06 Feb 2025

Inmates at Moshupa Boys Prison have been implored to fully utilise the rehabilitation programmes available at the facility in order to open up their lives to the limitless possibilities of life outside prison.

First Lady Ms Kaone Boko sounded the call during her visit to Moshupa Boys Prison on yesterday, saying at their age, the inmates carried in them great potential to become anything that they would ever wish to evolve into as they grew up.

“I look at you and see so much potential. It is possible that we get the next president from among you; the next commissioner of prisons can come from here,” Ms Boko said as she emphasised the positive impact that the various programmes offered in prisons could have if embraced fully by the inmates.

Appealing to the inmates to be at the forefront of the prisons service’s reform efforts, she urged them to adopt and maintain a positive outlook so that they could have a chance to lead responsible and rewarding lives after the completion of their prison sentences.

“We are in a new dawn as a country, embrace it by becoming new people,” she said.

Encouraging them to champion their individual journeys of change, Ms Boko said it was worrying that over 35 per cent of inmates at the facility were being held in custody on account of having committed offences relating to Gender-Based Violence (GBV), a problem that she said was growing at alarming rates in Botswana.

Ms Boko, who later engaged in a private meeting with the select group of inmates in an attempt to understand what had led them to offending, said it was necessary to partner with them in helping prevent others from following a similar path in life.

“We need to engage and hold conversations with you to find the root cause of why you ended up offending. Help us to help others before they end up here as well,” she said.

The First Lady commended the Botswana Prisons Service and its stakeholders for the success of the community reintegration programme.

She said it was important that the community accepted and embraced ex-offenders upon their release from prison, something that she said was central to efforts to curb re-offending.

Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Mr Nelson Ramaotwana similarly encouraged inmates at the Moshupa Boys Prison to use the available rehabilitation programmes effectively in preparation for life outside prison.

Commending the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) for their donation of toiletry parcels to the inmates, Mr Ramaotwana requested other companies to also come on board and help address the other needs of those held at the facility.

Commissioner of Prisons Mr Anthony Mokento said the Moshupa Boys Prison, a facility with capacity to hold 252 prisoners had 132 inmates, 65 of whom were serving sentences and 67 were awaiting trial.

He hailed the inmates, aged 22 and below, for continuously exhibiting good behaviour, saying it gave the prison authorities hope that the boys would successfully turn their lives around.

Mr Mokento said while the inmates were exposed to formal education at the prison, they were also being taught vocational skills among them carpentry, bricklaying and welding.

“We are hopeful that the society will benefit from the skills they acquired here once they leave prison,” he said, as he noted that the inmates too would after their prison be able to earn a living through the same skills. ENDS