A quiet winter dawn turned chaotic in Mahalapye on Saturday when a horse and trailer carrying maize meal overturned at a Mahalapye roundabout, spilling sacks of the commodity across the road and triggering a mass looting frenzy.
The accident occurred around 3am, and despite the biting cold, scores of residents quickly descended on the scene to help themselves to the scattered sacks of maize meal. The vehicle, which was en route to Zambia from the southern part of Botswana, lost control at the roundabout before overturning.
Mahalapye Central Police Station's assistant commander, Superintendent Moatlhodi Onalenna, said he was taken aback by the large turnout of looters at such an odd hour.
"I was shocked to see such a large crowd, especially considering how cold it was and how early in the morning the accident happened. We had no choice but to intervene and disperse them," he said.
Onalenna warned the public against looting from accident scenes, stressing that it is a criminal offence.
"Taking anything from a vehicle that has been involved in an accident is illegal. We strongly urge members of the public to refrain from this behaviour, no matter the temptation," he cautioned.
The driver, a 28-year-old Zambian national, was lucky to escape with minor injuries. He sustained wounds to his left hand and leg, which were treated at a local health facility before he was discharged the same morning.
The police are proceeding with investigations into the cause of the accident.
