21 Mar 2025

Joint patrols by the Botswana Police Service and community continue to make headway in cracking crimes committed by street gang, commonly referred to as Mashebeshete, who had unleashed terror in Lobatse since September 2024.

Speaking in an interview recently, No.4 Police District traffic officer Superintendent Semakaleng Sebetlela said working with community volunteers, Madibela Lobatse, who had joined forces with Botswana Police in night patrols at Peleng, which was the epicentre of violence by the group, had yielded results.

She said following a meeting between community leaders, being dikgosi, district commissioner’s office, councillors and the police on March 13, 39 community members started Madibela Lobatse, a crime fighting volunteer group, to join police in their night patrols at Peleng. She said some offenders were arrested during patrols.

“After the Kgotla meeting that was held on March 13, 20 culprits were arrested, of which police investigations revealed that eight of them were connected with cases, and all were registered before the court,” superintendent Sebetlela said.

She further said that on March 18, four related cases were registered before Motswedi Customary Court on offences ranging from malicious damage to property, stealing from a person, breaking into a motor vehicle, being found in possession of offensive weapons and assault causing actual bodily harm.

Superintendent Sebetlela said before the start of joint patrols, the gangs caused chaos and brought fear in the community from September to December last year as Lobatse Police received an influx of cases where people were attacked on the streets of Peleng and entertainment centres at night. ENDS