05 Dec 2019

The establishment of the Drug Enforcement Agency is said to be taking shape.

This was said by Gabane-Mmankgodi MP, Mr Kagiso Mmusi, who is also the Minister of Defence, Justice and Security during his debate of the State-of-Nation Address on December 4.

Mr Mmusi said recruitment of staff was at an advanced stage. He explained that the establishment of the agency followed the passing of the Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act.

He called on the public to shun illicit drug dealings which, he said, threatened the destiny of many young people.

To this end, Mr Mmusi said it was pleasing that the Botswana Police Service (BPS) had intensified crime prevention efforts in respect of illicit drugs, gender-based violence and stock theft, saying they have become prominent features of policing strategies.

The MP said public safety and protection remained priority for government hence the existence of a community policing strategy which allowed for the involvement of police and community to work closely to fight crime.

With regard to defilement cases, he said the Sexual Offences Bill was being drafted and would articulate measures that dealt with sexual offences against children.

He also said the Botswana Defence Force continued to be a resilient force which stood ready to defend and protect the territorial integrity and respond rapidly to emerging threats as an ultimate guarantor of the public defence.

He stated that while the BDF’s primary role was to defend, the force also contributed to anti-poaching while the nation relied on BDF for resilience during such times as floods.

Mr Mmusi also stated that road safety remained a public challenge as witnessed by the number of lives lost on roads. 

He said collaborative efforts with stakeholders remained a priority and were imperative to reducing road traffic accidents that resulted in fatal and serious injuries.

He also said the Botswana Prisons Services was working tirelessly to rehabilitate prisoners. 

He noted that 334 prisoners were enrolled in education programmes, 701 in vocational skills programmes, 412 in agricultural programmes while 2 047 were engaged in psycho-social programmes.

Mr Mmusi further stated that in an effort to improve the efficiency of the justice system, reforms such as Computerised Court Records Management System (CRMS) and Judicial Case Management had been implemented and were operational across the country.

He also said new working methods such as real-time court reporting were being enrolled in order to enhance the delivery of justice.

He called upon government to consider the construction of a tarred road that connected Tloaneng and Mmankgodi. He also said there was a need for a hospital at Metsimotlhabe and Mmankgodi respectively. Ends