ÔÇó Pornography video production studios mushrooming in Maun
ÔÇó Two Norwegians; two Germans and two Britons arrested for producing “made in Botswana” porn videos
ÔÇó Batswana women act in blue movies for a fee of P100 each
ÔÇó Four Batswana women arrested for acting in porn movies shot on location in Maun
ÔÇó Porn trafficking booming in Botswana
Scores of British, German and Norwegian pornography film producers are recruiting Batswana women to act in pornography flicks which are being shot on location from underground studios in Maun.
The Botswana Diamond and Narcotics Squad (DNS) is questioning six European men suspected of filming and trafficking “made in Botswana” blue movies after smashing a ring of underground porn production sets operating from Maun.
Officer Commanding Diamond and Narcotics Squad, Merafhe Kebonyemodisa confirmed to the Sunday Standard this week that they had arrested two Norwegians, two Germans and two Britons who were running separate but “organized” porn production sets in Maun.
A number of sexual images, including porn videos of naked Batswana women in sex acts with European men were seized during the investigation into the “organized” network of local porn producers.
All the images were generated from Maun. The DNS raid also arrested four Batswana amateur porn queens who were part of the porn flicks cast. Kebonyemodisa says the porn operations are “very organized.
They have video recording studios which “are stocked with an assortment of alcohol and meat, apparently to entice the women.”
The women are then paid about P100 for taking part in the porn video shoots. He says women came from as far as Francistown and other parts of Botswana to take part in the porn video shoots.
DNS crime busters have been staking out the alleged underground filming sets for sometime following a tip off, and eventually pounced on the suspects last week. DNS is still trying to establish where the video tapes end up.
There are however indications that a number of porn movies are being shot in Botswana and sold on the internet. Scores of huge international porn movie companies are currently offering in their menu, ponographic movies allegedly showing Batswana girls from Gaborone, Ramotswa and other parts of the country.
The DNS is also investigating the possibility that the expatriate porn producers may be involved in drug trafficking.
Porn trafficking is booming in Botswana and the Diamond/Narcotics Squad has been raiding some video outlets and homes in search of the offensive materials.
Superintendent Matthews Maduwane revealed a few years ago that 62 pornographic videos were seized from three outlets run by a Gaborone businessman and 10 porn videos were seized from a couple who were fined P350.
‘’In most cases, these pornographic video cassettes are not put on display because they are illegal.
Rather, a catalogue system is used to rent them to adults and they are more expensive than the non-pornographic ones, ‘’ Supt. Maduwane said.
In Jwaneng the squad confiscated l4 pornographic video cassettes and the concerned parties were fined P100. A Chinese businessman was convicted in Molepolole for public display of pornographic video cassettes while 18 such cassettes were seized from another Chinese man in Mahalapye.
Superintendent Maduwane said an American citizen, also a businessman, was convicted in Kanye last year for illegal possession of pornographic videos. ‘’The man was however later acquitted by the high court,” he said.
He pointed out that possession of pornographic materials was a violation of Botswana’s Penal Code. Section 178 of the Penal Code makes it an offence for ‘’any person who for the purpose of distribution or public exhibition, makes, produces or has in his possession any one or more obscene writings, drawings, cinematography films or any other obscene object or any other object tending to corrupt morals.”
It says in the event of a conviction, the court may order the destruction of any matter or thing made, possessed or used for the purpose of such offence.
