19 Mar 2026

Parliament has been informed that the decision to escort cash-in-transit vehicles was taken following a series of armed robberies involving vehicles transporting cash. 

Responding to a question in Parliament on Tuesday, Minister for State President, Defence and Security, Mr Moeti Mohwasa said the measure was to introduce a proactive intervention to enhance security during the transportation of cash. 

Minister Mohwasa stated that the Banking Association of Botswana (BAB) had, during that period within which the service was granted to the members, donated 12 vehicles to the Botswana Police Service. 

He said currently, there was no formal agreement between government and private security companies regarding such escorts and there was no cost-sharing with the relevant banks. 

He, however, said the ministry was actively engaging relevant stakeholders with a view to mitigating the financial implications of the operation and identifying sustainable long-term solutions that would relieve government from that responsibility. 

Mr Mohwasa also stated that the ministry resolved to enhance security during the implementation of such measure and there had been a decline in armed robberies related to cash in transit. 

Regarding the costs for government, he said there was still a need to calculate how much had been spent on operations, although there was no dedicated unit for the operation, as it formed part of normal daily duties, therefore, there were no readily available figures for police escort operations. 

He also indicated that there were no plans to facilitate private security companies to independently undertake such operations. Serowe South MP, Mr Leepetswe Lesedi, had asked the minister to update Parliament on the nationwide Botswana Police Service escorts of security companies’ cash in transit vehicles and if the escorts were free or if there was cost sharing with the relevant banks. 

Mr Lesedi also wanted to know when the escort started, their efficacy and how much it cost government per month for police escort services and whether it was not time to facilitate private security companies to enable them to handle such operations through capacity and arming. ENDS