- Police warn of river safety risks
- This follows drowning of 22-year-old man over the weekend
- Calls made for safety considerations
- Bye laws needed to protect life, environmental sustainability
- Council called to action
Following the drowning of a 22-year-old Zimbabwean man who had gone swimming with others in the Thamalakane River over the weekend, a debate has ensued on safety enforcement around water bodies. This as police record drowning cases in the Thamalakane and other tributaries after they flood every year.
The police, working with members of the Botswana Defence Force’s scuba-diving unit, retrieved the body on Tuesday following his disappearance in the river where people frequently gather.
Maun police acting station commander assistant superintendent Moutlwatsi Ikobeng has highlighted that the weekend incident highlights the urgent dangers posed by water bodies in the region and the need for people to take precautionary measure when using them for recreational purposes.
He noted that of recent many people gather at open spaces at Thamalakane River without recognising hazards that lie beneath and around the water. He warned that dangerous animals such as hippos, snakes, and crocodiles are known to reside in the river and pose real threat to those who choose to swim or relax nearby.
One such popular spot is the Big Tree in Chobe ward, where hundreds gather on weekends and all things wrong under the sun are said to happen. These include swimming with due care, use of water vessels (mekoro) without life jackets and pollution that make the area risky as most of these activities are done while people are under the influence of alcohol.
Ikobeng urged members of the public to always take proper precautions, including wearing adequately fastened life jackets when entering the river. He stressed that no one should swim under the influence of alcohol, as intoxication impairs judgment and increases the likelihood of drowning. He also pointed out that the river has its own current, which can quickly overpower swimmers. The use of the river after sunset remains out of bounds as hippos start moving out the water to graze, posing grave danger to humans.
Meanwhile Professor of Tourism Studies at the University of Botswana’s Okavango Research Institute (ORI) Joseph Mbaiwa has also weighed on the issue of river flooding and safety. In his Environment and Tourism column elsewhere in this publication Mbaiwa posits that while floods in the Thamalakane River offers a beautiful recreation and leisure destination for outdoor enthusiasts, “we should equally take the necessary safety precautions when using the use the river.”
Mbaiwa is of the view that given the economic benefits the river brings, the Thamalakane River requires management by those in authority especially the Northwest District Council. “The Council should develop by-laws to protect human life at the river and ensure the environmental sustainability of the river.
“Safety considerations in recreational waterways encompass a variety of concerns related to the well-being of people engaging in activities such as boating, swimming, fishing, harvesting water lily etc. Every year, the Thamalakane River become characterised by safety matters that include the risk of drowning, boating accidents, crocodile and hippo attacks and often deaths and loose of life. Leisure and recreation lovers at times use boats with no or inadequate safety Gear (e.g. life jackets). We have also seen the abuse of alcohol and substance use by leisure lovers and overcrowding in the river especially at the Beach area in Matlapana,” Mbaiwa said.
The weekend death through drowning in Maun reflects a larger problem seen across Southern Africa, where drowning remains a significant public health concern. In South Africa alone, between 1,400 and 1,600 people die from drowning each year, with males and children under five most at risk. Almost 30 percent of all fatal drownings in that country involve children under 14, and alcohol use has been identified as a recurring factor in river drownings.
Regionally, the World Health Organization estimates that about 66,000 people in Africa died from drowning in 2021, representing 22 percent of global drowning deaths. The drowning death rate in Africa has declined since 2000 but remains high at around 3.6 per 100,000 people.
The Thamalakane tragedy underscores how quickly leisure by the river can turn deadly. With Botswana averaging an estimated 80 to 85 drowning deaths each year, police warn that ignoring simple safety measures places lives in jeopardy. The Maun Police stress that respecting the river’s currents, avoiding intoxication, wearing life jackets, and keeping away from the water at dusk or night are not just guidelines—they are lifesaving rules in a landscape where wildlife and nature itself can swiftly overwhelm the unprepared.
