20 Jun 2022

Sebina and Marapong will this financial year have police posts established.

Addressing the leadership of the two Shashe West constituency villages recently, Minister of Defence and Security, Mr Kagiso Mmusi said the two projects were shelved due to financial constraints. 

The minister noted that the projects were planned to be implemented during National Development Plan 9, but were put on hold due to the recession and later COVID-19.

Minister Mmusi said this time around a police post comprising six offices and seven houses would be built in each of the villages.

He pointed out that designs and the allocation of funds had been completed and that the ministry was awaiting the tendering process to be done with, after which the winning company would start immediately. 

He expressed a wish for local companies to bid for the projects, but emphasised a need for someone with a good track record, who was not likely to disappoint.

In addition, the minister said the ministry had been allocated 1000 posts for police recruits that for the first time ever. 

He noted that the first batch consisting of 500 recruits was already training at Botswana Police College in Otse. 

The next batch, he said,  would start training in July, adding that the recruitment would boost  police visibility, thereby deterring crime as the police mandate was to protect the people and their property.

In his welcome remarks, Kgosi Bakani Mampori of Marapong  had complained that it had been  almost 20 years since his village was promised a police station by different ministers and even presidents when they visited.

Kgosi Mampori also said his village had a kraal that the police used to hold suspected stolen cattle as exhibits, saying as such  it was imperative to have a police post within reach. 

He added that stock theft cases took too long to be dissolved and that some of the 111 cattle they looked after died before the case could be tried.

He applauded the government for finally heeding their plea to have a police post. ends