Despite six gruesome murders involving mutilated bodies over the past decade, the government of Botswana insist none can be classified as ritual killings. The reason? Minister for State President, Defence, and Security, Moeti Mohwasa, responding to a parliamentary question from Member of Parliament for Serowe South, Leepetswe Lesedi, explained that ‘In our statuses in general and the penal code in particular , we don’t have an offence called ritual killing.’ However, he admitted that Botswana is currently faced with a high number of reported missing persons – see the article below for the exact number of missing persons who were never recovered.

This is not to say that all missing persons have been murdered, let alone murdered for ritualistic reasons. But the harsh reality is that ritual murders – known in Southern Africa as ‘muti murders’ – do indeed occur in Botswana. See my posts of 2018 (referring to a suspected ritual murder case in 2017), 2019 (referring to a 2006 case), 2020 (including a 2011 article), 2021, 2022 (detailing a devastating 2019 report) and 2023. Some of these posts concern albino victims, see the 2022 post mentioned. In 2023 then Botswana president Mokgweetsi Masisi (2018-2024) condemned ritual murder practices.

Hence, Minister Mohwasa’s statement may be theoretically true, in the strict sense of the law, but that says nothing about the fact that ritual murder does indeed occur in Botswana.
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‘There is no such thing as ritual killings in our laws’ – Minister for State President, Defence, and Security Moeti Mohwasa

Published: March 24, 2026
By: Mmegionline – Botwana

This was revealed by the Minister for State President, Defence, and Security Moeti Mohwasa. Mohwasa was responding to a parliamentary question from Member of Parliament (MP) for Serowe South, Leepetswe Lesedi.

Lesedi had sought to find out from government a comprehensive report on the number of persons who have gone missing and those who have been reported missing in Botswana in the last 10 years.

The MP also sought to find out how many cases were due to kidnapping and ritual killings and what is being done to sensitize the public about such incidents.

To which the minister explained, “ In our statuses in general and the penal code in particular , we don’t have an offence called ritual killing. We are therefore constrained to speak to a crime that is not in our statutes. The taking of human life is criminalised as murder’. 

Mohwasa however admitted that the country is currently grappling with high number of reported missing persons.

“Most of them are the youth who go away without informing their relatives and guardians about their whereabouts. 6677 reports of missing persons which involved 6765 from 2016 to 2025 of the total, 3,412 were male , whilst 3,353 were female,” the Minister shared.

The Minister further stated that through search efforts by the police, the communities and publication on BPS Facebook page a total of 6,3330 missing persons were recovered while 426 were never recovered.

According to statistics in 2023 Botswana recorded 728 missing persons with 686 found, and 42 still missing, in 2024 709 were reported, with 647 found whilst 62 are still missing , in 2025 a total of 618 missing persons report was filed whilst 586 were recovered 32 are still missing.

Source: There is no such thing as ritual killings in our laws – Mohwasa