The extended Independence holidays this year were overshadowed by tragedy, as 22 people lost their lives—14 in road accidents and eight in unrelated violent incidents nationwide.
According to the report released by the Botswana Police Service (BPS) earlier today, road traffic fatalities recorded between September 26 and October 2 rose slightly compared to last year, with 14 deaths registered against 13 in 2024.
Amongst the most devastating incidents was the head-on collision at Artesia along the A1 road, which claimed six lives, including two sedan occupants and four church members who were travelling in a combi.
This accident follows an accident from last month where an Audi collided with a bus en route to Serowe that caught fire, and lives were lost, too.
Police highlighted that most of the accidents could have been avoided if only people had been observing road traffic signs at all times.
“The significant causes of road traffic accidents, amongst others, are speeding, drunken driving, using handheld devices (cellular phones) whilst driving, and failure to obey traffic lights,” reported BPS.
Road traffic injuries also surged, with minor injuries more than doubling from 18 cases in 2024 to 37 this year.
Beyond the road accidents that claimed lives, violent crimes claimed a further eight lives, two of them linked to Gender-Based Violence (GBV), which is incessantly spiralling out of control.
A total of 28 rape and attempted rape cases were recorded, marking a slight decline from 32 cases last year. Police also reported 18 defilement cases and seven cases of child negligence, six of which were GBV-related.
Overall, the crime situation saw a nine percent increase compared to the same period in 2024. Breaking into motor vehicles rose by 20% whilst armed robberies increased by 67%. However, community policing initiatives helped reduce housebreaking and theft cases by 18%.
BPS on the other end extended gratitude to members of the public for their cooperation and urged continued vigilance, stressing that road safety and crime prevention remain shared responsibilities.
