24 Mar 2024

About 2 650 drug related cases were recorded in Botswana over the past two years, with dagga leading with 2 279 cases, translating to 86 per cent of the total number of the cases.

Answering in question in Parliament on behalf of the Minister of Justice Mr Machana Shamukuni, the Minister of Defence and Security Mr Kagiso Mmusi said in 2022 1 418 cases were recorded against 1 232 in 2023.

He said Methcathinone followed by dagga at 12 per cent or 318 while the rest were ranked low.

He said this information was collated from data submitted from Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Skills Development, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and Botswana Prison Service.

He said the Drug Enforcement Agency was developing a generic data collection tool that would accommodate data collated from other ministries and other reporting agencies to improve information and analysis assisted by Statistics Botswana.

Mr Mmusi said the ministry would also undertake a national assessment of illicit drugs and substance abuse in the financial year 2024/25 and develop a national drugs master plan, including a detailed monitoring and evaluation frame work.

Furthermore he pointed out that in order to address drugs in the work place including schools, his ministry through DEA, in consultation with Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs, DPSM and MoESD was considering relevant policies and programmes.

He said in order to curb drugs into the country, the DEA together with BURS conducted security assessment at all ports of entry and had since decided had since  to enhance drug detection as well  as strengthening border security and management.

He was answering a question from Member of Parliament for Gaborone Central Mr Tumisang Mangwegape-Healy who had wanted to know the number of drugs and substance abuse since 2022 and the percentage of contributing drugs.

He also wanted to know if the ministry is collecting and collating data of such drugs and what efforts are put in place to curb the situation amongst other things. ENDs