mmegi

Human trafficking case should be a wake up call

Botswana is not an exemption to human trafficking. From as far back as 2018, and beyond, authorities noted that the issue is fast turning into a national security threat in Botswana with traffickers marking the country as a new transit and destination route.

Despite increased efforts to combat human trafficking in Botswana, the country still averages over three cases of human trafficking annually as revealed by the Minister of Defence and Security, Kagiso Mmusi earlier this year. Mmusi told Ntlo ya Dikgosi in February that the Botswana Police Service (BPS) had recorded 16 cases of human trafficking in the last five years. “There were five cases reported in 2018, two in 2019, and six in 2020, one was recorded in 2021 and two in 2022,” he said at the time.

Currently, the police are investigating a possible human trafficking case involving 40 Ethiopian males aged between 10 and 35 years found in a cargo truck at Ngwasha gate near Nata village.

Editor's Comment
Our digital safety is in our hands

That sounds like good news. But the report also warns that this may simply be because our digital economy is still young, not because we are safe. As more people shop, bank and pay online, criminals will follow.We Batswana do not need a report to tell us that danger is real. Many of us have heard of or fallen victim to KYC scams. A caller impersonates your bank or mobile money provider. They say they need to “verify” your account. They ask...

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