12 Jul 2021

The Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security has enumerated various ways it has benefited from Commonwealth technical assistance.

In a statement following Commonwealth secretary general Ms Patricia Scotland’s meeting with Minister Kagiso Mmusi recently, the ministry cites  drafting of the 2018 Cybercrime Act.

It says the organisation also extended assistance to the ongoing assessment of Botswana’s current cybercrime and cyber security policy, legislation, standards and legal frameworks.

In addition, Botswana benefited from technical assistance on development of a policy on alternatives to imprisonment which will be submitted to the November Parliament session, the statement says.

It quotes Mr Mmusi as saying Commonwealth Secretariat technical assistance and guidance with regard to escalating sexual offences would be welcome.

In order for Botswana to effectively implement the newly-enacted Sexual Offenders Registry Act, it is necessary to also focus on rehabilitation guidelines and victim support, says the statement.

It says the ministry is in the process of reforming the criminal justice sector to address inefficiencies in the justice delivery pipeline such as backlog of cases.

Ms Scotland’s visit, the statement says, gave an opportunity to introspect and engage on issues of justice delivery, good governance and the rule of law.

According to the statement, for her part Ms Scotland said Botswana’s appetite for justice, good governance, democracy and the rule of law made for a fruitful relationship.

It says she reaffirmed the secretariat’s solidarity and commitment to working with Botswana to promote common values of good governance. ENDS