The death toll from drownings in the Thamalakane River since the beginning of the year, has risen to 10 following the tragic recovery of a 44-year-old Zimbabwean national’s body on Tuesday morning.
Confirming the incident, Maun Police Acting Station Commander, Assistant Superintendent Moutlwatsi Ikobeng, revealed that the tragedy occurred on Monday while the deceased was fishing with a friend along the riverbank.
According to police accounts, the victim drowned while attempting to retrieve a wild water bird from the river after shooting it down with a catapult. His companion immediately reported the accident, prompting a search operation that afternoon, which authorities were eventually forced to call off due to fading daylight.
A joint rescue team comprising members of the Botswana Police Service (BPS) and the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) resumed operations early on Tuesday morning, successfully locating and recovering the body at approximately 0900 hours.
The body was subsequently transferred to Letsholathebe Memorial Hospital for a formal postmortem examination. Meanwhile, law enforcement officials are actively working to locate the deceased’s family members to inform them of the tragedy.
This latest fatality comes closely on the heels of another recent incident recorded by Maun Police involving a 46-year-old man who drowned in the same Thamalakane River at Dikgathong Cattle Posts, located roughly 27 kilometres outside Maun, on August 22.
That victim, a Botshabelo Ward resident employed at the cattle posts, sank when his fibreglass canoe capsized mid-stream.
He was reportedly crossing the river to deliver the vessel to a colleague stationed on the opposite bank.
Ikobeng previously warned that a failure to observe basic water safety measures is heavily contributing to this rising tally of incidents. He noted that members of the public routinely venture onto waterways without proper life jackets.
This risk remains particularly high during fishing expeditions or when navigating deep channels in traditional canoes, known locally as mekoro. Ikobeng stressed that operating a mokoro demands extreme caution and strict safety precautions.
He urged communities to prioritise personal safety, noting that these recurring tragedies must serve as a stark warning to all residents living and working around local river systems.
These consecutive drownings continue to renew urgent public concerns over water safety in the Maun policing jurisdiction, where communities rely heavily on local rivers for fishing, essential transport, and daily economic livelihoods.
Ikobeng implored the public never to underestimate the inherent dangers of river travel and to consistently employ appropriate precautions, most notably the mandatory use of standard life jackets.
