14 Jun 2020

Phitshane Molopo Station Commander, Superintendent Thusego Kenyafetse says through tip-offs by members of the community they have seen a decline in cases of border jumpers.

Speaking in an interview recently, Superintendent Thusego said the progressive development was subject to cooperative residents in villages along the Botswana/South Africa border.

“We managed to control the situation through the cooperation we had from the community,” he said.

Superintendent Thusego also said the decline of border jumpers was due to the sky rocketing numbers of COVID-19 cases in South Africa.

“The alarming rates of COVID-19 cases played a role in discouraging people from entering South Africa illegally where the virus is at its peak and instilling fear of being exposed to the virus,” he said.

He noted that a few days after lockdown they had multiple border jumpers coming back to Botswana from South Africa where they visited their relatives.

On other issues, Superintendent Thusego expressed concern over intimate cross border relationships among the youth, adding that it contributed to illegal border jumping.

He expressed gratitude towards the communities’ cooperation during the  lockdown.

Kgosi Botlhomilwe Sekwenyane of Phitshane Molopo shared the same sentiments towards border jumping cases in his community.

He said the community was aware about the virus being transmitted through movement and that they would continue to sensitise the community about the consequences of  illegal entry into South Africa. ENDS