Some of the cases go as far back as 2017
SESUPO RANTSIMAKO
The search for 172 people who went missing between 2017 to-date is yet to bear fruit, The Botswana Gazette has established.
Responding to Gazette enquiries about rising numbers of missing person cases in the country, Botswana Police Service (BPS) spokesperson, Dipheko Motube said although they are yet to make any leads into 172 missing people, they have not given up.
According to information gleaned from BPS records, between 2017 to-date 4280 people were reported missing. Out of this number, 2141 were males while 2139 were females.
160 people found dead
Of the 4280 reported missing person cases, 3948 were eventually found alive while 160 were found dead. To-date 172 remain missing.
Motube said although some cases go as far back as 2017, they remain ongoing. “Even if we do not find the reported persons, we do not close the case,” he explained. “The search becomes indefinite.
“The police continue to use community partnerships and other stakeholders in the search of the missing persons. In fact, the cases are declared indefinite so that we continue the search until leads are made.”
Motube added that people who go missing or are so reported are mainly aged between 16 to 30 years, noting that this is within the age range of socially and economically active people.
Cases of missing persons have been a source of concern in Botswana because of links to ritual killings in some instances.