15 Dec 2022

Ministry of Defence and Security is working on interventions to address the worrying crime situation in the country.

Responding to comments from Members of Parliament before they unanimously voted in favour of Chapter nine of the Transitional National Development Plan on Wednesday, Minister Kagiso Mmusi said interventions include the planned construction and resourcing of police stations across the country.

He said his ministry was also working on police visibility and equipping them better to deal with different types of crimes.

He said the aim was to implement policies geared at improving governance, peace and tranquillity in the country to align with the theme of the chapter, which focuses on governance, peace and security

Adding to the debate, Minister for State President and Molepolole South MP, Mr Kabo Morwaeng said Botswana had a history of peace and tranquillity and an enviable record as Africa’s oldest continuous multiparty democracy.

Mr Morwaeng said Batswana should be proud that the country had no historical record of violence and political assassinations, urging them to protect the legacy.

He also said government was working to improve the nation’s democratic culture, citing the repelling of the Media Practitioner’s Act and its replacement by a self-regulatory association as an indication of enhancing freedom of the press.

Leader of Opposition, Selebi Phikwe West legislator, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse called for better resourcing and increased independence of Parliament through the establishment of an independent Parliamentary Services Commission and better resourcing of the research unit of the legislature.

He also called for electoral reform, including having a fixed election day, the use of transparent ballot boxes in general elections and the counting of ballot boxes at polling stations.

Mr Keorapetse said other means of identification such as a passport or driver’s license should be allowed in the process to register and vote, should one fail to locate their national identity card.

Gaborone Central legislator, Mr Tumisang Mangwegape-Healy said his constituency was besieged by crime and called for interventions including resourcing the police better.

He said the fact that government had lost many court cases was an indication of the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law. ENDS