Category: Local

Police have confirmed that the human remains recovered along the Thamalakane River belong to the 12-year-old boy who was attacked and dragged into the water by a crocodile last week.

Maun Police Station Commander Superintendent Joseph Lepodise said the bones found on Saturday during the search operation were sent for DNA testing and a post-mortem on Monday. The results, he said conclusively matched the missing child.

The remains were discovered by search teams and were immediately secured for forensic examination to determine whether they belonged to the boy who disappeared during the crocodile attack.

According to initial reports, the child had been at the river with peers when a crocodile suddenly emerged, seized him and disappeared into the water before anyone could intervene.

Over the past several days, officers from the Botswana Police Service, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks and Botswana Defense Force conducted a coordinated search along the Thamalakane River in hopes of finding the boy or evidence pointing to his fate.

The community has been urged to exercise heightened caution around rivers and water bodies known to harbor crocodiles, especially during periods when the reptiles are active and human activity along the riverbanks increases.

The process of enacting the legal framework focused on combating gender-based violence (GBV) is ongoing, the Minister of Youth and Gender, Ms Lesego Chombo, has told the National Assembly.

In a statement to mark the closure of this year’s 16 Days of Activism Against GBV on Wednesday, Ms Chombo said broad consultations were ongoing to inform the piece of legislation the ministry was developing to combat GBV, which they planned to present to Parliament by July 2026.

“A major pillar of our national response is the development of dedicated GBV legislation. I am pleased to report that the process is advancing steadily. The ministry has concluded its preliminary stakeholder analysis and is now drafting the Drafting Instructions that will be submitted to the Attorney General’s Chambers,” said Ms Chombo.

The consultations with various stakeholders including civil society organisations, ex-offenders, media practitioners, women’s leagues of political parties, legal experts and frontline responders among others, is to ensure the legislation is evidence-based, survivor-centred, and nationally owned, Ms Chombo said.

“These engagements have deepened our understanding of lived realities of violence in Botswana and the breadth of issues the law must address. Survivors underscored the urgent need for; accessible legal aid, trauma informed psychosocial support and assistance extended to their family members,” she said.

Ms Chombo added that persons with disabilities highlighted communication barriers at police stations, health facilities, and courts, calling for stronger inclusion frameworks and for Special Education to be fully integrated into the mainstream education system.

She further revealed that the comprehensive review of the policy of the National Policy on Gender and Development was currently in its inception stage.

The development of a Gender Strategy with World Bank Support, and the review of the National Strategy Towards Ending GBV are also ongoing, the minister said.

Beyond legislation and policy framework, Ms Chombo said government was working to strengthen systems, communities and services, and extend early prevention efforts.

She also outlined other measures including public education and community engagement, strengthening frontline responders, women economic empowerment, closing the digital gender divide and supporting shelters through subventions.

Additionally, Ms Chombo said her ministry understood men and boys remain central to transforming harmful norms and preventing violence and as such were being engaged in the battle to combat GBV.

Members of Parliament largely spoke in favour of these efforts.

Chobe MP, Mr Simasiku Mapulanga, spoke of the need for psychosocial support and mental health training for women and children as a means to combat GBV.

Mr Mapulanga said government should scale down on exuberant commemorations which at times had too much fanfare that derails from the massaging.

Maun West legislator, Mr Caterpillar Hikuama, said the state should pay greater attention to cyber crime and GBV that occurred through digital platforms particularly with the use of social media pseudo accounts by perpetrators

University of Botswana Vice Chancellor, Professor David Norris, has called for collective action to restore the country’s cherished peace amid growing social challenges.

Delivering welcome remarks at a two-day Peace Conference and Festival , Professor Norris noted that Botswana is grappling with rising gender-based violence, increasing divorce rates, and the proliferation of illicit drugs, issues that are deeply affecting families, communities, and the nation at large.

He said the troubling realities of child-headed households, high unemployment, and the rising incidence of white-collar crime, corruption, and organised criminal activity serve as reminders that peace is more than the absence of conflict; it is the presence of justice, compassion, and shared responsibility.

Emphasising the conference theme: Let Us Heal; We Owe It to Ourselves, Professor Norris described it as a rallying call for self-reflection and unified effort.

He said the gathering offers an invaluable platform for learning, dialogue, and reflection on fostering peace within relationships, institutions, and the broader national fabric.

Expressing concern, he noted that Botswana’s long-held pride as a peaceful and vibrant nation appears to be fading, citing recent incidents of violence and social unrest as troubling signs of a society in need of moral renewal.

He urged participants to serve as catalysts for change, stressing that ordinary citizens hold the power to help rebuild trust and social cohesion.

He condemned recent divisions and violent acts, saying they are uncharacteristic of Batswana and contrary to the country’s core values. Moral renewal, social justice, and collective responsibility, he said, are essential ingredients for lasting peace and stability.

Little Eden’s Justice and Peace Centre board chairperson, Rev Dr Enole Ditsheko, shared how a 2013 encounter between his family and five boys commonly referred to as bo bashi (street children)led to the establishment of the centre. He recounted how the boys spoke of dropping out of school, illness, and substance addiction.

While some dismissed them as delinquents, Rev. Dr Ditsheko said they were children in need of love, care, and guidance. He urged society to reflect on where things went wrong, noting that the breakdown of modern family support systems had worsened vulnerabilities among young people. 

As the holiday season reaches its peak, picture the A1 Road. The heat shimmering above the tar. Engines humming through sun-drenched scrubland.
A burst of brake lights after a near-miss. And that shared, uneasy breath we all take when a risky overtake ends — this time — without tragedy. This is the scene of our annual pilgrimage home: a restless national migration powered by longing, memory and the simple desire to be with family again. Under the weight of summer heat and brewing rain, Botswana stirs.
The air begins to hum with anticipation as the A1 — our country’s main artery — fills with movement, conversation, and the familiar chaos of the festive rush. Stretching from Gaborone to the Ramokgwebana border, the A1 is more than a road; it is a thread stitching communities together.
And when December arrives, thousands pour onto it with one mission: get home. From the bus ranks to the petrol stations at the city’s edge, the starting point vibrates with energy. Car boots bulge with luggage.
Grocery bags overflow with festive treats. Children press their faces to the glass, scanning the horizon for the turn-off that leads to grandma’s yard, to cousins, to laughter. This is the A1 rush — a season when distance collapses and the nation beats with one reunited heart. Yet the same long, straight stretches that make the A1 iconic also make it dangerous.
The monotony can lull even the most seasoned drivers. Which is why rest points — those familiar stops in Mahalapye, Palapye and beyond — become critical lifelines this time of year.
These stops are not just for fuel. They are for revival. Every festive season, the Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund sets up temporary rest stations offering water, coffee, reflective wristbands and gentle reminders to stretch and stay alert. Police use the same spaces for checkpoints, but they are also small sanctuaries — places where the nation collectively exhales before pushing on.
These intentional pauses are not formalities; they are lifesaving. Fatigue remains one of the most stubborn drivers of holiday accidents. For long-distance regulars like Ms Taboka Ngwako, who travels between Gaborone and Francistown, the A1 festive rush is equal parts beauty and brutality.
“It’s always the first two hours out of Gaborone that are the worst,” she says, leaning on her faithful sedan before a recent December drive.
“You see the impatience straight away. Speed becomes king. The two-lane road turns into an arena.” She describes the old choreography of small cars darting from behind heavy haulage trucks, attempting to overtake on blind ascents.
“It’s terrifying,” she says. “You see a truck crawling uphill, its trailer swaying slightly, creating what looks like the perfect gap. And then a small sedan, maybe carrying a whole family, shoots out — not noticing oncoming traffic. Lights flash, tyres screech, and the whole world seems to pause.” Sometimes, she says, luck intervenes.
“By miracle brake or sheer chance, the overtaking car squeezes back in, just inches from the truck’s bumper. Your heart races — but it’s a cheap thrill. Because a few kilometres ahead you might find wreckage where someone else’s luck ran out.” At rest stops, however, she finds comfort: strangers in SUVs, combis and weathered sedans trading weary smiles, small talk and warnings about the road ahead. “That’s when you realise we’re all just trying to get home,” she says softly.
But statistics remain unforgiving. December consistently records some of Botswana’s highest road fatalities. Speed limits are ignored. Reckless overtaking around 18-wheelers turns the highway into a stage of near disasters.
Police and safety officers mount campaigns and checkpoints each year, yet fatigue — and worse, intoxicated driving — continue to claim lives. Rollovers, head-on collisions, loss of control — these are not abstractions.
They are patterns. They are names in reports. They are families left incomplete. Even beyond the holidays, the A1 demands respect. Botswana relies heavily on this corridor for work, trade and travel.
The cost of high-speed modern mobility is evident in the rising toll of lives lost. The pressure to save time — to push harder, gain a few minutes, beat the rush — creates a silent tension between the speed we covet and the danger it brings. Yet the A1 remains a symbol. A ribbon tying today’s Botswana to the generations that travelled it before seatbelts and hazard lights.
Each December, it carries our hopes, even as it whispers caution. Because the truth is simple: It is a two-way street.
One lane carries joyful expectation. The other carries avoidable peril.
So whether you are behind the wheel, a passenger in the back seat, or waiting at home preparing the welcome feast, remember: safety will always matter more than speed. Exercise patience.
Respect the limits. Obey the signs. And let the exhilarating rush of homecoming be the only rush you entertain. Drive safely. Every journey is a journey for the nation. Wishing you a safe and joyful festive season.