20 Oct 2020

The long-awaited prison facility project in Sepopa in the Okavango will soon commence.

Speaking during a site visit of the plot, commissioner of Botswana Prisons Service, Colonel Silas Motlalekgosi promised a state of the art facility which would be undertaken through a public private partnership (PPP) model.

He said the idea of PPP had already been presented at the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security and it had been approved.

Colonel Motlalekgosi said government often faced challenges in the delivery of public infrastructure, hence as Botswana Prisons Service, they saw it fit to look for support and collaboration from other sectors of the economy for efficiency and prompt delivery of the facility in Sepopa.

He said once complete, the prison would bring education to the community in terms of behaviour, while in the process people would know that committing a crime was not something to brag about.

Further, Colonel Motlakgosi said a prison facility should not be perceived as a monster, rather a place of molding and rehabilitation.

He also said a prison in Sepopa was ideal as it would serve the whole of Okavango, as currently the nearest facility was Maun. 

The commissioner noted that with a prison facility in Sepopa, it would mean reduced distance travelled by officers and prisoners to and from Maun for mention in Gumare or Shakawe, hence reduced costs.

He said it was also straining for both officers and prisoners to be travelling long distances every day, hence the need for a prison in Sepopa.  

Area councillor, Mr Botshelo Mmapa said it was exciting that the project that they had long waited for was finally taking shape. Ends