Namibia’s Minister of Defence told delegates at the just ended Joint Permanent Commission on Defence and Security at the Gaborone International Conference Centre (GICC) that “a fish is not hunted with a gun”.
Major General Charles Namoloh was responding to a question from a journalist who wanted to know what action the two countries (Botswana and Namibia) have taken about the issue of two supposedly ‘innocent Namibian fishermen’ who were shot dead by the Botswana Defence Force agents in Caprivi, along the Botswana Namibia border.
Namoloh said reports that the two men were just innocent fishermen were unfounded because “you do not need a gun to kill fish”.
He said it would have been understandable if the two men had been found with a fish net but, however, added that a team had been tasked to investigate the killings, as such they could not jump to conclusions while the investigations are still ongoing.
For his part, Botswana’s Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Edwin Batshu, said civilians who stroll around border lines armed invite trouble to themselves.
“It is our duty to protect our flora and fauna,” said Batshu.
The two suspected poachers, Richard Siyauya and Brian Nyambe, were shot dead by the BDF officers along the Chobe River.
The Namibian media went berserk after the incident, calling on their government to act tougher against the killings of Namibian citizens by the Botswana Defence Force agents.
The 22nd Session of the Botswana/Namibia Joint Permanent Commission on Defence and Security ended on Friday.
