02 Apr 2019

International affairs and cooperation minister, Dr Unity Dow has presented a bill seeking to amend the Prisons Act of 2017.

Presenting the bill on behalf of Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Mr Shaw Kgathi on Monday, Dr Dow stated that the proposed amendment sought to correct the challenge presented by section 19 of the act that staggered the retirement ages of prisons officers.

She said the amendment proposed followed consultations with relevant stakeholders from which it had become apparent that due to the staggered retirement ages, the pension values of officers from the rank of warder to senior assistant commissioner would be negatively affected.

“All of them without exception were going to be worse off in terms of their final pension pay-out since they would have retired before contributing significantly to their pension,” she noted.

Dr Dow said the problem was not anticipated when section 19 was amended and staggered retirement ages introduced in the prisons service.

She noted that presently the act provided for officers from the rank of warder to superintendent to retire at 50 years of age while from the rank of senior superintendent to senior assistant commissioner the retirement age was set at 55 years.

For the ranks of deputy commissioner and commissioner, the retirement age was pegged at 60 years, she said.

Dr Dow said to avert a situation where some officers would retire with no pension or with very little monthly pension, it was necessary that their retirgement ages be aligned to those prevailing in the public service and in the Botswana Police Service.

Consequently, the minister indicated that, through the bill, government proposed to amend section 19 by raising the retirement ages of all prisons officers to 62.

Debating the bill shortly afterwards, MP for Mahalapye East, Ms Botlogile Tshireletso welcomed the bill, saying it was necessary that prisons officers be treated in the same manner as police officers and members of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF).

Ms Tshireletso said since the work of disciplined forces was complementary in nature; it was only fair that they be treated in a similar fashion.

The MP for Palapye, Mr Moiseraele Goya commended government for the proposed amendment, labelling it proof that government had the interests of its people at heart.

The MP for Gabane-Mmankgodi, Major General Pius Mokgware, however, indicated that raising the retirement age was not the right thing to do, describing it as solving a problem by creating another one.

Maj. Gen. Mokgware decried the slow pace of promotions in the prisons service, saying some officers were going to retire at 62 years while still holding entry level positions.  He said due to the slow progression rate, the department risked having an elderly workforce.

Selebi Phikwe West legislator, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse shared the sentiments that the bill would not address problems faced by prisons officers.

He said prisons officers were the lowest paid in the security sector, and that as a result they often retired into poverty.

Mr Keorapetse concurred that progression up the ranks was too slow in the prisons service as officers could stay about 15 years in one rank.

On another issue, Mr Keorapetse called for the review of the death penalty, positing that it was unfair on prions officers to be made to execute inmates on death row.

Advocate Duma Boko, who is the Gaborone-Bonnington North MP, said the prisons service was the most marginalised of the disciplined forces.

He said instead of increasing their retirement ages, it would have been better to have improved their conditions of services.

Adv. Boko thus argued that the bill was of no substance as it did not address the real issues faced by prisons officers.

Gaborone Central MP, Dr Phenyo Butale said a holistic approach was needed to address issues within the prisons service. Ends