14 Apr 2020

Although government has put measures to fight the coronavirus pandemic, the public continues to defy the efforts through the illicit drinking of illegal brews.

This emerged during a meeting addressed by the Boteti COVID-19 team in Mosu, Matshumo and Mokubilo.

Mmatshumo Primary School head, Ms Tumani Seganabeng stated that people spent time at their farms drinking traditional brews and travelled back to the village at night.

Ms Seganabeng stressed that people prepared traditional brews through the fermentation of watermelons and went back to the village at night in a drunken state.

She expressed concern that there was lack of transport for police patrol in Mmatshumo.

Ms Segabaneng also complained that companies sub-contracted in the mines had retrenched people due to COVID-19.

The councillor for Mosu also reiterated that people still violated COVID-19 regulations, noting that people still gathered in groups.

Most of the people, he said, had relocated to their farms and cattle-posts, but noted that there was no compliance.

Officer Commanding District No.8 Senior Superintendent Sarah Gabathusi said it had been realised that people drank traditional brews in the bush and at the farms.

Snr Supt Gabathusi emphasised that there was failure of compliance with regard to COVID-19 regulations. She said people still indulged in alcohol and exchange of drinking containers.

She urged police officers to charge all those violating COVID-19 regulations for non-compliance.

Deputy district commissioner in Boteti, Mr Ewetse Selelo advised Ms Seganabeng to regulate the movement of people doing banking in Letlhakane.

Mr Selelo also stated that people should only attend funerals within their locality, adding that no company should retrench employees due to COVID-19.

Principal nursing officer in Mmatshumo, Mr Kemorekile Moithale complained that their health post did not have an infra-red thermometre for screening patients.

Mr Moithale also complained that there was shortage of anti-retroviral drugs, and that most people had relocated to their home villages since the lockdown.

In Mokubilo, Sergeant Lesego Kotlhao expressed concern that people from Makgaba were harvesting mophane worms, and that they had failed to attend to the issue due to lack of transport and manpower. BM 14/04/20