03 Mar 2020

Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Mr Kagiso Mmusi has appealed to warders to ensure that prisoners did not escape from lawful custody.

Giving a keynote address at the 2020 edition of senior prisons officers conference in Kasane on Monday, Minister Mmusi said prisoners who escaped from lawful custody threatened social stability in the communities.

He explained that prisons officers must enforce the sentence of imprisonment imposed by courts while they encourage and assist prisoners to turn over a new leaf of life and to refrain from re-offending.

“Consequently, your work has always placed on yourselves a duality of roles such as custodial and rehabilitation services,” he added.

Minister Mmusi further stated that humane treatment of prisoners must not be understood to literally relate to their interaction with offenders, but it should be understood to refer to the efficiency of officers in handling prisoners complaints, requests, petitions, appeals, and general up-keeping as well as intensifying provision of psycho-social support services.

“Batswana must have confidence in you and you can make a good public impression if you demonstrate your worth by producing experts, entrepreneurs and community builders,” he said.

Minister Mmusi said prison service should no longer be restricted to confinement, but to rehabilitation or correction and urged the officers to take a lead and make a difference in a Godly manner as captains of life.

The Minister also appealed to the officers to rally behind President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi’s transformation agenda of leading the country from a resource-based to a knowledge-based economy.

He therefore, urged the officers to re-focus their efforts and thoughts to contribute to the achievement of an export-led economy, building human capital, ensuring efficient government spending and financing as well as the provision of appropriate infrastructure.

“I therefore, challenge and encourage you as you shall be developing your 2020/21 work plan, to exert your efforts to developing initiatives that will contribute to our national ideals.

The nation is counting on you, through your rehabilitation initiatives, to produce law abiding, productive, focused, innovative and self-reliant individuals who will contribute positively towards personal and national development,” he said.

Minister Mmusi admitted that the organisation continued to experience challenges that included infiltration of contraband into prisons, escape of prisoners from lawful custody which had resulted in a tragic loss of a member of the community.

Others, he said, was leakage of classified information, misconduct and unprofessional behaviour that was likely to give the organisation a negative image.

The minister noted with concern the dilapidated state of some of the prisons’ facilities,  which might not be conducive for rehabilitation.

He said it was evident that the facilities had seen the passage of time and there was a need for refurbishment and improvements on the buildings, some of which date as far back as pre-independence era.

He said the ministry headquarters would continue to assist in providing resources to make the facilities habitable and to be amenable to relocation of such other facilities.

“I am glad that the Public Private Partnership (PPP) is being adopted for funding of some of your facilities such as the Gaborone headquarters, Lobatse Rehabilitation Centre and Sepopa Prison Farm,” he added.

In his welcome remarks, commissioner of prisons and rehabilitation, Mr Silas Motlalekgosi said the main objective of the conference was to introspect and map the way forward on the challenges faced by the organisation.

He said the organisation was concerned about the escaping of prisoners from lawful custody, which had become a societal and national problem.

Mr Motlalekgosi explained that to address the problem, the organisation would continue to reinforce its security and commit to be subordinate to it’s mission.

Permanent secretary in the ministry, Ms Matshediso Bokole encouraged the officers to make the most of the opportunity of the conference and transform themselves to be better leaders.

“Lead yourself first in order to lead others. 

Be men and women of integrity and change to positivity,” she added, saying that theirs was not a job, but a calling from across a societal divine.

 

The conference saw senior assistant commissioner, Dikakanyo Mmolawa being bestowed with the rank of deputy commissioner (rehabilitation). ENDS