14 Sep 2020

The National Assembly on Friday voted to reject a motion calling on government to consider re-arming the department of wildlife’s anti-poaching unit.

Selebi Phikwe East MP, Mr Kgoberego Nkawana presented the motion.

While opposition parliamentarians voted in favour of the motion, majority of Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) legislators elected against the motion.

Prior to the motion being put to a vote, Mr Nkawana had pleaded with MPs to support his motion, explaining that the past few years had seen an exponential rise in poaching of animals such as rhinos.

He said the decision to disarm the anti-poaching unit had weakened the potential of the department to effectively execute its core duty of protecting the country’s flora and fauna.

While BDP MPs had expressed that the department had been disarmed because they were not empowered by law to carry out automated weapons, Mr Nkawana and several opposition MPs had pointed out that the law already permitted them to do so.

They cited Section 73 (3) of the Wildlife and Conservation Parks Act, which reads that ‘where necessary for the discharge of duties and notwithstanding the provisions of the Arms and Ammunition Act, a wildlife officer may carry a firearm and where the director so directs, such firearm may be of a type not otherwise permitted under the Arms and Ammunition Act.’

From the BDP side , the argument was that the clause constrained the department through the limitations contained in the wording ‘where necessary’ and ‘where the director so directs’ as opposed to giving them unrestrained liberty to carry automated weapons.

As such, the Botswana Defence Force (BDF), which was empowered by law to carry automated weapons of war, was adequately empowered to assist in anti-poaching duties until such a time as when the department of had been legally equipped to do so.

In her prior contribution to the debate, the Minister of Environment, Natural Resources, Conservation and Tourism, Ms Philda Kereng, said her ministry was looking at a comprehensive solution to addressing the poaching challenge, including assessing the legal framework, as well as looking into the working conditions of those in the employ of the department. ENDS