25 Jun 2025

The national capacity of jails is 4 337 against the 4 220 currently incarcerated.

This was revealed by Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Mr Nelson Ramaotwana during Ntlo Ya Dikgosi meeting in Gaborone on Monday. Minister Ramaotwana said some prisons were below their carrying capacity while those in maximum prisons were to be kept in the same space without possibility of transfer.

He said there were 313 inmates at Gaborone Village Central prison, with had a capacity of 112, an excess of 201. He further said the First Offenders had 319 inmates when it was supposed to carry 170, while Boys Prison had 129 inmates against its capacity of 120. He also said Molepolole and Mochudi had less inmates below their carrying capacities whereas the Francistown Centre for Illegal Immigrants had 526 people, a figure above their carrying capacity of 504.

“The centre is mostly used for holding illegal while waiting repatriation,” he said. 

He further said Mahalapye, like Gaborone prisons, had excess inmates as indicated in the daily unlock report that depicted the state of prisons. He therefore said members of Ntlo Ya Dikgosi were welcome to visit prisons to appreciate their state.  He said government was keen on promoting Human Rights, for people to live in habitable spaces and was hoping that once the economy improved, government would better the state of prisons as well.

Minister Ramaotwana explained that there was a rehabilitation programme across the prisons that included teachings in agriculture, carpentry and other character moulding programmes such as counselling, positive parenting and substance abuse prevention, which were facilited by social workers. He further said during random checks, inmates were found to be in possession of mobile phones that were sneaked into prison by relatives and the same were used to commit more crimes.

Kgosi Khama IV of Bagammangwato had asked the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services whether he was aware that a letter was written to him by the former permanent secretary to the president, Carter Morupisi about the conditions of Prisons while a similar report was given to Ntlo Ya Dikgosi by Commissioner of Prisons. Kgosi Khama IV had also asked what steps were taken as a matter of urgency, to address the situation.

He also asked when a delegation of Ntlo Ya Dikgosi could engage on a fact finding mission to Prisons and what was being done with officers implicated in sneaking mobile phones and other undesired activities going on in prisons. For his part, Kgosi Mbao Kahiko III of Ghanzi West region asked about the safety of inmates in the overcrowded Prison, considering that it potentially posed the risk of communicable diseases to the inmates. ENDS