25 Aug 2026

Parliament has adopted an urgent motion that requested government to broaden the approach to the search and rescue of missing persons by establishing appropriate mechanisms through which, families and communities may engage traditional practitioners and spiritual leaders. 

The motion also aims to allow families to engage other persons whom they believe may assist in locating missing persons in coordination with and subject to the oversight of the Botswana Police Service. 

Presenting the motion, the MP for Mmopane/Metsimotlhabe, Ms Helen Manyeneng expressed concern over the rise of missing persons linked to ritual killings in the country. She argued that allowing the families to engage traditional healers or spiritual leaders where they so wished could be an effective strategy for locating missing persons. 

As such, she underscored the need for government to take urgent action to develop a framework or mechanisms that granted families what to do while working jointly with the police, adding that the spiritual and traditional leaders could help with lead and guidance while the police did the investigative part.

 “Incidents of missing persons have created fear among the communities and yet we have registered traditional healers who can be resourceful in the search of those missing without interfering in police investigations,” she added, citing that in other countries, the police did work with spiritual leaders or psychics to find missing people. 

Ms Manyeneng acknowledged that police relied on evidence but argued that traditional healers could also be helpful to them by providing any resourceful information. By introducing proper processes, she stated that could also help curb mob justice, citing an incident at Takatokwane where a primary school boy had been missing for some months.

In support of the motion, Gaborone South MP and also Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Mr Nelson Ramaotwana noted that police officers were investigators and such traditional healers or spiritual leaders could work with the police as informers. 

He argued that there was power in spiritual world and also alluded that putting in place frame works and systems would be ideal to allow families to engage people whom they felt could assist in the search. 

MP for Boteti West, Mr Sam Digwa also supported the motion, noting that his area was prone to cases of missing people. 

Culturally, he said traditional doctors and spiritual healers, as part of the society, were engaged to assist in the search alongside the police, but knowing that the police had laws that guided their working operations. Specially Elected MP and also the Minister for State President, Defence and Security, Mr Moeti Mohwasa stated that the issue of missing people was worrisome, but reaffirmed that police were committed to investigating all missing person cases, adding that they were always alert to advice and support families. 

He also stated that Botswana Police Service had established a dedicated Missing Persons Unit to strengthen investigations and handling of cases. 

Mr Mohwasa also noted that the proposed processes should be aligned to the United Nations protocols to ensure they uphold human rights and operated within the global standards of accountability and transparency. 

MP for Okavango West, Mr Kenny Kapinga argued that the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act did not recognise the formal engagement of spiritual and traditional healers, explaining that the police relied on tangible evidence. Such people, he said could complicate the work of the police and wished they could be not engaged. Mr Kapinga said instead of engaging them, the relevant minister must revise missing persons’ protocol and ensure adequate resources were mobilised within a short period of time following the report of a missing person. 

He also advocated that police should be transparent in the way they handled missing persons reports, noting that they should keep on updating the affected families. 

MP for Okavango East, Mr Gabatsholwe Disho also backed the motion, noting that cases of missing persons were often higher in rural areas and often families turned to spiritual and traditional channels to complement official search efforts. 

He also wished the processes could also allow families to even go beyond the borders to engage traditional healers or spiritual leaders of their choice to help in tracing their beloved missing persons. ENDS