Law enforcement officials say Batswana tend to concentrate more on collecting the worms from trees and paying little attention to their whereabouts, hence, they get lost. No.2 Officer Commanding, Senior Superintendent Paul Oketsang has urged phane harvesters to be cautious, adding it was very dangerous to get lost during this rainy season.
He said they have observed that people have been coming from other parts of the country for the harvesting season in the Central District and get lost easily whilst collecting phane because they don't know the area very well. As a result, Oketsang advised visiting phane harvesters to consider joining locals when they arrive at a certain area to avoid unnecessary disappearances. “We have been investigating five cases of people who had disappeared whilst harvesting phane in Serowe, Mmashoro, Tshimoyapula, and Serule outskirts. We have observed that people get lost easily because they aren't familiar with the area.
“I'm pleading with visitors to consider joining locals whilst harvesting phane to avoid these escalating disappearances,” he said. Oketsang added some harvesters would go out and fail to return to their camp after getting lost, but not far from their campsite just because they aren't familiar with the area. Meanwhile, he raised concern at the alarming reports of missing persons living with disabilities in the area. His district is currently investigating separate cases in which two mentally disturbed people went missing recently. Oketsang said they are probing a case in which a 58-year-old mentally disturbed man of Maphaka ward, Moremi village, left home on January 11, 2025, and never returned home.
He said his family reported the matter the following day, and since then, they have been looking for the victim to no avail. He asked residents of Moremi and surrounding areas to help them locate him. Oketsang said the victim was last seen walking by the roadside towards Lesenepole village. On another incident, they are investigating a case in which a 42-year-old mentally disturbed man of Matamma ward, Damochujenaa, went missing after he left home at around 10pm on January 1, 2025, and never returned. “We have launched a probe to locate these missing persons, and we are pleading with anyone who might have seen them to contact the nearest police station. Furthermore, I'm pleading with families to take care and look after their family members, especially those with disabilities and monitor their movements. “It's very sad that some people would just look at a mentally disturbed person leaving home and fail to stop them.”
