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Botswana: Not So Safe a Ride
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The Voice (Francistown)
15 April 2008
Posted to the web 15 April 2008
Gontse Gareebine
Francistown
Saturday April 5, 2008 will be forever etched in 34-year-old Thuli Tabane's mind. That is the day she found herself a near victim of kidnapping, or possibly, worse.
A regular commuter, who, like many Batswana without cars, uses both public transport and lifts to get to and from work, Tabane, of Madibana Ward in Morwa, got a rude lesson on the risks of hitchhiking.
Relating her story to The Voice, Tabane said it was around nine on the fateful Saturday night when she got a lift to Mochudi, from the infamous Taung hiking spot in Gaborone. When she jumped into a dark "fong-kong" Corolla, bearing number plate B 325 AIN, little did she know that she was about to get the scare of her life. Just before reaching Mochudi, the car changed route, an act she believes was an attempt to abduct her. She has sleepless nights thinking she could have been raped and then killed.
The culprit, Tabane claims, was a middle-sized Motswana man who could have been anywhere between 45 and 50 years old and wore spectacles.
Just before the Mochudi turn-off, Tabane said the car suddenly slowed down, indicated right, intending to take a turn into some bushy area.
"Surprised and in pure shock, I silently prayed before asking him where he was taking me. He remained quiet. That was when I realized my life was in danger," said Tabane.
As the car had slowed down, waiting for on-coming traffic to pass before making a right turn, Tabane instantly went for the door to try and escape. She couldn't open the door; it was locked.
"It was then that I screamed at the top of my lungs," she said. Just then, a young man, whom she later got to know as Thabang, appeared from the opposite side of the road and rushed to her rescue. "The driver panicked and quickly unlocked the doors. I opened the door and jumped out. He then got back on the main road and drove off towards Mochudi," she said.
But when The Voice contacted the Traffic Department to inquire about the vehicle with the said registration number, B 325 AIN, an even more bizarre story emerged.
The registration number belongs to a truck owned by Edward Titus, a man of Indian origin who manages a bakery in Selibe Phikwe. Titus said over the phone, "We do have a car here with the said number plates but it is a Dyna truck with a canopy that we use for transporting bread to our clients. It is an old worn-out truck and, God forbid, should it make it to Gaborone, it would be a miracle. Plus on April 5, I was not anywhere near Gaborone."
But Tabane insists that she got the right number plate. Armed with her unsuccessful kidnapper's car registration number and his physical description, she went to report the incident to the Mochudi Police Station, but was not in luck.
"I am very disappointed in our local police. They did not take me seriously and even refused to open a case saying there was not much they could work on from what I told them about my ordeal. The officer who helped me even refused to give me his names and was not wearing a name-tag on his uniform."
Mochudi Police station commander, Robert Masibi, found it hard to believe Tabane's account, saying every policeman wears a nametag as a requirement. Also, he said he was hearing Tabane's story for the first time from The Voice and, therefore, could be of no help.
But Tabane is not giving in easily.
"I am determined to do my own investigations to find out who put me through hell. The public needs to watch out for such culprits."
Meanwhile, Broadhurst Police Station Traffic Officer Member Machola admitted to The Voice that it was not uncommon to hear of different vehicles sharing the same number plate, adding that such incidents have been reported to the station on numerous occasions.
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"In most incidents, it is dishonest people with ill intentions, using fake registration numbers. There are unscrupulous individuals who will go all the way to hide their tracks."
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