19 Jul 2016

The Minister of Defence, Justice and Security Mr Shaw Kgathi says currently special constables are not paid severance pay or pension upon termination or end of contract.
When answering a question in Parliament, Mr Kgathi noted that special constables were paid gratuity at the end of their contracts.
He explained that the revised special constable’s regulations have categorised them as contract employees and therefore the issue of severance benefits no longer applies.
Mr Kgathi stated that contrary to any expectation by the special constables to be absorbed into regular Police Service, the cadre was never intended to be a condition to qualify one to be a regular police officer.
In that regard, he said selection for training and subsequently recruitment was based on competitive selection process, where only the best qualify.
He further stated that on average, special constables’ intake into police training course ranged between 80 per cent and 90 per cent annually.
“For example, in the current intake, 300 out of 336 recruit constables are from the special constable cadre which is 89 per cent,” he revealed.
Mr Kgathi noted that given the manpower tight ceilings in the public service, there were currently no plans to expedite or accelerate the absorption of special constables who have long service in the Botswana Police service.
The Member of Parliament for Gaborone Central Dr Phenyo Butale had asked if the ministry of Defence had any severance pay or pension payable to special constables, upon termination or end of their contracts. Dr Butale had also wanted the minister to state whether special constable officers, who have served since the start of the programme or served long periods had no legitimate expectation to be absorbed into the police service.
He had also asked the rate of absorption of special constables into the main stream police, as well as plans in place to expedite the absorption of long service special constables. ENDS