30 Jul 2026

Ministry for State President, Defence and Security has floated a tender to procure stationery for police stations across the country as part of efforts to address shortages that have affected service delivery.

Answering a question in Parliament on July 29, the Assistant Minister for State President, Defence and Security, Ms Maipelo Mophuting-Dikoloti said evaluation of 173 tender submissions had been completed in 2025 and the bid report was awaiting approval by the Procurement Oversight Committee before the procurement process could be finalised.

The procurement of stationery, she noted, was expected to improve service delivery by ensuring police stations had adequate administrative supplies to support day-to-day operations.

Ms Mophuting-Dikoloti acknowledged that police stations were experiencing shortages of stationery due to funding constraints, adding that the extent of the shortages varied from one station to another.

On concerns regarding police transfers and promotions, the assistant minister said Botswana Police Service’s comprehensive transfer and promotion policies designed to enhance clarity, consistency and transparency in transfer decisions were at an advanced stage.

“Transfers are currently considered by the Transfer Advisory Board based on operational requirements, human resource considerations and the availability of posts,” she said.

She further acknowledged frustrations over delays in promotions, saying prevailing economic challenges had limited the creation of new supervisory positions within the Botswana Police Service.

The assistant minister said promotions were therefore dependent on vacancies arising through attrition, resignations, retirements or deaths, although efforts continued to address the situation.

She was responding to a question from Maun West MP, Mr Caterpillar Hikuama, who had asked whether the ministry was aware of the severe shortage of basic operational tools, specifically stationery across all police establishments nationwide, which forced officers to solicit suppliers from other government departments to discharge their duties.

Mr Hikuama also asked for the ministry to state immediate measures it would take to ensure that police stations were adequately provisioned with essential administrative materials so that service delivery and criminal investigations were not compromised.

He also asked the ministry to provide an update on the current review of the Botswana Police Service policy, specifically addressing growing internal frustrations regarding the transparency of promotions and the frequency of disproportionate transfers. ENDS