Police in Botswana say the fugitive former president of Zimbabwe, Canaan Banana, may have fled the country.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Edwin Batshu, said that his officers had not seen nor heard anything of Mr Banana over the weekend, and he thought he had left the country.

Mr Banana was reported to have fled to Botswana last week after failing to attend a court hearing in Harare at which he was found guilty of charges of sodomy and indecent assault.

He had denied the charges.