Mmegi

Francistown battles surge in vehicle theft

Taxis at bus rank
Taxis at bus rank

FRANCISTOWN: The police have said the search for three vehicles that were stolen in Francistown and the surrounding areas last month has not yielded any results.

Francistown and neighbouring areas have in recent weeks been hit by a wave of cases of vehicles theft. In Matsiloje, the police suspect that a Ford Ranger ambulance that was stolen a fortnight ago at Matshelagabedi village might have crossed to Zimbabwe. Two weeks ago, two men who are believed to be a theft ring that has been terrorising Francistown residents and neighbouring areas attacked and tied a night watchman at the village clinic and made away with the vehicle. The car keys were reportedly in the custody of the night watchman. Police have said that the vehicle is valued at P300, 000. “We are yet to get any leads that could lead to the arrest of those who stole the ambulance. We believe that the car might have crossed into Zimbabwe. After being stolen, it was driven to the northern part of the country, but we suspect that it was destined for Zimbabwe.

Investigations also suggest that the two robbers had a Zimbabwean accent, which is why we suspect that the vehicles might have crossed to Zimbabwe,” Matsiloje police station commander, Oteng Nganda, told Mmegi in an interview yesterday. Sources have said that the car might have crossed through a non-gazetted point near Ramokgwebana border. Nganda said he does not rule out the possibility that the same culprits who stole an Isuzu vehicle owned by the government at Mandunyane village are responsible for the Matshelagabedi incident, because of similar methods employed. The Mandunyane incident occurred days before the incident in Matshelagabedi. Tonota station commander, Moore Motsokono, also told Mmegi that the search for the Isuzu vehicle which has an estimated value of around P200, 000, that was stolen in Mandunyane have not yielded any results and they do not have any leads.

Meanwhile, police at Kutlwano in Francistown have also told Mmegi that they have failed to get any leads about a Honda Fit that was stolen in Selepa just over a week ago. The car in question is a Japanese import vehicle with an estimated value of P35, 000. The car operated as a taxi. “We have searched in almost every corner of the city and have not found the vehicle. Under these circumstances, we are inclined to assume that the car might have possibly crossed to neighbouring countries including Zimbabwe,” Kutlwano station commander, Neoyame Serumola said. In the Selepa incident, two men with a Zimbabwean accent are said to have boarded the Honda Fit, from Donga to Selepa. It is reported that they attacked the driver and placed him on the back of the vehicle, but he managed to escape. The two men then made away with the vehicle. The Selepa incident coincided with a time in which another taxi driver was brutally beaten by two men after they attempted and failed to hijack his vehicle at Ntshe location. The men had disguised themselves as passengers.

Editor's Comment
The people have spoken

In fact, early election results in some areas across the country, speak to large voter turnout which suggests that voters crowded at polling stations to decide appropriately. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) revealed that 80% of the 1,037,684 people who had registered to vote turned up to exercise their right.It’s unfortunate that at the time of cobbling this editorial comment, results had just started trickling in. We recognise that...

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