12 Jul 2020

Head of Serowe/ Palapye District Health Management Team (DHMT), Dr Gobusaone Morupisi says human smuggling by truck drivers who are ferrying goods into and through the country is a concern.

He said this during a briefing with presidential COVID-19 task team coordinator, Dr Kereng Masupu on Thursday in Palapye. 

He said his office had realised that despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, some truck drivers smuggle people into the country by hiding them at the back of the trucks. 

He said some truck drivers, who  smuggled people into the country, had tested Covid-19 positive. 

Dr Masupu concurred with Dr Morupisi, saying there was also an instance where a Zimbabwean woman and her child were smuggled into the country by a truck driver at Tlokweng Border Gate.  

He pleaded with the relevant officials at the border posts to always make sure that they thoroughly checked to ensure that there were no incidents of human smuggling. 

He said smuggling people into the country could endanger the lives of those that were being smuggled and also put at risk the health and safety of people in the country.

Dr Masupu called on all officers at the border posts to work together and make sure that they execute their jobs at all times. 

He urged Covid-19 district teams to always take issues of Covid-19 seriously and inform the Presidential Covid-19 task team whenever they crop up.

Dr Masupu said the Covid-19 district teams should also be careful not to blow out of proportion, issues that could have been easily sorted out. 

Dr Masupu pleaded with the Covid-19 district teams to always contact the presidential Covid-19 task team when they needed any assistance or clarifications on issues concerning Covid-19.  

During the briefing, Dr Morupisi assured Dr Masupu that his team was working together to ensure that all the departments at the border posts performed their duties to minimise exposure to the communities.

She also informed the presidential Covid-19 task team coordinator about shortage of nurses at Martins Drift Border Post, saying the post had experienced an increase in the number of trucks crossing the border. 

She pleaded with the presidential Covid- 19 task team to increase nurses at the border post. Ends