01 Apr 2024

Government will hold a national memorial service for victims of the Limpopo bus crash at the University of Botswana Sports Arena on Thursday evening, Minister for State President, Mr Kabo Morwaeng, has announced.

He made the announcement yesterday at a kgotla meeting convened by Kgosi Kgari Sechele III to inform Bakwena about the tragedy that had befallen the country. 

The national memorial service will provide an opportunity for the country to come together and mourn 45 lives that were lost in the crash.

Minister Morwaeng further informed residents of Molepolole that government was making efforts to support the bereaved families since the tragedy was a national disaster.

He emphasized government’s commitment to providing assistance in any way possible.

“This shows the seriousness with which government is treating the incident and the priority it placed on supporting affected families,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development’s deputy permanent secretary-operations (social development), Ms Mmamiki Kamanakao, said government had already procured refreshments that would be distributed to affected families.

However, she cautioned social media users who had begun circulating pictures of the survivor, an eight-year-old girl, warning that such actions were in violation of the Children’s Act and cyber laws.

She reminded the public that sharing sensitive images of children in difficult situations was a crime that carried a possible sentence of up to five years in prison. 

Ms Kamanakao said sharing images of child victims could have a lasting and negative impact on their lives as they might be reminded of the difficult situation they went through every time they see the images.

Therefore, she stressed the importance of protecting children’s dignity, privacy and emotional well-being.

For her part, deputy director in the department of social development, Ms Ellen Kgotlhang, said social workers had already visited 31 families since the tragedy occurred. 

And 33 individuals had been identified as being emotionally affected, hence receiving counselling.

Additionally, families who lost breadwinners or both parents had also been identified and offered assistance. Ends