07 Aug 2018

The handing over of 12 new town houses for the Department of Prisons and Rehabilitation is clear testimony of the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security’s commitment towards improving conditions of service and enhancing the welfare of staff.

Officially handing over the town houses recently, the ministry’s permanent secretary Ms Segakweng Tsiane said located in Gaborone’s Village suburb, the houses were very impressive, exude beauty and elegance in design, finishing and workmanship.

The project was constructed at a total cost of P23.2 million.

“I have no doubt that the standard and quality of this project is commensurate with the reputation of the prison service, commensurate with their trademark - best show on earth and this has become a prisons department tag line with respect to anything they undertake,” she said.

Ms Tsiane said completion of the project would go a long way towards improving the quality and comfort of a home while easing congestion in residential units and shared accommodation even among senior officers.

She said the houses would contribute to the upliftment of morale and dignity of senior officers who would be occupying them.

“The movement of senior officers into these facilities will also allow them to free housing units to junior officers. The composite value addition of this change should be excellent service delivery, high morale and demonstrative commitment across the department,” she said.

Ms Tsiane said at a personal level, the units should be a place where officers sat and celebrated their daily accomplishments and also where they added value to the welfare of their individual family members thereby achieving a good balance between work and family life.

She said prison officials gave counsel and support to those in custody and therefore deserved empathy and support, the best of which was reasonable accommodation.

Notwithstanding the challenges of budget constraints and competing priorities across government, Ms Tsiane said they would continue to provide on incremental basis and within the limited budget, housing units for the department during the National Development Plan (NDP) 11 period.

She said this was the ministry’s number one strategy for improving the welfare of prison and police officers as well members of the Botswana Defence Force.

Ms Tsiane said additional housing units for the department were under construction in Boro, Gaborone, Letlhakane, Mahalapye, Maun and Mochudi in collaboration with Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC).

“I am aware that this collaboration has already delivered 76 housing units in Gaborone, Mahalapye, Francistown, Baines Drift and Kanye prisons,” she said.

Ms Tsiane implored occupants of the housing units to take care of them and regard them as precious commodities.

“In this regard, I urge you to put in place measures and occupation protocols to be signed by individual occupants as an individual person’s commitment to ensuring that each unit is well cared for so that generations and generations of prison officers will enjoy the comfort and serenity to be provided through each unit  allocated,” she concluded.

For his part, BHC chief executive officer Mr Reginald Motswaiso said construction of the townhouses commenced in October 2016 and completed in June this year. Ends