17 Apr 2020

District No. 5 Officer Commanding, Senior Superintendent Peter Gochela has urged the public to observe extreme social distancing rules to fight COVID-19.

Speaking in an interview on April 15, Senior Supt Gochela said many people still walked or drove around without permits in his policing area, and that it had resulted with the police charging some perpetrators.

The police, he said, had recorded a case in which one man in Maun obstructed a law enforcement officer while on duty.

He said the man, who was a passenger in a vehicle, was alleged to have interfered when a law enforcement officer questioned a motorist at a roadblock.

Senior Supt Gochela said the man could face a P100 000 fine or five years imprisonment for obstructing a law enforcement officer while on duty.

He said they also had a case in which the number of people at a funeral exceeded the stipulated number. He said the ward leadership was engaged to solve the matter with the people involved.

 Nonetheless, Senior Supt Gochela expressed gratitude to liquor traders, churches and public officers for complying with extreme social distancing regulations. Ends