Thieves spoil Tlatsa Lebala festival
Pini Bothoko | Wednesday May 10, 2017 18:00
The Officer Commanding for No. 3 District, Bonnie Bareki said two vehicles, a VW car and a Toyota Hiace combi were stolen at the event’s parking. They managed to recover the VW car abandoned Sunday at Gaborone West.
“We are still looking for the Toyota Hiace combi and calling on members of the public to assist in locating the vehicle. If anyone can see a similar vehicle abandoned somewhere we are pleading with them to inform the police,” Bareki said. He said the owners of the vehicles said they parked their cars and locked them, but when they returned their vehicles were nowhere to be found.
Bareki said they recorded 15 cases in which thieves snatched mobile phones from revellers. “We are not surprised that thieves snatched people’s mobile phones, especially that majority of the victims were under the influence of alcohol. We advise people to make sure that when they attend shows like Tlatsa Lebala or any other festival to leave their valuables home,” Bareki said.
He said that the event attracted high numbers of revellers, something that also attracted thieves, as they usually take advantage of such packed events. He said they also recorded two cases in which two women were stabbed with knives.
“We only recorded one case of car breaking, two cases of assault common and 11 cases of possession of offensive weapons in which people were found in possession of knives. We do not allow people to attend entertainment places with knives, it is against the law,” Bareki said. Bareki said this was a wake up call for them to be more vigilant in future.
“With what has transpired we should in future together with organisers of the show sit down and prepare for the event and make sure that everything is covered like safety of revellers and their properties like cars and mobile phones. We have learnt a lot from this show and promise that in future we will organise a safe event,” Bareki said.
He praised the organisers of Tlatsa Lebala for prohibiting bottled alcohol into the stadium, as they could have been risky to revellers in cases of fights. He appealed to members of the public to consider leaving their phones at home when attending such events, ask family members to drop and pick them up to avoid unnecessary crimes.
But Bareki had praises for Tlatsa Lebala revellers as the festival concluded without any major incident such as murder or rape, and only recorded minor crimes. He said they provided patrols throughout the day and night.
On Saturday, a crowd of over 20,000 revellers filled up the national stadium in the much anticipatedTlatsa Lebala music concert.