Khama calls for strict laws on combatting illegal wildlife trade
Former President Ian Khama has refuted claims that he will be returning to Botswana from South Africa following his stay there for several months amidst claims of "fearing for his life" after he was slapped with several charges of unlawful possession of firearms.
While South African media reported recently that Khama would be coming back, Khama himself refuted this and even posted on his page that it is "fake news."
In an interview with South African media, Khama said he would not rule out the possibility of coming back home once the opportunity and need arise, pointing out that he is not under any pressure at the moment.
Khama has instead focused his attention on a passion of his: conservation, environmental protection and wildlife crime. He has been consistent in his call for stricter regulations aimed at combating wildlife crime.
When he officiated at the most recent annual conference on combating Illegal Wildlife Trade, Khama called for stricter laws that prioritise wildlife crime as a serious crime with higher judicial sentencing in courts of law.
"Governments should make stronger commitments to address illegal wildlife trade, which is a major threat to the ecosystem, and Governments should make stringent efforts to mitigate its impacts," he said.
Wildlife crime is a challenge in Botswana but arrests and prosecutions are low, and Khama has always made suggestions for such crimes to be taken to the highest courts and for offenders to be slapped with stiff fines that would serve as a deterrent to would-be offenders.
Khama reiterated that illegal wildlife trade is a serious organised crime, carried out by cross-border criminal networks. He noted that it "robs communities today of their future sources of income, and it has to be met with a united and global response."
Stakeholders have made effort by convening and working collaboratively with the transport and finance sectors, building key partnerships with NGOs, and sharing information and best practices across the sectors, we will disrupt this criminal network.
For example, United for Wildlife, partners strengthen the regional response to the illegal wildlife trade, expanding the successfully established Southern Africa Regional Chapter to encompass more partners across the region, and to also include key stakeholders in the wildlife trade chain such as Care for Wild, Southern Africa College for Wildlife, South African Money Laundering Integrated Taskforce and the Financial Intelligence Centre South Africa, as well as Interpol.