20 Oct 2020

Botswana Prison Service commissioner, Colonel Silas Motlalekgosi, has vowed to keep COVID-19 pandemic out of their areas of operation at all costs.

Colonel Motlalekgosi said this during a tour of Letlhakane Prisons Services where he stated that prisons were a communal set-up and therefore more of a high risk type of society.

He said they had devised initiatives aimed at fighting spread of the pandemic by curtailing staff movement in and out of their areas of operation.

The commissioner highlighted that all new admissions or new inmates who were not well, would not be admitted in the facility, but taken to quarantine either in Francistown or Lobatse.

Colonel Motlalekgosi further indicated that Letlhakane Prison Services had one cell block with over 70 prisoners, saying they did not have anyone who had tested positive so far.

He stated that other prisons like Central and Francistown were overcrowded as well as first offenders prison, saying they were considering to do transfers.

In addition, he also informed the prisons’ staff about the amendment of the Prisons Act whiose objective was to make prisons an autonomous body.

He stated they had already started recruiting officers with degree and diploma qualifications, other than recruiting unqualified staff as they previously did.

Col. Motlalekgosi explained that they intended to turn Letlhakane Prisons Services into a youth centre for young offenders, both male and females, noting that there was only one in Moshupa. ENDS