22 Mar 2021

 Member of Parliament for Mochudi West, Mr Mmusi Kgafela says Gender Based Violence (GBV) and rape should be classified as crimes against humanity.

   Airing his views on the 2021/22 budget proposals for the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security on Thursday, Mr Kgafela welcomed the strengthening of the penal code and called for GBV and rape matters to be given the seriousness they deserved.

Currently under the penal code, they are classified as offences against morality.

He further welcomed the sexual offenders registration, but wondered how people involved in incest would be registered as it usually involved two willing partners.

MP Kgafela also called for provision of office accommodation for police officers stationed in tribal offices, noting that they were forced to share a room with other personnel which was even riskier during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also said the police needed more vehicles.

The Mochudi West MP further cautioned the defence minister against infringing on the independence of the judiciary through the sentencing act. He said judges should be free to impose any sentence they deemed fit.

For his part, Tlokweng MP, Mr Thulagano Segokgo welcomed the planned legal practitioner’s bill, saying some people had lost their properties due to exorbitant charges from unscrupulous lawyers.

The MP also praised the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) and the police for playing a role in road safety campaigns.

He further commended the BDF for rescuing people when involved in deadly accidents.

MP Segokgo, who is also Minister of Transport and Communications, said a safe air space was important as government had embarked on luring major international airlines to invest in the country.

He, however, decried the poor state of the Tlokweng Police Station, saying porta-cabins should be provided to enable the police to widen their coverage.

Okavango legislator, Mr Kenny Kapinga said the ministry was too big and should be split.

He, however, said he was happy the BDF budget was reduced, saying the P480 million saved should be channeled to other sectors such as health and education.

MP Kapinga said the country should keep a lean, efficient and cost effective military regime. He further said the armed forces should be free from politics.

He called for the adequate funding of Botswana Police Service in order for them to fight crime throughout the year rather than having short programmes such as Kgomo-Khumo.

He also said they wanted security agents that respected fundamental human rights.

MP Kapinga said for the law to be a deterrent, more people had to be arrested, prosecuted and sentenced within a short time.

Member of Parliament for Molepolole South, Mr Kabo Morwaeng praised the armed forces for their professionalism and for remaining apolitical.

He called on the defence minister to address their welfare issues, saying they were men and women who were prepared to die for the country.

Meanwhile, MP Morwaeng said his constituents had long been promised a police station and had even reserved a 14 hectare plot for it.

MP for Shashe West, Mr Fidelis Molao also said the police should be adequately resourced, adding that his constituents had long waited for the construction of police stations in Sebina and Marapong.

He said livestock theft was rampant in his constituency as thieves were taking advantage of the amount of time taken by the police to travel from Tatitown.

Jwaneng-Mabutsane MP, Mr Mephato Reatile said the Jwaneng Police Station was in dire need of maintenance, and said it had outlived its original mandate as the village had grown and they were protecting the country’s wealth.

He said the bulk of the budget allocated to the police should be used to provide them with adequate accommodation. He added that he was disheartened that no one advocated for the Special Support Group (SSG) despite the role they played.

MP for Gaborone Central, Mr Tumisang Healey said the Broadhurst Police Station was not able to keep up with the high crime rate in Extension 27.

He said residents, through the Constituency Development Fund, had purchased a port-a-cabin to house the police at Taung junction.

He said the P500 million that could have been used to secure accommodation for police officers should instead start a scheme to enable them to purchase their own houses.

He was also concerned that Botswana Prisons Service only used 3.3 per cent of the P98 million development budget allocated for the 2020/21 financial year, saying it denied the officers access to decent accommodation.

Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Mr Kagiso Mmusi had asked Parliament to approve over P8 billion for the recurrent budget and over P1 billion for the development budget.

He said the bulk of the recurrent budget would be used to pay salaries and allowances as well as other operational expenses.

  As for the development budget, he said P1.68 billion was for contractual obligations emanating from the 2015 sales agreement. ends