Kgathi laments road carnage in budget
Correspondent | Friday March 24, 2017 16:01
Review of the Penal Code
The Ministry has commenced the review of the Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act. The review will ensure that the provisions of the law relating to criminal procedure and evidence are brought in line with the current developments and the new emerging crimes. This review was also motivated by public feedback which strongly suggested that the Acts should be revised to address issues like the age of consent and the introduction of stiffer penalties for child abuse, defilement, domestic violence and rape. Other amendments which will be considered in the review of both Acts, include the offences of hostage taking and environmental crimes as well as predicate offences to money-laundering, terrorism and the financing of terrorism.
Position on ICC
In my 2016 Committee of Supply speech, I informed this Honourable House that the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Bill and Interstate Transfer of Prisoners Bills were ready for consideration. However due to the volume of business before Parliament the Bills could not be considered. They are to be re-submitted for consideration by Parliament, subject to processes relating to determining the business of the House.
Joint Permanent Commissions
On the bilateral and regional front, Botswana continues collaboration with neighbouring countries through Joint Permanent Commissions on Defence and Security in respect of the Republic of South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. These bilateral arrangements continue to bear fruit in dealing with issues of mutual interest such as transnational crime, human trafficking, drug trafficking, customs control, immigration and border control, anti- poaching, control of animal diseases, boundary affirmations and coordinated operations between the Botswana Defence Force and the Botswana Police with their counterparts in our neighbouring countries. The same fora also discuss justice matters like extradition, mutual legal assistance, and enforcement of maintenance orders.
Refugees
On refugee matters, the amendment to the Refugee (Recognition and Control) Act is on-going. The intention of the amendment is to improve the management of refugees, and to align it to other domestic and international statutes and obligations, balanced with the emerging global security challenges.
Botswana hosts about three thousand (3000) refugees from fourteen (14) countries across Africa. The highest number of refugees are from Namibia (919), Zimbabwe (688) and Somalia (316). My Ministry continues to strive towards facilitating the return of refugees to their respective countries, as we believe, this is the most durable solution. In this context, Namibian refugees continue to come forward for voluntary repatriation, even in the face of the Court Order relating to the cessation clause of December 2015. This year alone, eight (8) Namibians have opted for voluntary repatriation, and were facilitated to return home, in collaboration with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). This has built positiveness towards the repatriation process. I have no doubt that many more will come forward, as we believe there is no place better than home for any internationally displaced person. Similarly, seven (7) Zimbabweans opted for voluntary repatriation between January and February 2017. During the same period, forty eight (48) refugees originating from Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi were re-settled in Canada, Australia, Finland and the USA.
Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is estimated to be a one and half billion dollar global industry, which by its form and execution, brings misery and hardships to victims and their families. It also presents considerable challenges for Governments across the globe in arresting its debilitating effect especially on children, women, young boys and girls. For its part, Botswana has intensified efforts against this heinous crime through public education, capacity building workshops, arrests and prosecutions of those involved in the trafficking or transiting victims to neighbouring countries. The Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is currently in the process of prosecuting a total of fifteen (15) cases of human trafficking involving some Batswana and foreign nationals.
Private Security Services
Currently, there are four thousand four hundred and fifty (4450) licensed security companies throughout the country. This represents an increase of about three hundred and eight (308) from 2016. Significant progress has been achieved relating to Private Security Services licencing in that the draft Regulations have been developed, and the Private Security Licensing Board was launched on the 30th January 2017 during the Private Security Service Pitso which I convened. It is noteworthy, that the Pitso was attended by close to four (400) hundred directors of companies, security services employees, associations, unions as well as Business Botswana. In the main, the Pitso was to provide the companies and other stakeholders an opportunity to make an input in respect of the content, and the focus of the Regulations, a process which was unanimously appreciated very much by the industry.
The Regulations are intended to spell out issues relating to uniforms, use and handling of animals, and different operational guidelines and standards for the different aspects of the industry such as guarding services, CCTV, cash in transit, dog/horse deployment. They will also spell out the role, functions and the powers of the Board in respect of training, licensing and control of the industry to ensure high level service and value for money for the consumers of the service.
International Boundaries
This entails re-affirmation of the shared international boundary lines, the construction of patrol routes and the rehabilitation of boundary fences between Botswana and her neighbours i.e. Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. On the shared boundary with Namibia, re-affirmation of one thousand six hundred and nine kilometres (1,609 km) of the boundary was completed, and subsequently a tri-une point beacon known as SABONA, was constructed in December 2016. The beacon marks the meeting point of the three countries of Botswana, Namibia and South Africa boundaries. Further to this, a Draft Boundary Treaty between Botswana and Namibia was concluded with the assistance of the African Union Border Project (AUBP), and it is expected that the Treaty would be signed by the two Heads of State in 2017/18.
The greater length of the international boundary shared with South Africa which measures two thousand kilometres (2,000 km) has been re-affirmed, save for one hundred and thirty four kilometres (134 km) between Ramatlabama and Mabule which will be re-affirmed in the Financial Year 2017/18. The discussions relating to the international boundary re-affirmation between Botswana and Zambia are on-going, and are expected to be completed in 2017/18. Regarding the shared international boundary with Zimbabwe, re-affirmation will be undertaken in the coming year. Meanwhile, re-affirmation has been completed in the Tuli Circle; Kazungula to Sepako; and Sepako – Maitengwe – Ramokgwebana will be completed in 2017/18, Financial Year and the re-affirmation between Ramokgwebana and the Tuli Circle will be completed in 2018/19 Financial Year.
Legal Aid
The objective of the Legal Aid programme is to assist Batswana who are indigent, and cannot afford the costs of legal representation. Legal Aid Botswana plans to reach a coverage where every citizen would be within a one hundred kilometre (100 km) radius from a Legal Aid Centre by 2036. At the beginning of the 2016, Legal Aid Botswana had two offices in Gaborone and Francistown, and to date it has established additional offices in Maun, Tsabong and Kasane. Legal Aid Botswana plans to further establish Legal Aid offices in Palapye and Ghanzi in 2017/18 Financial Year.
In 2016/17 Financial Year, Legal Aid Botswana received two thousand seven hundred and fifty two (2752) legal aid applications, of which seventy percent (70%) were granted on the basis of the means test, and the strength or merits of the cases presented. This represents a significant case load which is fast out-pacing the current establishment of salaried legal practitioners in Legal Aid Botswana.
Botswana Police Service
As at 31st December 2016, Botswana Police Service recorded an overall reduction of 3.16% in the number of violent, intrusive, and serious crimes compared to the same period in year 2015. Burglaries and theft recorded a 4.6% increase, reductions were noted in robberies and store break-ins. Murders and threats to kill increases by 9.71% and 1.6% respectively. The unpredictability of the crime dictates that the Botswana Police Service should adopt flexible and adaptable strategies that would match, in sophistication, the emerging challenges and complexity of crime.
In order to further improve its effectiveness, the BPS is in the process of introducing the use of technology in policing (Safer City programme) in Gaborone as a pilot project. The outcome of which will be used to inform the roll out of the use of technology in policing in other high density areas in Botswana. This will give further impetus to the BPS robust and integrated strategies in crime fighting anchored on prevention and detection of crime and a strong partnership with the community.
The strategies constitute visible policing, law enforcement, crime fighting community forums, effective crime scene investigations, forensic investigations, stakeholder partnerships and the improvement of service delivery processes. The improvement of service delivery processes was driven by a continuous review of policing processes like police response time, immediate investigation of reported crimes, provision of feedback to victims of crime.
Traffic Offences
The number of road users who commit road traffic violations is on the rise. The statistics indicate that three hundred and forty four thousand, four hundred and sixty three (344,463) road traffic violations were recorded in 2016/17 compared to two hundred and seventy two thousand, six hundred and fifty (272 650) in 2015/16; Eighteen thousand, three hundred and seventy three (18 373) road crashes were recorded as at December 2016 as compared to seventeen thousand, six hundred and fifty four (17 654) for the same period in 2015; Three hundred and forty eight (348) were fatal accidents resulting in four hundred and fifty (450) deaths; One thousand two hundred and forty three (1243) were serious injuries. Almost all road crashes recorded were caused by human error and sometimes combined with other factors, such as lack of due care on the road, alcohol consumption and vehicle un-roadworthiness.
It is imperative to note that the Botswana Police, alone cannot reduce road carnage, unless individual drivers themselves make the right choices, and change their behaviour on the road, in relation to other drivers and pedestrians. Somehow we must be able to say enough is enough in terms of loss of lives on our roads.
Botswana Prison Service
Let me take this opportunity to recognise the fact that Batswana were treated to a special and decorative display of prisoners’ artistic skills displayed in Gaborone traffic circles, during the Independence celebrations and on Valentine’s Day.
On that positive note, allow me to state that, as at 28th February 2017, four thousand three hundred and forty three (4343) persons were in prison custody, comprising four thousand one hundred and thirty nine (4139) males and two hundred and four (204) females. Of this population, two thousand eight hundred and seventy one (2871) or sixty six point one percent (66.1%) were convicts; one thousand and eighty one (1081) or twenty four point eight percent (24.8%) were remands, and three hundred and ninety one (391) or nine percent (9%) were immigration detainees.
In a bid to enhance offender rehabilitation and to decongest the prisons, twenty nine (29) prisoners and three hundred and sixty six (366) extra muralees were released from custody by His Excellency the President during the country’s 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations. It is regrettable that in January 2017, eighteen (18) prisoners, accused of various crimes, and mostly from Zimbabwe, escaped from Francistown Prison which was the largest escape ever recorded. So far only nine (9) have been recaptured. In response to this challenge, my Ministry is in the process of fast tracking the procurement and installation of high security fences and the increased use of technology to curb escapes, and enable search of individuals and cell to reduce escape opportunities, and the smuggling of contraband into prisons.
Botswana Defence Force
The BDF’s major role is to protect and defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Therefore the Botswana Defence Force should not be considered less important than other sectors of the economy to an extent that it can be suggested that its budgetary allocations could be re-distributed, as it has been suggested by some sectors of our society.
What should remain paramount in our minds, is that a well trained and well-resourced defence force, with a high state of readiness to defend the nation, is a key priority for the defence of this Republic, particularly in the increasingly volatile global security environment which entails numerous threats such as terrorism and poaching. In an effort to address national security concerns, the BDF has adopted a number of strategies based on the notion that its human resource is a critical asset for the successful fulfilment of its mandate; and the achievement of its operational efficiency and effectiveness. In pursuit of such notion, recruitment, training, development and retention of its personnel (uniformed and non- uniformed) is considered pivotal to the Defence Force’s current and future assignments, anchored on its core values.
Regarding the infrastructural development, several key projects were completed in almost all BDF installations across the country. Notably, various accommodation facilities were completed in Glen Valley, Sir Seretse Khama Barracks and Rakhuna Base Camp. Also significant to mention, was the procurement of BHC flats/houses in Phakalane, Village and Phase Two in Gaborone, as well as the procurement of the Matsiloje Base Camp.
Recurrent Budget: P5, 006,298,770
Development Budget: P2, 760,251,046