Botswana issues travel warning to South Africa, Eswatini
A Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officer steps on the arm of a suspected looter as a man hits another man with an iron bar at the Bara Mall in Soweto on the outskirts of Johannesburg on July 13, 2021.
What you need to know:
- Botswanan citizens were advised to avoid unnecessary travel to some parts of South Africa, particularly KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng Provinces.
Gaborone,
Botswanan government on Tuesday issued an advisory to its citizens against travel to neighboring South Africa and Kingdom of Eswatini, due to the ongoing incidents of violence and unrest in the two countries.
In a media statement from the Botswanan Ministry of International Affairs and Cooperation, Botswanan citizens were advised to avoid unnecessary travel to some parts of South Africa, particularly KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng Provinces.
Batswana (Botswanan citizen) who are already in South Africa were advised to exercise extreme caution and avoid unnecessary movements, especially in cities such as Johannesburg and Durban. Botswanan truck drivers were advised to consider alternative routes to avoid protest areas.
In South Africa, protests started in the KwaZulu-Natal province last week over the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma for failure to abide by a court order.
Supporters of the former President started violent protests and looting calling for his immediate release from jail. The protests were reported to have spread to other provinces including Gauteng by Monday evening.
The ministry also advised Batswana to avoid unnecessary travel to the Kingdom of Eswatini due to civil unrests in that country.
Those people who are already in Eswatini were advised to exercise extreme caution and avoid unnecessary movements within the country.
Unrest started in the Kingdom of Eswatini at the end of June when demonstrators took to the streets to protest against the monarchy and for democratization.
What started as a peaceful protest then escalated into violence and looting a few days later as the government took a hard-line stance against the demonstrations and prohibited the delivery of petitions.
