24 Feb 2021

 Incidents of cross border smuggling along the Botswana/Zimbabwe border have increased significantly, says Matsiloje Police Station Commander, Superintendent Charles Mbengwa. 

  He noted that fuel and alcoholic beverages were the major items smuggled.

 Superintendent Mbengwa said incidents were so rife that culprits were caught daily.

“We confiscate many litres of petrol, diesel and alcohol as well as vehicles and cash during our joint sporadic road blocks and patrols with members of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF),” he said.

The perpertrators, said Superintendent Mbengwa, included both Batswana and Zimbabweans.

He added that their preliminary investigations revealed that vehicles belonging to Batswana were used to ferry the smuggled items.

“We have also realised that these organised crime syndicates work in cohorts with some filling stations. We will get to the bottom of this and crack the whip on such illicit businesses,” he said before warning Batswana to desist from conniving with criminal elements or face the full wrath of the law.

Fraternising with foreign nationals to commit crime, he said, was not only a criminal act punishable by law, but also exposed Batswana to getting infected with diseases such as COVID-19. 

“They interact with people whose status of the disease is not known,” he added.

 

He also said Batswana’s involvement in such crimes was not consistent with Setswana culture and ideals of patriotism. ENDS