24 Mar 2021

Government should consider improving the conditions of service for attorneys in order to retain talent, Members of Parliament (MPs) said on Tuesday.

These views were aired as Parliament approved the budget estimates of P250 million recurent and P22.5 million development expenditure for the Attorney General’s Chambers (AG) budget estimates for the upcoming 2021-22 financial year.

Presenting the budget proposals, Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Mr Kagiso Mmusi said funds would be earmarked, for among other expenses, the construction of the DPP Maun office, pre-construction works for the DPP Palapye office and the refurbishment of AG facilities.

Mr Mmusi, however, lamented that the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had a high staff turnover as government wages were not attractive. He said it led to a shortage of skilled manpower.

He also said shortage of staff accommodation for DPP employees compounded the problem.

This prompted MPs, among them Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Kabo Morwaeng to call for the improvement of the working conditions of AG and DPP attorneys.

Mr Morwaeng said it would curb the challenge of the state losing lawyers to private practice.

Nonetheless, Mr Morwaeng said he had faith in lawyers currently in the state system, including those assigned to serve as legal counsels for government departments. He added that if afforded the opportunity to freely render advice they could assist to minimise incidents of litigation against the state.Mr Mmusi Kgafela, Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Development, said he would find it prudent for the AG to advice government to extend the State of Public Emergency in order to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said since the constitution did not allow for people to be prosecuted for an offence that was not written in law as an offence and whose penalty was not prescribed, it would be difficult to deny people the right to assemble or walk freely in public without masks in the absence of a State of Emergency.

Palapye MP, Mr Onnetse Ramogapi on the other hand said he was against a continuation of the State of Emergency, stating that he would rather have Parliament extend the powers ascribed to the Public Health Act and the director of Health Services in order to deal with the pandemic.

Mr Ramogapi further said he had hoped the Palapye DPP office would be constructed over the next financial year instead of just pre-construction works being approved. ends