The Sunday News
Mkhululi Chimoio
Botswana and Zimbabwe have improved collaboration in combating trans-boundary crime, thanks to the able leadership of President Mnangagwa and his Botswana counterpart, President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
This was revealed by Botswana’s Minister of Defence and Security, Thomas Kagiso Mmusi, who recently addressed journalists highlighting success against mushrooming white-collar crime, armed robberies, cross-border livestock rustling and drug trafficking across the region.
“We are pleased about progress achieved under the leadership of our focused Presidents,” said Minister Mmusi.
“We will all recall that since the advent of lethal Covid-19, crime rate escalated. It is never an easy thing to fight coordinated criminal activities; but we are recording a lot of progress against these uncalled for activities. This, we owe to our steadfast Presidents who are working tirelessly against crime in our region. They need all our support for us to achieve their vision of a crime free region.”
Minister Mmusi also mentioned that since the dawn of their independences, the neighbouring landlocked countries are enjoying consolidated cooperation in defence and security.
“Our relationship with Zimbabwe is very good on the security sector. Our commissioners and commanders meet quiet often, and as you know we have a yearly Bi-National Commission (BNC) which is chaired by both our Heads of States. This commission is good for our two countries as it strengthens our relationship,” said Minister Mmusi disclosing that he has a good working relationship with the Zimbabwean Minister of Defence, Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri.
Previously, both Presidents Mnangagwa and Masisi expressed satisfaction with their strong historical and fraternal relations and called for the consolidation of ties in defense and security matters.
According to the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is working on a comprehensive strategy to identify, understand and combat transnational organised crime in the region.
“SADC and its member states have separate protocols and strategies to address an array of growing cross-border threats including the smuggling of weapons, drugs and wildlife, as well as human trafficking. Related transnational crimes such as illicit financial flows and terrorism are also on the rise in the region,” reads a statement released by ISS on the 3rd of March 2023 titled, “Spotlight: A new SADC strategy to combat organized crime in Southern Africa”.
The statements further mentions that after the ENACT project released an INTERPOL assessment of organised crime in Southern Africa in 2018, the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (SARPCCO) recommended that the SADC Secretariat and INTERPOL develop a regional crime-combatting plan.
Project ENACT seeks to analyse the scale of organised crime across the entire African continent and its impact on security, governance and development. The analysis serves to inform policy-makers and strengthen cooperation at the regional and international levels
Through this project, INTERPOL assists police in Africa to adopt proactive strategies to combat organized crime threats, facilitate information exchange and enhance their investigative skills.
