30 Nov 2020

Criminals are reported to have turned Siviya in the North East District into a crime hub where illegal business dealings are executed.

Such dealings include illegal sale of tobacco,alcohol,drugs and setting residential areas as warehouses and keep stolen goods.

Speaking in a Kgotla meeting recently, Kgosi Louis Siviya stated that some residents had devised illegal money making schemes in the village saying criminals were arrested every week for smuggling goods in and out of Botswana and Zimbabwe. 

Kgosi said some had turned their vehicles into haulage cars transporting goods between the two countries.

He said police had arrested them on numerous occasions however the culprits paid fines and returned to their criminal businesses.

Kgosi Siviya suggested stringent charges on regular perpetrators such as detaining them for months or years rather than charging them a fee.

He further stated that kgotla meetings had been held in the village to warn the criminals against the businesses but to no avail. 

He highlighted that the border fence had been vandalised to allow for cars carrying goods to transit between Botswana and Zimbabwe, which posed a risk of livestock moving freely and contracting Foot and Mouth Disease. 

He said the criminals took advantage of the fact that Siviya Police did not have a vehicle to  promptly attend  to crime alerts. Kgosi Siviya therefore said it was critical for the border villages to be allocated enough resources  so as to help fight crime.

Siviya ward Councilor, Mr Bakani Badzili said it was disgraceful to see residents turning COVID-19 into an opportunity to engage in criminal activities.

He said people were buying alcohol and drugs in Zimbabwe to sell to other Batswana at hiked prices.

He indicated that black market goods had a large market in Botswana hence the culprits were making lots of money.

Councilor Badzili reiterated that the criminals’ hotspots were common knowledge however noting that arresting them was an uphill battle due to the fact that police ports in border villages didn’t have vehicles to intercept these activities.

He reiterated kgosi’s call for police to detain repeat offenders in order to teach them a lesson.

Siviya Police Sergeant Kgosithebe Masole stated that Siviya was marred by an array of criminal activities that stemmed from the fact that a Zimbabwean village on the other side was in close proximity.

He said some residents sneaked out to go drinking and partying in Zimbabwe and return during the night while others were in cross border relationships.

He highlighted that police had made arrests after being alerted by people of suspicious activities in the bush.

Sergeant Masole said police had also raided some of the homes and confiscated goods and alcohol. 

He stated that some of the illegal substances were orders that went as far as Orapa and Gaborone. ends