Gangs overrun Thamaga

VICTOR MUYAKWABO
Staff Writer | Thursday August 8, 2013 00:00

In another, a man is fighting for his life in the Intensive Care Unit of Princess Marina in Gaborone. Nine youths have been arrested in connection with the case.  Kgosi Segale Gobuamang says the gangs resurfaced in June this year after a police campaign to arrest them when they first appeared in May last year.'It appears that members of the gangs belong to different age groups and most of them are unemployed,'Kgosi Gobuamang told Mmegi yesterday. He added that although only four groups were known even by their assumed names, practically every Kgotla in Thamaga has a gang.

The most notorious gangs go by the names Merobisi, Magakabe, Matsetsenkane and Mmamanthwane. 'These gangs operate during the night and they attack whomsover they come across,' said Kgosi Gobuamang. 'So far, there have been two deaths at the hands of these gangs.' Kgosi Gobuamang said the gangs often fight against each other and that one of the two deaths was the result of such inter-gang violence. 'It appears that members of the gangs spend daytime in hills around the village but emerge after dark to cause havoc,' he said. The police have met village elders to consult on responses to this serious social challenge. As a result, mephato (traditional regiments) will soon be deployed to patrol the streets with the police.  

The Deputy Commander of Thamaga Police Station, Assistant Superintendent Otsile Gaboinewe, has confirmed that two recent deaths were believed to have ben the deadly work of the gangs.'We called a Kgotla meeting mainly because we were registering many cases of assault and murder but could not find any leads,' said Gaboinewe.He added that police had scoured the hills in an attempt to flush out the gangs but the rascals managed to escape. 'Even with a helicopter, they have managed to escape,' he said.A villager who spoke to Mmegi on condition of anonymity, said the villagers were so terrified that vigils were being poorly attended.'I work in Moshupa and whenever I knock off as late as 6pm, I would rather ask for accommodation elsewhere than risk my life running into these gangsters,' he said.