Botswana: Botswana Prison Service has sworn a pledge to re-align, re-engineer and re-position its processes to cultivate a high-performance culture.
Officiating during his visit to Letlhakane Prison yesterday, the President of the Republic of Botswana, Dr Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, has said Botswana Prison Service’s determination to transform the Service to a “Model Institution of Correctional Excellence” through the alignment of its business processes to national priorities, deserves recognition.
The President indicated that the Prison Service’s uncompromising stand to transformation and shift of mindset is demonstrated by the implementation of the Commissioner’s Roadmap, a blueprint for the creation of a high-performance culture for improved service delivery in the Service.
The President said individual contribution, as a collective, adds value to the effectiveness and efficiency of the Prison Service; hence, each and every Officer should own and live the organisation’s Motto of building a high-performance culture.
“๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ง๐ข๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ช๐๐๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ช๐ก ๐๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐จ ๐จ๐ช๐๐ ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐ค๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐ค๐ค๐ ๐๐๐๐ช๐ง๐๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ฎ, ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐๐จ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐จ๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ง๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ก๐ก๐จ ๐๐๐ง๐ค๐จ๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ช๐ก๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐๐ก ๐จ๐๐๐ฉ๐ค๐ง ๐ฌ๐๐๐ก๐. ๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐ก๐จ๐ค ๐ฅ๐ก๐๐๐จ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐จ๐ฉ ๐ง๐๐๐ค๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ค ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐๐ช๐ฉ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ง๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐๐ค๐ค๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ฉ,” he said.
He highlighted that the Food Security Strategy also provides opportunities for inmates to venture into modern agriculture, with great emphasis on the use of modern farming technology and appropriate animal husbandry practices.
The President implored the Commissioner and her Team to keep on devising innovative ideas and continue their diligent work towards cost containment. “I am reliably informed that the Prison Service is now self-sufficient in vegetable production and is moving towards meeting the demand for chicken within prisons. This is commendable, and I encourage you to keep up the good work.”
He stated that the Government has made a commitment to achieving food security, improving nutrition and creating employment opportunities for Botswana, hence the support to Botswana Prison Service on their food security strategy.
The President commended the Prison Service for exhibiting at the recent Global Expo Botswana, which is the country’s annual premier international multi-sectoral business exhibition. He said that demonstrated the Service’s commitment to accepting the challenge of re-positioning and re-aligning its products into the sophisticated business environment.
“๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐จ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ค๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐๐ช๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐. ๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ก๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ค๐ฃ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ค๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐๐ง๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐จ ๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐จ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ค๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฃ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉโ๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐ฅ๐ก๐๐๐จ๐๐จ ๐ข๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐๐ง๐ซ๐๐๐, ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐๐๐จ, ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ก ๐ ๐๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐-๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ค๐ง๐ข๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ช๐ก๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐,” he said.
As a way of bringing services closer to the people and taking into consideration the ever-changing complex crime landscape, the President stated that the Government intends to upgrade Letlhakane Prison to medium security for purposes of utilising its strategic location to service the Boteti Region.
He said the facility’s expansion, which will be included in the National Development Plan 12, will create opportunities for prisoners to use their skills productively for self-reliance, job creation and value-addition to their communities as they re-integrate into society.
Meanwhile, the President urged the Officers to keep on intensifying their character moulding programmes, particularly those addressing Gender Based Violence, anger management, positive parenting, and peace education, among others.
“๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐จ๐๐ค, ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ช๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ ๐๐๐จ๐จ๐๐๐: ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐ฝ๐๐จ๐๐ ๐๐๐ค๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐, ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ฃ๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ ๐ข๐๐ก๐๐จ ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐๐ข๐๐ก๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ง๐๐ฃ, ๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐ค๐ง๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ค๐ง๐๐ก ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐จ๐๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐๐ข๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐ค๐ฃ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐ฅ๐ค๐จ๐จ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ข๐จ.”
The President said that given the spike in the incidence of inhumane acts of violence across the board, it is therefore fitting that programmes should not only be administered to prisoners but officers as well.
“๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐๐จ ๐ข๐๐ข๐๐๐ง๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐จ๐๐๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ค๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐๐จ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ซ๐ค๐ก๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ๐ ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ช๐๐จ, ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐จ ๐ฆ๐ช๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐จ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ค๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ช๐จ๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ค๐ฃ๐๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ค ๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ค๐จ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ,” he concludes.
During his historic visit to Letlhakane Prison, the President toured the Prison Farm and addressed the prisoners.