27 Jun 2023

Two Batswana men are helping police with investigations in connection with the fire incident that engulfed 49 cars during the Toyota  Gazoo 1000km racing  Desert Race in Jwaneng on Sunday afternoon.

Speaking during a tour of the scene by Minister of Defence and Security, Mr Kagiso Mmusi, and subsequent press briefing on Monday, Acting Police Commissioner, Mr Phemelo Ramakorwane said one of the suspects voluntarily presented himself to the police and named the second suspect.

He said preliminary investigations indicated that the duo failed to manage the fire that they had started, resulting in the inferno that ravaged the vehicles that were parked in the area.

He applauded the two men for their cooperation and acting responsibly to assist the police with investigations.

“They are still in our custody and helping us with investigations, and we applaud them for coming forth and cooperating with the police,” he said.

However, he noted that the matter was still fresh to establish the possible charges that the two men would face, considering there were a variety of factors to be determined during the course of the investigations.

For his part, Minister Mmusi underscored the need for collaborative efforts to ensure the safety of spectators and their properties during the race.

He said the ministry was also committed to managing security matters and protecting the image of the Toyota 1 000km Desert Race.

“It was unfortunate that the incident happened despite all efforts by the local organising committee to close such gaps,” he regretted.

He added that more than 600 police officers were deployed at the event over the weekend to manage security issues at various points around the township. He attributed the delayed response to the traffic volume that was experienced.

“They did everything they could but unfortunately there was a lot of traffic and they took a while to arrive at the scene,” he said.

Furthermore, Mr Mmusi noted that further investigations would inform more strategies to be used for future events in order to prevent similar incidents.

He said 39 of the 49 vehicles had been identified by owners. The remaining 10 were yet to be identified.

Regarding possible compensation for car owners, he said investigations were at an infant stage and that the stakeholders were yet to determine insurance covers that could apply.

“It will take us a bit of time to be able to come to such issues,” he noted.

The Major of Jwaneng, Cllr Olga Ditsie, said the health and safety resources were mostly deployed where there were a lot of people while the fire engines were placed along the highways, which were considered high risk areas.

Cllr Ditsie said traffic congestion towards the finishing point delayed the fire response team to reach the scene on time. ENDS