Botswana Police Service Spokesperson, Dipheko Mutube told Sunday Standard this week that the arrests were part of a clean-up campaign by the police. Motube revealed that they have handed the suspected sex workers to the Department of Immigration to verify their documents.
He emphasised that it will be up to the immigration department to decide on whether to deport them. They were charged with idle and disorderly person. The policy document states non-Batswana will be deported.
The policy document further suggests that for six months Botswana Police will mount and conduct special operations, before deciding on frequency, depending on the outcome. This week departments that will be at the forefront of the operations came up with a strategy to give direction and effect to the new government policy.
Sunday Standard is in possession of a document by these agencies, an outcome of meetings coordinated by the Ministry of Health. Interestingly, the Human Rights Ditshwanelo and lobby group BONELA are also among the groups mentioned as potential candidates that will be enlisted to be at the forefront of a campaign to speak against homosexuality.
Donors and Development Partners will also be asked to speak against gays. Significantly, the speech by Toto was widely covered and given prominence by state media, a remarkable departure from the norm given that Toto is a Member of Parliament from opposition benches. On the contrary we know that HIV prevalence for this cohort, from the latest study by Ministry of Health is significantly lower than the national one.
