02 Apr 2017

Government continues to invest time and resources to rehabilitate those who have made mistakes a bid to give them another chance, says Vice President, Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi.

Mr Masisi made the remarks during the official handing over of a porta cabin and educational material donated to Moshupa Boys Prison by Open Baptist Church on Saturday.

Mr Masisi said the government seeks to equip inmates with skills to shape their characters and  turn them into responsible and productive citizens.

“Moshupa Boys Prison has been developed into a correctional facility of note rather than a penal institution where a total of 45 inmates are currently registered for different basic educational programmes on offer.

Eight inmates are enrolled in carpentry, 15 have taken up agricultural programmes such as bee keeping, poultry production and animal husbandry while 15 have joined a Marimba group,” he said.

Moshupa/Manyana lawmaker noted that the donation by Open Baptist Church would go a long way in influencing the behaviour and outlook of the inmates.

Furthermore, Vice President Masisi stated that the gesture by the church demonstrated the primary responsibility of the church in its service to the community. “I am sure that through these programmes, it will be easier for members of the church to share the word of God more effectively,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Vice President called on inmates to use their time in prison to reflect on the direction they would want to take at the end of their prison terms.

He said once out, inmates should use the skills acquired while serving their terms and to take advantage of government programmes to improve their livelihoods.

For his part, Botswana Prisons Commissioner, Colonel Silas Motlalekgosi said noble and collaborative efforts by important stakeholders such as Open Baptist Church helped make rehabilitation endeavours better.

Colonel Motlalekgosi said such partnerships help change and manage perceptions towards prison and rehabilitation, which he emphasised remained one of the Department of Prisons and Rehabilitation key mandates.

“It is our moral duty and obligation to take this task and do it to the best of our ability and knowledge,” he said.

Pastor Adekunle Eyitayo said besides the Open Baptist Church creed and Christ doctrine to express love to one another, the gesture by his church was a way to compliment the work done by the government through different ministries to improve the lives of young people.

He said such synergies would bear fruit through abundant grace of God. “We, therefore, accept the responsibility to introduce the necessary spiritual education that guarantees success through the churches’ prison ministry,” he said. ENDS