23 Jun 2022

The time has come for Botswana to enact laws that make vaccinations compulsory Tobane village representative, Mr Mogolodi Rasemphe told the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Review of the Constitution Botswana during its consultative meeting in Mmadinare yesterday.

He said doing so would go a long way saving the loss of precious lives against pandemics such as Covid-19.

“A molao o patike mongwe le mongwe go kentiwa segolo jang kgatlhanong le malwetse a tshwana le leroborobo la Covid-19,” he said.

He also proposed that the law should not relent on capital punishment, and should castrate rapists.

Another speaker, Mr Leageletswe Mogotsi, who spoke on behalf of the people of Mmadinare supported Mr Rasemphe’s proposal and suggested the law should provide for organisations that discouraged vaccination, especially of children, to be prosecuted.

Mr Mogotsi also proposed an equally tough law to deal with parents and guardians who did not take children’s education seriously was necessary.

“A molao-motheo o dire gore motsadi a tsee boikarabelo a bo a arabele go tlhoka go sala tsamaiso morago,” he said.

He also supported Tobane residents’ convictions that murderers should hang and rapists castrated.

The issue of tribal equality once again came up through Mr Nonofang Randu who submitted the views of the residents of Robelela.

He called for a law on declaration of assets for people vying for political office and that state media made autonomous.

Tshokwe residents submitted through their representative, Mr Leaname Sekai, that corporal punishment should also be administered on mischievous women.

He said the residents were opposed to the practice of voting for magosi.

Mr Sekai also said Tshokwe residents wanted men who impregnated nulligravidae, that is, women who have never been pregnant before, to marry them.

“A molao-motheo o pateletse gore borre ba ba digang basadi lebele ba ba nyale,” he said.

Ms Keodiretseng Obonetse of Foley said dikgosi should be part of land allocation process. An elder from Mmadinare, Mr Bernard Molelekeng called for establishment of a constitutional court.

She also proposed that the Office of the Ombudsman should be renamed Public Prosecutor and be given executive powers to investigate any sitting president.

Another elder, Mr Samuel Moepeng, said although he supported capital punishment, he was not comfortable the way it was administered, saying a more humane way should be found.

To that end, he suggested that other methods of execution such as the use of lethal injection and electrocution should be adopted.

Human trafficking, which has become a global threat, , should attract capital punishment, he said.

Earlier on, Kgosi Maureen Mphoeng had submitted that Tribal Administration should have its own Ministry so that it could holistically deal with issues affecting it. BOPA