11 Sep 2023

A fire outbreak at Gaborone bus rank has today (Monday) left six sharks in ruins, highlighting the urgent need for improved safety measures in the area.

In an interview with this publication, the chairperson for Thusanang Bagwebi Association, Mr Mmoloki Motsisi said the incident was caused by two men who were believed to have dropped a cigarette butt or a matchstick.

“These young men have turned this place their bedrooms and it is where they do drugs and because they are careless we see such occurrences,” he said.

The fire, which quickly spread due to the presence of litter under the shacks and between the rocks in the business space, caused significant damage to the small business stalls, leaving their owners devastated.

For his part, the public relations officer for Thusanang Bagwebi Association, Mr Batsweletse Mogabala stated that this incident was the second of its kind as a similar incident happened two months back where three shacks were burnt down.

“We have requested at least four times for the council to help in cleaning the area, but no action was taken and so in response to the incident, a meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday to clean up the environment,” he said.

It was fortunate that people at the bus rank responded quickly to help extinguish the fire before it spread any further and cause any major disaster, but the incident serves as a wake-up call for the authorities to take immediate action.

Mr Mogabala enlightened that the local business owners and residents would assemble tomorrow for a thorough clean-up of the area, calling for the installation of a restriction fence to prevent unauthorised access as such measures would not only improve safety, but also discourage littering and reduce the risk of future fire outbreaks. Ends