Prisoners to be engaged in BOT50 activities
Tefo Pheage | Thursday July 28, 2016 12:07
The move, initiated by BIRRO, is intended to give prisoners an opportunity to have a say and partake in the much-anticipated national independence celebrations.
A meeting by the tripartite and prisoners has been mooted for this coming month. In a letter to the Attorney General, BIRRO seeks the AG to address inmates on August 12 and 19, at Central and First Offenders Prison respectively, at which meeting she will be accompanied by BIRRO and the BOT50 chairperson.
The discussion with prisoners is also aimed at giving them an ear over issues that affect them such as delayed appeals, prolonged period in prisons without trials and lengthy delays in judicial processes. Molokomme however would not engage Mmegi on the letter but instead passed on the responsibility to the AG Chambers’ public relations officer.
For her part, BOT50 coordinator, Charity Kgotlafela said it is important that nobody is left behind in this 50th celebration, further adding that prisons have a huge population of young and old Batswana currently going through rehabilitation.
Asked about whether they have anything special for the prisoners for the 50th independence celebrations, the Botswana Prisons Service spokesperson, Wamorena Ramolefhe said they usually celebrate as the outside mood dictates.
“This will be one of Botswana’s biggest celebrations ever and we will be having activities and programmes of the same magnificence because if you don’t engage prisoners in such events of national significance you leave room for an idle mind,” he said.
Ramolefhe said what usually happens outside is a mirror of what will happen inside prisons, “Every holiday is catered for, if its Easter holidays, prisoners engage spiritually and if its independence we do the same, we usually have Botswana eleven soccer team versus foreigners, in what is perceived as a game of national pride,” he said.