seven years at Phathane cattlepost near Sehithwa.

The boy was left with the two minors as the mother had gone to Maun for a day.

The two children informed the mother when she returned in the evening of December 6 that the baby was missing.

Senior Superintendent Gochela said that a search team of police officers and the public did not bear any fruit after two days of searching.

He said even a police helicopter that was deployed to search for the boy bore no fruit.

Senior Superintendent Gochela therefore said any information regarding the child was welcome although the search had been called off.

On another case, he said a 10-year-old girl went missing at Segongwana cattlepost near Sehithwa, while she was playing with her mate in the yard.

He said that the girl was fortunately found alive after a search by police and members of the public was conducted.

The girl, he said, was found near Kamote Hills the following day on December 8, exhausted and later admitted and treated at Ghanzi Hospital.

Furthermore, he said a 15-year-old boy of Nokaneng, who went missing, was found after three days of searching along Qhwihaba road.

Senior Superintendent Gochela therefore appealed to guardians and parents to keep an eye on the children at all times to ensure that they were home and safe, noting that child negligence was a crime punishable by law ENDS