In the never ending effort to improve looks, some women are said to be using an illegal pill to get hour glass figures. Apetito tablets, which are allegedly smuggled into the country from Zimbabwe and Zambia are said to work in a matter of weeks. Described to be appetite stimulants and consumed for weight gain purposes, the tablets are believed to make women’s buttocks bigger.
The illegal tablets are found in flea markets in Gaborone and Francistown. A seller at Gaborone Bus Rank confirmed that the pills we in big supply. “Apetito is quick selling, a lot of women buy it and yes, it gives them big bums and hips,” she said adding that a box of 20 pills costs P15 and that the pill has to be inserted through the anus.
President of Pharmaceutical Association of Botswana, Bathusi Kgosietsile denounced the use and sale of the tablets. He said it is not registered and no research has been brought forth about its safety in Botswana, therefore it is an illegal drug.
He said the public should know that hawkers are out there to make money and survive and would make any claims to succeed. Kgosietsile further advised the public to buy drugs at designated places where their safety is taken into consideration.
Assistant Superintendent Meshack Mosika of Kutlwano Police Station denied any knowledge of the tablets. “We do not know much about them and have not registered a case in relation to them. As the police, we deal with cases where some criminal activities were committed with them like with abortion pills,” he explained.