Lotlaamoreng calls for return of Police to dikgotla

MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer | Monday March 15, 2010 00:00

 

Vice-chairperson of Ntlo Ya Dikgosi, Kgosi Lotlaamoreng of Barolong says they have been meeting the minister responsible for dikgosi regarding this matter on a weekly basis as the matter needs urgent attention.

He revealed this during a luncheon with journalists shortly after the end of a weeklong workshop of the Ntlo Ya dikgosi members and the Office of the President.

Kgosi Lotlaamoreng says when the police officers were removed from the kgotlas they were supposed to be replaced by court bailiffs, but these are yet to be hired for kgotlas. This has left the dikgosi with no court messengers to enforce court orders.

Lotlaamoreng says one of the duties that has suffered since the police officers were removed from the kgotlas is the administration of corporal punishment, which was always performed by the police officers.

Kgosi Lotlaamoreng says as a result, the kgotlas do not have officers to administer corporal punishment and instead rely on any person to administer it. ' Now anyone who is at the kgotla listening to the court case can be requested by the kgosi to administer corporal punishment. That is because since the police officers were removed from the  kgotlas, we are being told that they cannot be requested to administer corporal punishment because   Botswana Police officers are not empowered to  do so', said Lotlaamoreng.

Kgosi Lotlaamoreng says even in instances where there are still police officers at the kgotlas, the officers refuse to administer corporal punishment because they are no longer operating under the now defunct Local Police'.

' We have a problem with that interpretation of the law, we are arguing that the police officers  should return to kgotlas and be used among other duties to administer corporal punishment. In fact our argument is that the constitution is silent in as far as administering corporal punishment is concerned. They use a clause that says they (police officers) exist to perform orders of the police commissioner. We are saying those orders can include enforcing corporal punishment as well', Lotlaamoreng said. 'We have proposed that in major villages and towns where there are police stations, the kgotlas should retain the  police officers who used to work there under the Local Police. They can change their uniforms and look like Botswana Police officers, but remain stationed at the kgotlas, which is what we are pushing for, because the system is suffering. The arrangement can benefit us all while we are still awaiting the law on court bailiffs to be enacted, and those bailiffs hired for the kgotlas', he said.