THE BOTSWANA GAZEttE WEDNESDAY 03 MARCH 2021 PAGE 1 WEDNESDAY 03 MARCH 2021 FREE! “Kitso ke maatla” RHINO CARCASSES BUSTED! FOUND ON CHIEFS ISLAND, MOMBO Zambian Suspicion is growing that poachers from neighbouring countries are working with detailed inside information Poaching because they know the exact location of the animals they want and have been targeting rhinos wearing collars with THE COLLAPSEExpedition expired batteries lately. PAGE 2 OF TIntoHE T BotswanaOURISM DISS, DCEC, POLICE DUMP HUBONA INDUSTRYFoiled PAGE 4 • Poachers intercepted by Namibian patrol unit KEORApetSE • Five men en route from Zambia to the Okavango QUEStiONS • Amount of abandoned provisions suggests long expedition SELECtiON OF STORY ON PAGE 2 PREFERRED BID- “ThERE IS NO CORRUptiON PROBE DER FOR BCL PAGE 2 MINE INTO MASISI” – OMBUDSMAN PAGE 6 PAGE 8 Open an account 15 48 3 on your mobile. minutes is hours for your card to documents required all you need be delivered to you Omang (Citizens) or Passport (Non-citizens) Access over 70 services from your Proof of residence Proof of income mobile device. Download the SC Mobile Botswana App. For more information, call us on 361 5800. Terms and conditions apply. PAGE 2 NEWS WEDNESDAY 03 MARCH 2021 THE BOTSWANA GAZEttE BUSTED! Zambian poaching expedition into Botswana foiled • Poachers intercepted by Namibian patrol unit • Five men en route from Zambia to the Okavango • Amount of abandoned provisions suggests long expedition OSCAR NKALA Rhino carcasses found on ne suspected Zambian ivory poacher was arrest- ed and four others escaped when they were am- Obushed by police in Namibia while trying to cross Chiefs Island, Mombo into wildlife-rich northern Botswana. The poachers were accosted by a Namibian border patrol Suspicion is growing that poachers from neighbouring countries are working with detailed unit on the Namibian side of the Linyanti River as they inside information because they know the exact location of the animals they want and have tried to cross into the Okavango Delta on Thursday night. been targeting rhinos wearing collars with expired batteries lately, writes OSCAR NKALA The Okavango Delta is home to Botswana’s elephants and high security rhino sanctuaries that have been under he family of three were all shot with a .375 watch. hunting rifle at Chitabe near the Qorokwe “DWNP has a long standing policy of not dis- siege from ivory and horns for the past two years. The Lodge in the NG32. Site assessments of the cussing operational and security sensitive anti- T poaching information in the media as that only Linyanti River forms a natural boundary between Namibia carcasses revealed that the bull and the cow rhino and Botswana for the distance that it runs while the rest of were shot once each while the calf was hit twice. serves to increase the security risks that our on A post mortem has since revealed that the cow the ground operatives face,” Dr Senyatso said. the boundary is largely unmarked. was well in the second term of pregnancy. A single Without providing actual figures, Dr Senyatso “There were five Zambian men in all,” said a law en- .375 bullet case was recovered from the scene. went on to claim that contrary to claims of an forcement source at Katima Mulilo. “There was a shoot- Sources close to ongoing rhino poaching in- upsurge in poaching during the Covid-19 lock- vestigations say the carcasses of a rhino bull, a down, the poaching of all wildlife species in Bo- out with border guards at Batubaja on the Namibian side cow and a calf were discovered a few hours after tswana declined by 70% between March 2020 of the Linyanti as the group tried to enter Botswana. One the poachers struck a sanctuary owned by Rhino and March 2021. was arrested and four escaped, leaving behind two hunting Conservation Botswana. “The carcasses were still Nevertheless, The Botswana Gazette has since fresh when the law enforcement teams arrived,” established that most of the rhinos at the RCB fa- rifles and an assortment of personal effects, including food said a source. “Both adult rhinos were dehorned. cility are vulnerable to poaching because they do supplies and poaching tools. The suspect is being held in We suspect this was done by one of several Zam- not have surveillance collars. A few such gadgets Katima Mulilo pending his appearance in court.” bian poaching gangs that have taken advantage of installed around 2015 have been rendered obsolete the full moon to enter Botswana.” because the batteries had a lifespan of three years. Five inflatable mattresses used as improvised dinghies “The poachers work with local help and there The poachers seem to know this because they to cross the Zambezi and Linyanti Rivers, two hunting is suspicion that employees of local safari camps have been targeting rhinos with dysfunctional col- rifles and ammunition, handsaws used to hack off rhino and some security personnel are giving away rhino lars lately. “RCB has really lost control and the locations to poachers. What makes it suspicious - and elephant tasks, six home-made steel knives, two axes, poachers, who seem well-informed from the in is that most of the poaching takes place within side, are literally running circles around the BDF,” three solar panels, an inverter and five hunting torches are range of Botswana Defence Force bases and safari said the source. among goods left behind by the would-be poachers. campsites, yet none are detected. With over 100 Commenting on the rhino poaching crisis in The police also seized food supplies that include three rhinos dead, not a single arrest or conviction has Botswana, renowned wildlife conservationist Pi- been made.” eter Kat said the government must acknowledge 12.5kg bags of “Kamunu” roller meal, a popular Zambian The source added that the latest incident has that the rhino poaching crisis is out of control and staple brand. The suspects also had dried elephant meat, brought the number of rhinos killed in two weeks seek external help. “Botswana does not publish - to 12 and the national rhino death toll since 2018 rhino poaching statistics,” Kat said. “That’s pretty dried fish, five litres of cooking oil, rice and samp pack strange but that’s the way it is. From the media and ages. to 120. In a statement released on March 2, Depart- private communication, scores and scores of rhi- The large quantity of food and personal supplies indi- ment of Wildlife and National Parks director nos have been killed to-date. As in South Africa, cates that the suspects had planned a poaching expedition Dr Kabelo Senyatso dismissed as misleading the poachers operate with impunity. They come of long duration in the Okavango. The interception of the a Facebook post by former President Seretse from Zambia, crossing into Botswana via Namibia Khama Ian Khama who posted images of the and onto the Okavango Delta and Chief’s Island poachers and arrest of one of their number comes against Saturday rhino slaughter in the Okavango Delta where most of the poaching takes place.” the backdrop of a fresh upsurge in rhino and elephant and described it as evidence that government The conservationist said Botswana can still do poaching in the Okavango Delta. was failing conservation. better by publishing annual rhino poaching statis- “DWNP is aware of a social media post that tics, acknowledging that the rhino poaching crisis At least six rhinos and four elephants have been killed purports that in the last 18 months, 120 rhinos is out of control and seeking external help to pre- by poachers in the Okavango Delta since the beginning of have been slaughtered and that after Corona, vent a second extinction of the species. this year. there will be none left for tourists to come and If you are aware of any unethical business conduct or if you have any grievance Call BDC TIP-OFFS ANONYMOUS HOTLINE DON’T DELAY...CALL TIP-OFFS ANONYMOUS TODAY! All reports made are treated with complete anonymity. The Hotline covers BDC and all its group of companies. Toll Free: 0800 600 644 (BTC) Orange: 1144 Mascom: 71119773 Free Fax: 0800 00 77 88 Email: [email protected] Website: www.tip-offs.com THE BOTSWANA GAZEttE WEDNESDAY 03 MARCH 2021 NEWS PAGE 3 Zambian poaching expedition into Botswana foiled from page2 to cross into the Okavango Delta on Thursday night. The Okavango Delta is home to Botswana’s elephants and high security rhino sanctuaries that have been under siege from ivory and horns for the past two years. The Linyanti River forms a natural boundary between Na- mibia and Botswana for the distance that it runs while the rest of the boundary is largely unmarked. “There were five Zambian men in all,” said a law en- forcement source at Katima Mulilo. “There was a shoot- out with border guards at Batubaja on the Namibian side of the Linyanti as the group tried to enter Botswana. One was arrested and four escaped, leaving behind two hunting rifles and an assortment of personal effects, in- cluding food supplies and poaching tools. The suspect is being held in Katima Mulilo pending his appearance in court.” “There were five Zambian men in all,” said a law enforcement source at Katima Mulilo. “There was a shootout with border guards at Batubaja on the Namibian side of the Linyanti as the group tried to enter Botswana. One Interest Rates for was arrested and four escaped, March 2021 leaving behind two hunting rifles and an assortment of personal effects, including food supplies and poaching tools. The suspect is being First National Bank Savings and Investments Rates held in Katima Mulilo pending his The following