13 Aug 2015

The Regional Prison/Penitentiary/ Correctional Services games would develop professional relationships which will benefit both individuals, says Botswana Prisons Commissioner Silas Motlalekgosi

Commissioner Motlalekgosi said this when officially opening the SADC Regional Prison/Penitentiary/ Correctional Services games in Mahalapye .

He said through these games participating teams would learn from one another modern and effective ways of running the prison system.

He said through these games they would get to know each other better as nations through cultural activities and programmes.

He explained that more importantly the games were in line with the SADC spirit of building a sense of oneness, and assisting each other in ways possible for community benefit.

Commissioner Motlalekgosi said SADC seeks to improve delivery to its people in the entire region in various ways including custodial and offender correction

He said there was a move to standardize certain programmes especially on treatment and health services for offenders, adding that already there was a model framework for interstate transfers of offenders among SADC countries.

He noted that the interstate arrangement aims at allowing certain offenders, under certain conditions serving imprisonment in other countries to be transferred to their countries to be nearer families and own communities

He said the knowledge they would get from such discussions would help officers to contribute in shaping their respective legislation on the subject.

Furthermore, Commissioner Motlalekgosi said these games would give officers the chance to reflect on themselves, their duties, roles and functions of their respective services and also promote their physical fitness.

He said these games were first played in 1990 in Mbabane between Botswana and Swaziland, and they continued for years all thanks to former Commissioner Bernard Lekoko of Botswana and Commissioner Edgar Hillary of Swaziland for the initiative and the foundation laid.

He said the spirit under which the games were started was to create an opportunity for officers to interact in a relaxed atmosphere to enjoy good friendly relations as well as to share experience about general prison work.

He said that yielded positive results, as in 2006 the games grew as South Africa, Lesotho, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe took part in the games which were then hosted by South Africa.

Commissioner Motlalekgosi said in spite of the success of the games, the SADC games were never played again, and with the passage of time heads of prison/correctional/penitentiary services saw the need to revive the games.

He said a meeting held in Botswana by heads of the department in 2014 resolved that games be held in Botswana in 2015, hence these games played in the country.

Participating counties include the host Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe and the would be competing in athletics, netball, football and volleyball. ENDS