source: Republic of Botswana (23/2/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 4 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
C5) 17/2/09: PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION 327 asked Mr. P.M. Masimolole, MP. (Mogoditshane):
To ask the Minister of Defence, Justice and Security to brief this Honourable House on the imposition of corporal punishment by courts in Botswana particularly:-
i) Who is liable thereof;
ii) What is the maximum number of strokes that can be imposed on an individual; and
iii) Whether the variations to the imposition of corporal punishment which were indicated by the Criminal Procedure (Corporal Punishment) Regulations (S.I. No. 95 of 1969) are in fact unlawful because the mode of inflicting corporal punishment pursuant thereto is not the mode that is saved or protected under section 7 (2) of the Constitution of Botswana.
ANSWER:
Mr. Speaker,
i) According to Section 18(2) of the Customary Courts Act Cap 04:05 convicted males under the age of 40 years are liable to corporal punishment.
ii) Statutory Instrument (S.I.) No. 72 of 1994, second schedule under Criminal Jurisdiction Cap 04:05 stipulates the maximum number of strokes depending on the levels of Customary Courts, with the highest court allowed a maximum of six (6) strokes while a lower court is allowed a maximum of three (3) strokes.
iii) Corporal Punishment in Customary Courts is regulated by the Customary Courts (Corporal Punishment) Rules S.I. 122 of 1974 Cap 04:05. The said Rules stipulate the use of a cane or thupa in administering corporal punishment. S.I. 95 of 1969 of the Criminal Procedure (Corporal Punishment) Regulations (Cap 08:02), makes provision for the measurement and the size of the thupa or cane to be used to administer corporal punishment, which measurements shall be as follows:
- In the case of males over the age of 18 years. The cane shall be 1.218 metres long and 12.7 millimetres in diameter;
- In the case of males under the age of 18 years, the cane shall be 0.914 metres long and 9.525 millimetres in diameter.
These Rules are lawful and as such do not offend Section 7(2) of the Constitution of Botswana, because the mode of punishment is not outside the provisions of Section 7(2) of the Constitution. The rules stipulate the size of the cane that shall be used to administer corporal punishment. I thank you, Mr. Speaker
C6) 20/2/09: PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION No. 277 asked by Mr. O Moupo, MP (Gaborone West North)
To ask the Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration when the Administration of Parliament is going to be fully disengaged from the Office of the President to strengthen the independence of Parliament in accordance with the principle of separation of powers.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, Parliament is not administered from the Office of the President. Like all Ministries and Independent Departments of Government, it is allocated human, material and financial resources through the Government Budgeting System. These resources, Mr Speaker, are under the direct control and administration of the Clerk of the National Assembly who is the Accounting Officer for Parliament.
The Clerk, like all other Accounting Officers, is accountable for the use of these resources, and the Minister, in turn, is also politically accountable. In this connection Mr Speaker, accountability and the communication which goes with it, does not undermine the principle of separation of powers.
Furthermore Mr Speaker, Parliament has a small establishment. If the organisation was to be completely separated from the rest of the Civil Service, the staff of Parliament would lose advantages which go with being part of a large organisation such as opportunities for progression. I thank you, Mr Speaker.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Response to Mmegi - Masimolole did not cut off debate on Media Practitioners Bill
source: Republic of Botswana (23/2/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 4 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
C4) 19/2/09: Response to Mmegi - Masimolole did not cut off debate on Media Practitioners Bill
In an article entitled "Domkrag chief whip hard put to explain" Mmegi (18/2/09) reported that:
"...in December when the Media Practitioners Bill was tabled. The Member for Mogoditshane, Patrick Masimolole, moved for a vote before any debate, and the bill - considered undemocratic by journalists - passed into law."
The above distorts what actually transpired. What the Hon. Member of Parliament in fact did was to move the Bill to Committee Stage, where there was ample opportunity for it to be further debated.
At Committee stage the Hon. Minister of Communication, Science and Technology moved a number of substantive amendments to the Bill. At this point other Members of Parliament had the opportunity to not only challenge and/or seek to amend the Ministers proposals, but also introduce any amendments of their own.
That this did not happen does not negate the fact that such opportunity existed.
It was only after the Bill had passed through Committee Stage, that it was put up for a third and final reading before Parliament, thus becoming law.
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
C4) 19/2/09: Response to Mmegi - Masimolole did not cut off debate on Media Practitioners Bill
In an article entitled "Domkrag chief whip hard put to explain" Mmegi (18/2/09) reported that:
"...in December when the Media Practitioners Bill was tabled. The Member for Mogoditshane, Patrick Masimolole, moved for a vote before any debate, and the bill - considered undemocratic by journalists - passed into law."
The above distorts what actually transpired. What the Hon. Member of Parliament in fact did was to move the Bill to Committee Stage, where there was ample opportunity for it to be further debated.
At Committee stage the Hon. Minister of Communication, Science and Technology moved a number of substantive amendments to the Bill. At this point other Members of Parliament had the opportunity to not only challenge and/or seek to amend the Ministers proposals, but also introduce any amendments of their own.
That this did not happen does not negate the fact that such opportunity existed.
It was only after the Bill had passed through Committee Stage, that it was put up for a third and final reading before Parliament, thus becoming law.
Former President Mogae in Hollywood to promote Diamonds
source: Republic of Botswana (23/2/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 4 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
C3) 21/2/09: Former President Mogae in Hollywood to promote Diamonds
Former President Mogae is in Hollywood today where he will this evening address an Oscar eve celebrity dinner hosted by the well known actress Julianne Moore (Lost World, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and The Big Lebowski etc.) He will also be holding a press briefing.
The Former President met Ms. Moore during her recent visit to our country.
The event, which is supported by DeBeers, will further promote the Diamonds for Development message as well as Botswana's profile of good governance.
The Former President proceeded to Los Angeles on 18 February 2009 from Doha where he attended the 4th Global Conference of Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). He is scheduled to arrive back in the country on Tuesday 24th February 2009.
Below also please find a DeBeers Press Statement about the event:
"Former President Mogae in Hollywood to Promote Diamonds"
On the 21st February 2009, His Excellency, the Former President, Festus Mogae was the Guest of Honour at an event jointly hosted by De Beers and the American actress Julianne Moore to promote Botswana diamonds. President Mogae's appearance in Hollywood follows Julianne Moore's tour of the De Beers Family of Companies' operations in Southern Africa including those in Botswana in January 2009.
While in Botswana, Julianne Moore visited Jwaneng Mine, the Diamond Trading Company Botswana (DTC Botswana) and the SOS Children's village a project that has a long standing relationship with Debswana. In addition, at an event hosted by De Beers Botswana and attended by the Directors of Debswana and DTC Botswana, His Excellency, the former President met Julianne Moore. During their meeting Julianne Moore was fascinated by the story of the partnership between De Beers and Botswana and that of Botswana's emergence from poverty to middle income status as told by His Excellency.
Upon her return to the United States, together with De Beers, Julianne Moore extended an invitation to Former President Mogae to a dinner and a cocktail party during which she will share her experience in Southern Africa with other celebrities. For his part, Former President Mogae will address the celebrities and will have an opportunity to meet both the Hollywood media and international press.
23/2/09 Postscript: Fox news today reported that Former President Mogae's celebrity dinner proved to be one of the social highlights of Hollywood's Oscar weekend:
"...Why weren't some of these people at the annual Beverly Hills Hotel bash for the Motion Picture Fund? What we kept hearing all night: it was very dull, there were no gift bags, there were protesters outside the hotel making noise about the Fund shutting down the hospital at the Motion Picture Home...Not the case over at the Chateau Marmont, where the Diamond Information Center hosted its annual dinner with guest star Julianne Moore. The DIC's elegant Sally Morrison introduced the former president of Botswana, the much praised Festus Mogae, to a group that also included a Diamandi-encrusted Sharon Stone, Debra Messing, Angie Harmon and Dita von Teese..." [Full article posted online @ www.foxnews.com]
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
C3) 21/2/09: Former President Mogae in Hollywood to promote Diamonds
Former President Mogae is in Hollywood today where he will this evening address an Oscar eve celebrity dinner hosted by the well known actress Julianne Moore (Lost World, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and The Big Lebowski etc.) He will also be holding a press briefing.
The Former President met Ms. Moore during her recent visit to our country.
The event, which is supported by DeBeers, will further promote the Diamonds for Development message as well as Botswana's profile of good governance.
The Former President proceeded to Los Angeles on 18 February 2009 from Doha where he attended the 4th Global Conference of Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). He is scheduled to arrive back in the country on Tuesday 24th February 2009.
Below also please find a DeBeers Press Statement about the event:
"Former President Mogae in Hollywood to Promote Diamonds"
On the 21st February 2009, His Excellency, the Former President, Festus Mogae was the Guest of Honour at an event jointly hosted by De Beers and the American actress Julianne Moore to promote Botswana diamonds. President Mogae's appearance in Hollywood follows Julianne Moore's tour of the De Beers Family of Companies' operations in Southern Africa including those in Botswana in January 2009.
While in Botswana, Julianne Moore visited Jwaneng Mine, the Diamond Trading Company Botswana (DTC Botswana) and the SOS Children's village a project that has a long standing relationship with Debswana. In addition, at an event hosted by De Beers Botswana and attended by the Directors of Debswana and DTC Botswana, His Excellency, the former President met Julianne Moore. During their meeting Julianne Moore was fascinated by the story of the partnership between De Beers and Botswana and that of Botswana's emergence from poverty to middle income status as told by His Excellency.
Upon her return to the United States, together with De Beers, Julianne Moore extended an invitation to Former President Mogae to a dinner and a cocktail party during which she will share her experience in Southern Africa with other celebrities. For his part, Former President Mogae will address the celebrities and will have an opportunity to meet both the Hollywood media and international press.
23/2/09 Postscript: Fox news today reported that Former President Mogae's celebrity dinner proved to be one of the social highlights of Hollywood's Oscar weekend:
"...Why weren't some of these people at the annual Beverly Hills Hotel bash for the Motion Picture Fund? What we kept hearing all night: it was very dull, there were no gift bags, there were protesters outside the hotel making noise about the Fund shutting down the hospital at the Motion Picture Home...Not the case over at the Chateau Marmont, where the Diamond Information Center hosted its annual dinner with guest star Julianne Moore. The DIC's elegant Sally Morrison introduced the former president of Botswana, the much praised Festus Mogae, to a group that also included a Diamandi-encrusted Sharon Stone, Debra Messing, Angie Harmon and Dita von Teese..." [Full article posted online @ www.foxnews.com]
Press Release (2): Re: Afrobarometer - Batswana Satisfied with their Democratic Institutions, Rule of Law; Majority of Batswana reject ...
source: Republic of Botswana (23/2/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 4 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
C2) 23/2/09: Press Release (2): Re: Afrobarometer - Batswana Satisfied with their Democratic Institutions, Rule of Law; Majority of Batswana reject direct election of President, public funding of political parties.
The recently released 2008 Afrobarometer Survey has revealed high levels of satisfaction among Botswana citizens in the state of their democracy and governing institutions.
Personal & Political Freedom
Asked how much of a democracy is Botswana today, 91% of the respondents expressed satisfaction, with 56% describing the country as a full democracy, while 35% said it was "a democracy, but with minor problems." Only 1% said Botswana is not a democracy.
Asked how satisfied they were with the way democracy works in Botswana 82% said that they were either very satisfied (44%) or fairly satisfied (38%).
With respect to their own sense of empowerment, 83% of Batswana described themselves as "completely free", while only 6% characterised themselves as not very free or not free at all.
92% of Batswana said they felt completely free to join any political organisations, while 94% said they were free to choose who to vote for without feeling pressured.
73% of the survey agreed that the last, 2004, national election had been completely free and fair, while 13% said that it had been free and fair but with minor problems. Only 3% claimed that the election had not been free and fair.
66% said that the electoral process worked either well or very well in ensuring that Parliament reflected the will of the voters. Similarly 70% said elections enabled voters to remove office holders who do not do what the people want.
With respect to the integrity of the electoral process, 70% expressed some or a lot of trust in the IEC, while only 9% expressed no trust in the institution.
82% of Batswana said they had no fear at all of becoming a victim of political intimidation, while 83% said it was very unlikely or not at all likely that powerful people could find out how they voted.
The above Afrobarometer election findings are consistent with that of a 2008 Gallup public opinion poll in which Botswana was ranked number two among 134 surveyed countries in the world in term of public confidence in the integrity of elections.
The President and Parliament
Asked "do you approve or disapprove of the way President Ian Khama has performed his job since taking Office in April 2008?" a total of 88% said they approved, while only 8% said they disapproved of the President's performance. The President's domestic approval rating in this respect is the highest known figure of any current head of government.
President Khama's approval rating is, moreover, consistent with his 76% public trust rating.
77% of the public further stated that the President never ignores the laws of the country, while only 5% said he often or always ignored the law.
With respect to the question of the use of an election for the Presidency versus the automatic succession of the Vice President, 57% of respondents agreed with the statement that "the current practice where the Vice President automatically succeeds the President must be retained"; while 42% agreed that the system should be changed to allow the election of a successor.
Asked if the current system where Parliament chooses the President should be changed to allow the direct election of the President or retained, 58% supported the status quo, while 41% favoured direct presidential election.
According to the Survey if a Presidential election was held 69% of the public would vote for the BDP leader (Khama), compared to 13% for the leader of the BNF (Moupo) and 8% for the leader of the BCP (G. Saleshando).
Members of Parliament came out less well in the Survey, with only 45% of respondents expressing both confidence and trust in their MP, while 50% expressed disapproved.
67% said that Members of Parliament only sometimes or never listened to what people had to say.
Asked who should be responsible for making sure that, once elected, Members of Parliament did their jobs, 42% said the voters, 36% said the President, and 15% said Parliament or local councils, while only 3% said their political party.
Kgotla
88% of all respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that: "The kgotla system is part of our culture and helps strengthen our democracy; it should be retained as a forum for public consultations."
Rule of Law
Batswana also showed strong faith in their legal system and law enforcement agencies.
76% of the respondents agreed that people were rarely or never treated unequally under the law. Consistent with Botswana's commitment to zero tolerance for crime 73% agreed that officials who commit crimes would either never (56%) or only rarely (17%) go unpunished.
72% of Batswana expressed trust in both the courts and police service. With respect to Magistrates and Judges 68% believed that few or none were involved in corruption, with another 24% saying they were not sure.
93% of Batswana said they had never paid a bribe or given a gift to government officials to get a document or permit, while 92% said the same with respect to their dealings with the police.
Political parties
With respect to confidence in political parties 49% of the respondents expressed a lot, and 25% some trust in the ruling party (BDP), for a composite figure of 74%, with 11% expressing mistrust.
On the other hand only 13% of the public expressed a lot and 17% some, trust in the opposition parties, with 68% expressing little or no trust in the opposition.
78% of the respondents said that they felt close to a particular political party. Among these 55% identified themselves as supporters of the BDP, 14% as supporters of the BNF, 7% as supporters of the BCP and 1% each for BAM and BPP.
Asked about the funding of political parties 53% agreed that political parties should be responsible for raising their own funds from their supporters, while 41% believed that they should be publicly funded to put all parties on an equal footing.
Service Delivery
In terms of service delivery 76% of the public said that Government was doing well or fairly well handling the economy, 75% in reducing crime, 80% in providing Health Services, 84% in providing education, 95% in combating HIV/AIDS, 72% in providing water and sanitation, 69% in fighting corruption, 66% in providing electricity 58% in maintaining roads and bridges and 60% in improving the living standards of the poor.
On the opposite end, however, 66% believed that Government was not doing enough to create jobs, and 88% believed more should be done to control prices.
In terms of gender relations, 77% of the public, both male and female, believed that Government was doing well or very well in empowering women.
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
C2) 23/2/09: Press Release (2): Re: Afrobarometer - Batswana Satisfied with their Democratic Institutions, Rule of Law; Majority of Batswana reject direct election of President, public funding of political parties.
The recently released 2008 Afrobarometer Survey has revealed high levels of satisfaction among Botswana citizens in the state of their democracy and governing institutions.
Personal & Political Freedom
Asked how much of a democracy is Botswana today, 91% of the respondents expressed satisfaction, with 56% describing the country as a full democracy, while 35% said it was "a democracy, but with minor problems." Only 1% said Botswana is not a democracy.
Asked how satisfied they were with the way democracy works in Botswana 82% said that they were either very satisfied (44%) or fairly satisfied (38%).
With respect to their own sense of empowerment, 83% of Batswana described themselves as "completely free", while only 6% characterised themselves as not very free or not free at all.
92% of Batswana said they felt completely free to join any political organisations, while 94% said they were free to choose who to vote for without feeling pressured.
73% of the survey agreed that the last, 2004, national election had been completely free and fair, while 13% said that it had been free and fair but with minor problems. Only 3% claimed that the election had not been free and fair.
66% said that the electoral process worked either well or very well in ensuring that Parliament reflected the will of the voters. Similarly 70% said elections enabled voters to remove office holders who do not do what the people want.
With respect to the integrity of the electoral process, 70% expressed some or a lot of trust in the IEC, while only 9% expressed no trust in the institution.
82% of Batswana said they had no fear at all of becoming a victim of political intimidation, while 83% said it was very unlikely or not at all likely that powerful people could find out how they voted.
The above Afrobarometer election findings are consistent with that of a 2008 Gallup public opinion poll in which Botswana was ranked number two among 134 surveyed countries in the world in term of public confidence in the integrity of elections.
The President and Parliament
Asked "do you approve or disapprove of the way President Ian Khama has performed his job since taking Office in April 2008?" a total of 88% said they approved, while only 8% said they disapproved of the President's performance. The President's domestic approval rating in this respect is the highest known figure of any current head of government.
President Khama's approval rating is, moreover, consistent with his 76% public trust rating.
77% of the public further stated that the President never ignores the laws of the country, while only 5% said he often or always ignored the law.
With respect to the question of the use of an election for the Presidency versus the automatic succession of the Vice President, 57% of respondents agreed with the statement that "the current practice where the Vice President automatically succeeds the President must be retained"; while 42% agreed that the system should be changed to allow the election of a successor.
Asked if the current system where Parliament chooses the President should be changed to allow the direct election of the President or retained, 58% supported the status quo, while 41% favoured direct presidential election.
According to the Survey if a Presidential election was held 69% of the public would vote for the BDP leader (Khama), compared to 13% for the leader of the BNF (Moupo) and 8% for the leader of the BCP (G. Saleshando).
Members of Parliament came out less well in the Survey, with only 45% of respondents expressing both confidence and trust in their MP, while 50% expressed disapproved.
67% said that Members of Parliament only sometimes or never listened to what people had to say.
Asked who should be responsible for making sure that, once elected, Members of Parliament did their jobs, 42% said the voters, 36% said the President, and 15% said Parliament or local councils, while only 3% said their political party.
Kgotla
88% of all respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that: "The kgotla system is part of our culture and helps strengthen our democracy; it should be retained as a forum for public consultations."
Rule of Law
Batswana also showed strong faith in their legal system and law enforcement agencies.
76% of the respondents agreed that people were rarely or never treated unequally under the law. Consistent with Botswana's commitment to zero tolerance for crime 73% agreed that officials who commit crimes would either never (56%) or only rarely (17%) go unpunished.
72% of Batswana expressed trust in both the courts and police service. With respect to Magistrates and Judges 68% believed that few or none were involved in corruption, with another 24% saying they were not sure.
93% of Batswana said they had never paid a bribe or given a gift to government officials to get a document or permit, while 92% said the same with respect to their dealings with the police.
Political parties
With respect to confidence in political parties 49% of the respondents expressed a lot, and 25% some trust in the ruling party (BDP), for a composite figure of 74%, with 11% expressing mistrust.
On the other hand only 13% of the public expressed a lot and 17% some, trust in the opposition parties, with 68% expressing little or no trust in the opposition.
78% of the respondents said that they felt close to a particular political party. Among these 55% identified themselves as supporters of the BDP, 14% as supporters of the BNF, 7% as supporters of the BCP and 1% each for BAM and BPP.
Asked about the funding of political parties 53% agreed that political parties should be responsible for raising their own funds from their supporters, while 41% believed that they should be publicly funded to put all parties on an equal footing.
Service Delivery
In terms of service delivery 76% of the public said that Government was doing well or fairly well handling the economy, 75% in reducing crime, 80% in providing Health Services, 84% in providing education, 95% in combating HIV/AIDS, 72% in providing water and sanitation, 69% in fighting corruption, 66% in providing electricity 58% in maintaining roads and bridges and 60% in improving the living standards of the poor.
On the opposite end, however, 66% believed that Government was not doing enough to create jobs, and 88% believed more should be done to control prices.
In terms of gender relations, 77% of the public, both male and female, believed that Government was doing well or very well in empowering women.
Press Release (1) Re: Afrobarometer - 88% Approval for President Khama's leadership; Survey shows strong public support for Government efforts
source: Republic of Botswana (23/2/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 4 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
C1) 23/2/09: Press Release (1) Re: Afrobarometer - 88% Approval for President Khama's leadership; Survey shows strong public support for Government efforts
The Botswana results 2008 Afrobarometer Survey were released on Friday. Prominent among the surveys finding's was record high level's of public support for the leadership of H.E. the President, Lt. General Seretse Khama Ian Khama.
Asked "do you approve or disapprove of the way President Ian Khama has performed his job since taking Office in April 2008?" a total of 88% said they approved, with 52% saying that they strongly approved. Only 8% said they disapproved of the President's performance.
The President's approval rating was the highest locally recorded by the Survey, and is certainly one of the highest job approval ratings for any current Head of State.
According to the Survey if a Presidential election was held 69% of the public said they would vote for the BDP leader, compared to 13% for the leader of the BNF and 8% for the leader of the BCP.
By contrast the approval rating for Members of Parliament was somewhat less. According to the survey only 45% of Batswana approved of the performance of their MP, while 50% disapproved.
President Khama's high approval rating is consistent with the high recorded levels of public trust he enjoys, with 56% expressing a lot of trust (and 20% some) in the leader versus 6% voicing mistrust.
In terms of political parties 49% of the respondents expressed a lot, and 25% some trust in the ruling party, for a composite figure of 74%, with 11% expressing mistrust.
On the other hand only 13% of the public expressed a lot and 17% some, trust in the opposition parties, with 68% expressing little or no trust in the opposition.
Among other stakeholders 71% expressed trust in the police, 72% in the Courts, and 45% in Members of Parliament.
In terms of service delivery 76% of the public said that Government was doing well or fairly well handling the economy, 75% in reducing crime, 80% in providing Health Services, 84% in providing education, 95% in combating HIV/AIDS, 72% in providing water and sanitation, 69% in fighting corruption, 66% in providing electricity 58% in maintaining roads and bridges and 60% in improving the living standards of the poor.
But, 66% believed that Government could do better in creating jobs, and 88% believed more should be done to control inflation.
In terms of gender relations, 77% of the public, both male and female, believed that Government was doing well or very well in empowering women.
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
C1) 23/2/09: Press Release (1) Re: Afrobarometer - 88% Approval for President Khama's leadership; Survey shows strong public support for Government efforts
The Botswana results 2008 Afrobarometer Survey were released on Friday. Prominent among the surveys finding's was record high level's of public support for the leadership of H.E. the President, Lt. General Seretse Khama Ian Khama.
Asked "do you approve or disapprove of the way President Ian Khama has performed his job since taking Office in April 2008?" a total of 88% said they approved, with 52% saying that they strongly approved. Only 8% said they disapproved of the President's performance.
The President's approval rating was the highest locally recorded by the Survey, and is certainly one of the highest job approval ratings for any current Head of State.
According to the Survey if a Presidential election was held 69% of the public said they would vote for the BDP leader, compared to 13% for the leader of the BNF and 8% for the leader of the BCP.
By contrast the approval rating for Members of Parliament was somewhat less. According to the survey only 45% of Batswana approved of the performance of their MP, while 50% disapproved.
President Khama's high approval rating is consistent with the high recorded levels of public trust he enjoys, with 56% expressing a lot of trust (and 20% some) in the leader versus 6% voicing mistrust.
In terms of political parties 49% of the respondents expressed a lot, and 25% some trust in the ruling party, for a composite figure of 74%, with 11% expressing mistrust.
On the other hand only 13% of the public expressed a lot and 17% some, trust in the opposition parties, with 68% expressing little or no trust in the opposition.
Among other stakeholders 71% expressed trust in the police, 72% in the Courts, and 45% in Members of Parliament.
In terms of service delivery 76% of the public said that Government was doing well or fairly well handling the economy, 75% in reducing crime, 80% in providing Health Services, 84% in providing education, 95% in combating HIV/AIDS, 72% in providing water and sanitation, 69% in fighting corruption, 66% in providing electricity 58% in maintaining roads and bridges and 60% in improving the living standards of the poor.
But, 66% believed that Government could do better in creating jobs, and 88% believed more should be done to control inflation.
In terms of gender relations, 77% of the public, both male and female, believed that Government was doing well or very well in empowering women.
Statement by the Minister for Defence, Justice and Security to the National Assembly on the Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security
source: Republic of Botswana (23/2/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 4 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
B1) 20/2/09: STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER FOR DEFENCE, JUSTICE AND SECURITY TO THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ON THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY
Mr. Speaker, it has become apparent that there is confusion, even amongst some Members of Parliament, regarding the nature of the Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security. While such confusion may be understandable with respect to the members of the general public, the same cannot hold for members of this House.
Mr. Speaker, It is true that the Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security is not a Parliamentary Committee set up and regulated by the Rules and Procedures under the Standing Orders of the National Assembly. To infer or suggest that in this way it has a diminished status is a serious misdirection. Parliament is not deprived of its ability to exercise oversight with regard to the activities of this Committee.
It is, in fact, a Committee comprising Members of Parliament as defined in the Intelligence and Security Services Act. It has the same privileges and immunities as set out under the National Assembly (Powers and Privileges) Act.
The members of the Committee are appointed by the President after consultation with the Speaker and the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly. In accordance with Section 38 of the Act, the role of the Committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Directorate on Intelligence and Security.
The Act further provides that the Committee shall make an annual report of its functions, and that such reports will be laid before the National Assembly by the Minister responsible for Intelligence and Security.
Mr. Speaker, members of the Committee were chosen because they are Members of Parliament and thus owe their allegiance to Parliament.
I further wish to note that there is nothing in law that would preclude the Foreign Affairs, Trade and Security Committee from calling any entity, including this Parliamentary Committee, to provide any explanations which are within its mandate to seek.
It is also worth noting that this Committee was created and approved by Parliament. It is therefore, unjustifiable to make adverse inferences that there is anything untoward in either the creation or appointment of this Committee.
Contrary to statements made in this house that the Leader of Opposition was not consulted, its membership includes two members of the Leader of Opposition's own party. Mr. Speaker, this surely is a clear reflection that the necessary consultation was indeed done.
Mr. Speaker this House and the General Public can rest assured that the mechanism of oversight for the DIS is one of the best in the world. When in other jurisdictions such committees do not share information with the rest of the legislature, ours will. I thank you Mr. Speaker
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
B1) 20/2/09: STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER FOR DEFENCE, JUSTICE AND SECURITY TO THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ON THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY
Mr. Speaker, it has become apparent that there is confusion, even amongst some Members of Parliament, regarding the nature of the Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security. While such confusion may be understandable with respect to the members of the general public, the same cannot hold for members of this House.
Mr. Speaker, It is true that the Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security is not a Parliamentary Committee set up and regulated by the Rules and Procedures under the Standing Orders of the National Assembly. To infer or suggest that in this way it has a diminished status is a serious misdirection. Parliament is not deprived of its ability to exercise oversight with regard to the activities of this Committee.
It is, in fact, a Committee comprising Members of Parliament as defined in the Intelligence and Security Services Act. It has the same privileges and immunities as set out under the National Assembly (Powers and Privileges) Act.
The members of the Committee are appointed by the President after consultation with the Speaker and the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly. In accordance with Section 38 of the Act, the role of the Committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Directorate on Intelligence and Security.
The Act further provides that the Committee shall make an annual report of its functions, and that such reports will be laid before the National Assembly by the Minister responsible for Intelligence and Security.
Mr. Speaker, members of the Committee were chosen because they are Members of Parliament and thus owe their allegiance to Parliament.
I further wish to note that there is nothing in law that would preclude the Foreign Affairs, Trade and Security Committee from calling any entity, including this Parliamentary Committee, to provide any explanations which are within its mandate to seek.
It is also worth noting that this Committee was created and approved by Parliament. It is therefore, unjustifiable to make adverse inferences that there is anything untoward in either the creation or appointment of this Committee.
Contrary to statements made in this house that the Leader of Opposition was not consulted, its membership includes two members of the Leader of Opposition's own party. Mr. Speaker, this surely is a clear reflection that the necessary consultation was indeed done.
Mr. Speaker this House and the General Public can rest assured that the mechanism of oversight for the DIS is one of the best in the world. When in other jurisdictions such committees do not share information with the rest of the legislature, ours will. I thank you Mr. Speaker
Response by the Ministry of Lands and Housing to Sunday Standard story of 8/2/09 "Government in secret land deals with South African Company"
source: Republic of Botswana (16/2/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 3 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
C6) 16/2/09: Response by the Ministry of Lands and Housing to Sunday Standard story of 8/2/09 "Government in secret land deals with South African Company"
In the interest of public clarity, the Ministry of Lands and Housing finds it necessary to respond to a number of points raised in a recent article entitled "Government in secret land deals with South African Company", which appeared in the 8/2/09 edition of the Sunday Standard newspaper. A request for right-of response was sent to Sunday Standard for publication on the 12th February 2009, but they did not honour the agreement. Therefore, we feel compelled to make a public statement to that effect.
To begin with, we wish to reassure the public that, notwithstanding the insinuation made in the above headline; there have been no secret deals between Government and the Tati Company.
Further to the above, the document referred to in the article is nothing more than a recently received proposal by the said Company for Government's consideration. As the Minister, himself noted, any such consideration is now at a very early stage.
We also disagree with the newspaper's suggestion that the Minister was in anyway being "cagey" about the issue. In our view his willingness to candidly talk to the newspaper about the issue demonstrates transparency.
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
C6) 16/2/09: Response by the Ministry of Lands and Housing to Sunday Standard story of 8/2/09 "Government in secret land deals with South African Company"
In the interest of public clarity, the Ministry of Lands and Housing finds it necessary to respond to a number of points raised in a recent article entitled "Government in secret land deals with South African Company", which appeared in the 8/2/09 edition of the Sunday Standard newspaper. A request for right-of response was sent to Sunday Standard for publication on the 12th February 2009, but they did not honour the agreement. Therefore, we feel compelled to make a public statement to that effect.
To begin with, we wish to reassure the public that, notwithstanding the insinuation made in the above headline; there have been no secret deals between Government and the Tati Company.
Further to the above, the document referred to in the article is nothing more than a recently received proposal by the said Company for Government's consideration. As the Minister, himself noted, any such consideration is now at a very early stage.
We also disagree with the newspaper's suggestion that the Minister was in anyway being "cagey" about the issue. In our view his willingness to candidly talk to the newspaper about the issue demonstrates transparency.
Response by Administration of Justice to allegations published in Guardian newspaper of 6 February 2009
source: Republic of Botswana (16/2/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 3 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
C4) 11/2/09: Response by Administration of Justice to allegations published in Guardian newspaper of 6 February 2009
We have read the leading story in the Guardian newspaper of Friday 6th February 2009, regarding the interviews for vacant posts of judges carried out at Lobatse High Court on the 29th of January 2009 under the heading 'Interviews for judges' posts, was the process free and fair.' We wish to respond to the story which we find grossly misleading and containing serious flaws.
By advertising vacancies for judicial positions, the judicial Services Commission was introducing a best practice in the recruitment process that is becoming common around the world. This was intended to inter alia promote transparency in the recruitment process of judges by allowing competition from all eligible candidates in the country.
The posts in question were advertised in December 2008, through the local media for the attention of everyone qualified in terms of the law.
Applications were received from a large number of applicants (indicate number), and like every appointing authority, the JSC had to agree on the best way of approaching the applications. The JSC therefore met and prepared a short list of candidates based upon agreed criteria that were, objective, free from bias, favouritism or discrimination.
Thus the allegation that the JSC, 'had already hand picked it's preferred candidates and stage managed the interview process as a smoke- screen to create a semblance of fairness' is false, intended to mislead the public and denigrate the Judicial Service Commission and its operations.
The Judicial Service Commission is created by the Constitution, and comprises respectable members such as the Chief Justice, the Attorney General, the Judge President of the Court of Appeal, the chairman of the Public Service Commission, a representative of the Law Society of Botswana and a member appointed by His Excellency the President. These members are conscious of the weighty responsibilities placed upon them by the Constitution as they subscribe to an oath of office for the due execution of their duties. The allegations in the article are therefore an unwarranted attack on the JSC and the integrity of its members.
The report further alleges that the decision that the officers who did not make the short list were not going to be interviewed was communicated to the said officers by a clerk of court. This once again is false, and intended to confuse the public. The fact of the matter is that the decision of the Judicial Service Commission was communicated to the applicants by the Registrar and Master of the High Court, who is also its secretary.
Another falsehood mentioned in the article is the reason advanced for not interviewing the candidates. It is alleged that the candidates were informed that they could not be interviewed due to a technicality. Nothing of that nature was mentioned as the reasons advanced by the Registrar. It appears that this was a fabrication intended to embellish the story to make it look credible.
We further wish it to be noted that in terms of the Constitution, the JSC regulates its own procedure. It is in pursuance of that provision that the Commission met before the meeting to agree on the best way of approaching the interviews. This explains why all the candidates were invited to Lobatse on that day. The inconvenience caused by this arrangement is regretted as it was not intended to humiliate anyone of the applicants and an apology was immediately tendered to the applicants at the time.
In conclusion we confirm that the process of interviewing judges for the advertised posts followed acceptable, fair rules, and that the JSC is a respectable institution that is free from the influences attributed to it by the writer of the article.
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
C4) 11/2/09: Response by Administration of Justice to allegations published in Guardian newspaper of 6 February 2009
We have read the leading story in the Guardian newspaper of Friday 6th February 2009, regarding the interviews for vacant posts of judges carried out at Lobatse High Court on the 29th of January 2009 under the heading 'Interviews for judges' posts, was the process free and fair.' We wish to respond to the story which we find grossly misleading and containing serious flaws.
By advertising vacancies for judicial positions, the judicial Services Commission was introducing a best practice in the recruitment process that is becoming common around the world. This was intended to inter alia promote transparency in the recruitment process of judges by allowing competition from all eligible candidates in the country.
The posts in question were advertised in December 2008, through the local media for the attention of everyone qualified in terms of the law.
Applications were received from a large number of applicants (indicate number), and like every appointing authority, the JSC had to agree on the best way of approaching the applications. The JSC therefore met and prepared a short list of candidates based upon agreed criteria that were, objective, free from bias, favouritism or discrimination.
Thus the allegation that the JSC, 'had already hand picked it's preferred candidates and stage managed the interview process as a smoke- screen to create a semblance of fairness' is false, intended to mislead the public and denigrate the Judicial Service Commission and its operations.
The Judicial Service Commission is created by the Constitution, and comprises respectable members such as the Chief Justice, the Attorney General, the Judge President of the Court of Appeal, the chairman of the Public Service Commission, a representative of the Law Society of Botswana and a member appointed by His Excellency the President. These members are conscious of the weighty responsibilities placed upon them by the Constitution as they subscribe to an oath of office for the due execution of their duties. The allegations in the article are therefore an unwarranted attack on the JSC and the integrity of its members.
The report further alleges that the decision that the officers who did not make the short list were not going to be interviewed was communicated to the said officers by a clerk of court. This once again is false, and intended to confuse the public. The fact of the matter is that the decision of the Judicial Service Commission was communicated to the applicants by the Registrar and Master of the High Court, who is also its secretary.
Another falsehood mentioned in the article is the reason advanced for not interviewing the candidates. It is alleged that the candidates were informed that they could not be interviewed due to a technicality. Nothing of that nature was mentioned as the reasons advanced by the Registrar. It appears that this was a fabrication intended to embellish the story to make it look credible.
We further wish it to be noted that in terms of the Constitution, the JSC regulates its own procedure. It is in pursuance of that provision that the Commission met before the meeting to agree on the best way of approaching the interviews. This explains why all the candidates were invited to Lobatse on that day. The inconvenience caused by this arrangement is regretted as it was not intended to humiliate anyone of the applicants and an apology was immediately tendered to the applicants at the time.
In conclusion we confirm that the process of interviewing judges for the advertised posts followed acceptable, fair rules, and that the JSC is a respectable institution that is free from the influences attributed to it by the writer of the article.
Press Brief on the Innovation Hub
source: Republic of Botswana (16/2/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 3 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
C3) 12/2/09: Press Brief on the Innovation Hub
Please find below Press Brief on BOTSWANA INNOVATION HUB to accompany the Presentation by the Minister for Communications, Science and Technology, Honourable Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, to Honourable Members of Parliament at a Breakfast seminar 12 Feb 2009 at Grand Palm Hotel
[Start]- The Botswana Innovation Hub is a project aimed at attracting both local and foreign investor as well as researchers. The focus areas identified for the Innovation Hub are ICT, mineral technologies, sustainable energy and biotechnology.
The project has now moved into the implementation phase. A suitable piece of land, 57 ha in size, near the Airport has been secured and Botswana Development Corporation has been contracted to manage the infrastructure development and the construction of offices, laboratories, and supporting facilities. The Innovation Hub will offer investors a prestigious business environment in terms of both facilities and services suitable for the ICT-enabled service industry, technology driven businesses, research and innovation. Therefore, apart from facilities, the Innovation Hub will offer business services and business development support for its tenants. Strategies will also be put in place to facilitate networks between local and foreign companies and organizations. An important component of the Innovation Hub will be the incubator. The incubator will be established to assist small start-up companies to transfer their ideas into marketable products.
The Botswana Innovation Hub will contribute towards the diversification of the economy, the creation of employment, and the transformation of the country into a knowledge and information society. It is also expected that the Innovation Hub could be a way to mitigate against the economic crisis. With diamond sales going down, the country has to reduce its dependence on diamonds and accelerate its diversification efforts, and ICT provides an opportunity. Many ICT companies are now looking at Africa as the next big market and this is an opportunity for Botswana.
The work being done by the Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology to improve the telecommunications environment in Botswana will be a critical element in the success of the Botswana Innovation Hub. State of the art telecommunications services must be provided for the investor, with high capacity and at a good price.
Apart from the diversification and employment benefits from this project, the long-term benefits include a substantial increase in the level of skills amongst our young professionals, as well a significant increase in research and development activities in both the private and public sectors.
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
C3) 12/2/09: Press Brief on the Innovation Hub
Please find below Press Brief on BOTSWANA INNOVATION HUB to accompany the Presentation by the Minister for Communications, Science and Technology, Honourable Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, to Honourable Members of Parliament at a Breakfast seminar 12 Feb 2009 at Grand Palm Hotel
[Start]- The Botswana Innovation Hub is a project aimed at attracting both local and foreign investor as well as researchers. The focus areas identified for the Innovation Hub are ICT, mineral technologies, sustainable energy and biotechnology.
The project has now moved into the implementation phase. A suitable piece of land, 57 ha in size, near the Airport has been secured and Botswana Development Corporation has been contracted to manage the infrastructure development and the construction of offices, laboratories, and supporting facilities. The Innovation Hub will offer investors a prestigious business environment in terms of both facilities and services suitable for the ICT-enabled service industry, technology driven businesses, research and innovation. Therefore, apart from facilities, the Innovation Hub will offer business services and business development support for its tenants. Strategies will also be put in place to facilitate networks between local and foreign companies and organizations. An important component of the Innovation Hub will be the incubator. The incubator will be established to assist small start-up companies to transfer their ideas into marketable products.
The Botswana Innovation Hub will contribute towards the diversification of the economy, the creation of employment, and the transformation of the country into a knowledge and information society. It is also expected that the Innovation Hub could be a way to mitigate against the economic crisis. With diamond sales going down, the country has to reduce its dependence on diamonds and accelerate its diversification efforts, and ICT provides an opportunity. Many ICT companies are now looking at Africa as the next big market and this is an opportunity for Botswana.
The work being done by the Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology to improve the telecommunications environment in Botswana will be a critical element in the success of the Botswana Innovation Hub. State of the art telecommunications services must be provided for the investor, with high capacity and at a good price.
Apart from the diversification and employment benefits from this project, the long-term benefits include a substantial increase in the level of skills amongst our young professionals, as well a significant increase in research and development activities in both the private and public sectors.
Response to Questions received from the Botswana Guardian newspaper on the subject of oversight of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security
source: Republic of Botswana (16/2/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 3 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
C2) 11/2/09: Response by BGCIS to Questions received from the Botswana Guardian newspaper on the subject of oversight of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS)
Reproduced below are the full responses to questions received from the Botswana Guardian newspaper. The responses were partially reflected in an article published in the 13/2/08 edition of the newspaper:
The Guardian reporter wrote -
We at Guardian are in the process of putting together an article that attempts to weigh the need for a certain level of secrecy in the DIS as a means for effective operation vis-Ã -vis the equally important issue of scrutiny and accountability on the part of the organ, especially on the costs of operations. May you therefore assist us by answering the following questions:
Question 1: The DIS has been allocated about P2 million [sic] from the recent budget. We are well aware of the fact that the organ is merely starting and therefore might require a larger chunk for start-up equipment and infrastructure. The question however is would there be any accountability/scrutiny at the end of the year to determine how much was used and for what purposes?
Answer: Absolutely, the DIS like any Government organ is held strictly accountable for its expenditure. In this respect it is subject to oversight by both the Executive and Legislative braches, as well as the Auditor General. Such Oversight is, moreover, explicitly provided for in the Intelligence and Security Service Act of 2007.
Question 2: Who would undertake such scrutiny?
Answer: In addition to the Constitutionally mandated responsibilities of Parliament, which of course must approve the budget, and the Auditor General, the 2007 Act provides for an Intelligence and Security Council consisting of the Permanent Secretary to the President, who is of course also the Cabinet Secretary, and the Attorney-General, as well as the DIS Director General. The functions of this Council include "examine the expenditure, administration, complaints by, and oversee the legal framework of, the Directorate." (see also Parliamentary Committee below)
Question 3: After that, where or to whom would the scrutiny document be presented to? And Question 5: What is the role of the Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence?
Answer: From our phone conversation we assume that question 3, as well as 5 are focused on the Establishment and Function of the Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security and the circulation of its Annual Report, which are both defined under Part VII of the Act, where it is affirmed that the said Committee shall have the same powers and privileges as set out in the National Assembly Act.
This Committee, we would hear wish to emphasise, should NOT be confused with the Tribunal, a separate oversight body also provided for in the Act, which is tasked with handling public complaints.
Section 38 (1) of the Act States that - "There is to be established a Parliament Committee, to be known as the Intelligence and Security Parliamentary Committee, to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Directorate.
With respect to the Annual report of the Parliamentary Committee it must be presented to both H.E. the President and before the National Assembly. This is covered in Section 40 of the Act, which is explicit in stating that:
"(1) The Parliamentary Committee shall make an annual report on the discharge of their functions to the President and may at any time report to him or her on any matter relating to the discharge of those functions.
(2) The Minister responsible for intelligence and security shall lay before the National Assembly a copy of each annual report made by the Parliamentary Committee under subsection (1) together with a statement as to whether any matter has been excluded from that copy in pursuance of subsection (3)
(3) If it appears to the Minister, after consultations with the Parliamentary Committee, that the publication of any matter in a report would be prejudicial to the continued discharge of the functions of the Directorate, the Minister may exclude that matter from the copy of the report as laid before the National Assembly."
Question 4: Can this document be made available o the general public?
Answer: Yes - as provided for above, it becomes a public document when it is placed before Parliament.
Question 6: Who are the people who make up this committee?
Answer: According to the Act the composition of the Committee must be reflective of the numerical strengths of political parties represented in Parliament. The members themselves elect their Chairperson.
In the above context its current membership is: Moeng Pheto (Chair), Thebe Mogami, Khumongwana Maoto, Robert Molefabangwe, Oreeditse Molebatsi, Mephato Reatile, Charles Tibone, Botlogile Tshireletso, Slumber Tsogwane.
Question 7: Lastly, we are well aware of the fact that an organ of this nature requires a certain level of secrecy in order to be effective. But how is government going to make sure that such secrecy does not become the very basis for misuse of public funds by the organ?
Answer: DIS like any public institution exists under the law. Misuse of funds in any Government Department is unacceptable and may constitute an offence. In this respect the Intelligence and Security Act provides for additional safeguards to other applicable legislation.
This point is further underscored in Section 11 of the Act, which explicitly states that: "The officers and support staff may exercise such powers and shall perform such functions as are conferred upon them by or under this Act or any other written law and shall, in the performance of their functions, obey all lawful directions which they may receive from any person having the authority to give such directions." In this context DIS personnel are, for example, like all other public officers, subject to such legislation as the Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) Act and the Finance and Audit Act, whose section 6 governs the control of monies.
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
C2) 11/2/09: Response by BGCIS to Questions received from the Botswana Guardian newspaper on the subject of oversight of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS)
Reproduced below are the full responses to questions received from the Botswana Guardian newspaper. The responses were partially reflected in an article published in the 13/2/08 edition of the newspaper:
The Guardian reporter wrote -
We at Guardian are in the process of putting together an article that attempts to weigh the need for a certain level of secrecy in the DIS as a means for effective operation vis-Ã -vis the equally important issue of scrutiny and accountability on the part of the organ, especially on the costs of operations. May you therefore assist us by answering the following questions:
Question 1: The DIS has been allocated about P2 million [sic] from the recent budget. We are well aware of the fact that the organ is merely starting and therefore might require a larger chunk for start-up equipment and infrastructure. The question however is would there be any accountability/scrutiny at the end of the year to determine how much was used and for what purposes?
Answer: Absolutely, the DIS like any Government organ is held strictly accountable for its expenditure. In this respect it is subject to oversight by both the Executive and Legislative braches, as well as the Auditor General. Such Oversight is, moreover, explicitly provided for in the Intelligence and Security Service Act of 2007.
Question 2: Who would undertake such scrutiny?
Answer: In addition to the Constitutionally mandated responsibilities of Parliament, which of course must approve the budget, and the Auditor General, the 2007 Act provides for an Intelligence and Security Council consisting of the Permanent Secretary to the President, who is of course also the Cabinet Secretary, and the Attorney-General, as well as the DIS Director General. The functions of this Council include "examine the expenditure, administration, complaints by, and oversee the legal framework of, the Directorate." (see also Parliamentary Committee below)
Question 3: After that, where or to whom would the scrutiny document be presented to? And Question 5: What is the role of the Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence?
Answer: From our phone conversation we assume that question 3, as well as 5 are focused on the Establishment and Function of the Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security and the circulation of its Annual Report, which are both defined under Part VII of the Act, where it is affirmed that the said Committee shall have the same powers and privileges as set out in the National Assembly Act.
This Committee, we would hear wish to emphasise, should NOT be confused with the Tribunal, a separate oversight body also provided for in the Act, which is tasked with handling public complaints.
Section 38 (1) of the Act States that - "There is to be established a Parliament Committee, to be known as the Intelligence and Security Parliamentary Committee, to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Directorate.
With respect to the Annual report of the Parliamentary Committee it must be presented to both H.E. the President and before the National Assembly. This is covered in Section 40 of the Act, which is explicit in stating that:
"(1) The Parliamentary Committee shall make an annual report on the discharge of their functions to the President and may at any time report to him or her on any matter relating to the discharge of those functions.
(2) The Minister responsible for intelligence and security shall lay before the National Assembly a copy of each annual report made by the Parliamentary Committee under subsection (1) together with a statement as to whether any matter has been excluded from that copy in pursuance of subsection (3)
(3) If it appears to the Minister, after consultations with the Parliamentary Committee, that the publication of any matter in a report would be prejudicial to the continued discharge of the functions of the Directorate, the Minister may exclude that matter from the copy of the report as laid before the National Assembly."
Question 4: Can this document be made available o the general public?
Answer: Yes - as provided for above, it becomes a public document when it is placed before Parliament.
Question 6: Who are the people who make up this committee?
Answer: According to the Act the composition of the Committee must be reflective of the numerical strengths of political parties represented in Parliament. The members themselves elect their Chairperson.
In the above context its current membership is: Moeng Pheto (Chair), Thebe Mogami, Khumongwana Maoto, Robert Molefabangwe, Oreeditse Molebatsi, Mephato Reatile, Charles Tibone, Botlogile Tshireletso, Slumber Tsogwane.
Question 7: Lastly, we are well aware of the fact that an organ of this nature requires a certain level of secrecy in order to be effective. But how is government going to make sure that such secrecy does not become the very basis for misuse of public funds by the organ?
Answer: DIS like any public institution exists under the law. Misuse of funds in any Government Department is unacceptable and may constitute an offence. In this respect the Intelligence and Security Act provides for additional safeguards to other applicable legislation.
This point is further underscored in Section 11 of the Act, which explicitly states that: "The officers and support staff may exercise such powers and shall perform such functions as are conferred upon them by or under this Act or any other written law and shall, in the performance of their functions, obey all lawful directions which they may receive from any person having the authority to give such directions." In this context DIS personnel are, for example, like all other public officers, subject to such legislation as the Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) Act and the Finance and Audit Act, whose section 6 governs the control of monies.
Statement by Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) to recent allegation in the Press
source: Republic of Botswana (16/2/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 3 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
C1) 16/2/09: Statement by Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) to recent allegation in the Press.
The Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) is concerned about a number of recent media reports containing unsubstantiated allegations and insinuations about our operations. In our view there has been a tendency on the part of some to focus on fears rather than actual facts in their reporting.
To avoid undue alarm we recognise our own obligation to reassure our fellow citizens that, like all other branches of Government, the Directorate of Intelligence and Security exists as a public institution working for the public good.
We are moreover an institution whose operations are legally defined and regulated be an Act of Parliament, as well as all other laws and regulations that govern the public service.
For example, with respect to the conduct that is expected of our officers and support staff, sub-section 16 (1) of the Intelligence and Security Act, explicitly states that:
"An officer or support staff shall not - (a) engage in the activities of any political party or act as an agent of such party; or (b) in the performance of his or her functions or the exercise of his or her powers under this act - (i) subject any person to torture or to any other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; or (ii) enter or search any private premises except with a warrant issued pursuant to section 22."
Sub-section 16 (2) goes on affirm that: "An officer or support staff who contravenes the provisions of sub-section (1) shall be guilty of an offence."
It is in the context of this unambiguous legal mandate, as well as our moral and public service obligations to the whole community we have been established to protect, that we take seriously any accusation that our personnel have engaged in abusive behaviour or could be working for partisan rather than public interests.
In this respect we take this opportunity to reaffirm our view that the allegation reported in one newspaper that our personnel had engaged in abusive interrogation is a fabrication.
We further take this opportunity to once more deny that any of our officers have had anything to do with the recently alleged abduction of the UB SRC President.
As an organisation established to uphold the law, we are further mindful of the fact that the powers of entry, search, and seizure, as well as arrest by DIS personnel are clearly specified in sections 21 and 22 of the Act.
Like other law enforcement agencies, under section 22 the Director General of DIS is required to apply for a warrant from a senior magistrate or a judge of the High Court to enable the Directorate to investigate national security threats. Before a warrant can be given for any entry, search or seizure the magistrate or judge to whom the application has been made must be satisfied that there is reasonable ground to suspect the commission of an actual offence.
In light of published insinuations to the contrary, we can further confirm that DIS, like any Government organ, is also held strictly accountable for its expenditures. In this respect we are subject to oversight by both the Executive and Legislative braches, as well as the Auditor General.
Such oversight is, moreover, also explicitly provided for in the Intelligence and Security Service Act.
In addition to the constitutionally mandated responsibilities of Parliament, which of course must approve the DIS budget, and the Auditor General, the Act provides for an Intelligence and Security Council whose functions include examining the expenditure and administration of Directorate, as well as overseeing its legal framework.
The Intelligence and Security Act further provides for the establishment and functioning of a dedicated Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security, as well as the special Tribunal to receive and investigate any complaints be members of the public.
The role of the Parliament Committee, as defined in the Act, is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Directorate.
The Committee is further tasked with producing an Annual report of the Parliamentary Committee, to be presented to both H.E. the President and before the National Assembly.
In light of another recent media report, we would here wish to emphasise that the Minister can only exclude a matter from publication in the public report, as laid before the National Assembly, if it appears to the Minister, after consultations with the Parliamentary Committee, that publication of the matter would be prejudicial to the continued discharge of the functions of the Directorate.
In such exceptional circumstance the Minister is, moreover, required to issue a statement confirming that such exclusion had been made.
In addition to the above the DIS like any public institution exists under the general laws of the Republic. In this respect the Intelligence and Security Act provides for additional safeguards to other applicable legislation.
This point is further underscored in Section 11 of the Act, which explicitly states that: "The officers and support staff may exercise such powers and shall perform such functions as are conferred upon them by or under this Act or any other written law and shall, in the performance of their functions, obey all lawful directions which they may receive from any person having the authority to give such directions."
In this context DIS personnel are, for example, like all other public officers, subject to such legislation as the Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) Act and the Finance and Audit Act, whose section 6 governs the control of monies.
We trust that this statement will go someway to reassuring our stakeholders, the public that the DIS exists to serve and protect their interests. In this respect members of the public should feel free to contact us with any information or concerns they may have that will assist us in our performance.
Finally, members of the public are reminded that they can lodge any complaints about our service with the Registrar of the High Court who is obliged, within seven days, to forward the same to the Chairman of the Tribunal, with a copy to the Minister responsible.
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
C1) 16/2/09: Statement by Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) to recent allegation in the Press.
The Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) is concerned about a number of recent media reports containing unsubstantiated allegations and insinuations about our operations. In our view there has been a tendency on the part of some to focus on fears rather than actual facts in their reporting.
To avoid undue alarm we recognise our own obligation to reassure our fellow citizens that, like all other branches of Government, the Directorate of Intelligence and Security exists as a public institution working for the public good.
We are moreover an institution whose operations are legally defined and regulated be an Act of Parliament, as well as all other laws and regulations that govern the public service.
For example, with respect to the conduct that is expected of our officers and support staff, sub-section 16 (1) of the Intelligence and Security Act, explicitly states that:
"An officer or support staff shall not - (a) engage in the activities of any political party or act as an agent of such party; or (b) in the performance of his or her functions or the exercise of his or her powers under this act - (i) subject any person to torture or to any other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; or (ii) enter or search any private premises except with a warrant issued pursuant to section 22."
Sub-section 16 (2) goes on affirm that: "An officer or support staff who contravenes the provisions of sub-section (1) shall be guilty of an offence."
It is in the context of this unambiguous legal mandate, as well as our moral and public service obligations to the whole community we have been established to protect, that we take seriously any accusation that our personnel have engaged in abusive behaviour or could be working for partisan rather than public interests.
In this respect we take this opportunity to reaffirm our view that the allegation reported in one newspaper that our personnel had engaged in abusive interrogation is a fabrication.
We further take this opportunity to once more deny that any of our officers have had anything to do with the recently alleged abduction of the UB SRC President.
As an organisation established to uphold the law, we are further mindful of the fact that the powers of entry, search, and seizure, as well as arrest by DIS personnel are clearly specified in sections 21 and 22 of the Act.
Like other law enforcement agencies, under section 22 the Director General of DIS is required to apply for a warrant from a senior magistrate or a judge of the High Court to enable the Directorate to investigate national security threats. Before a warrant can be given for any entry, search or seizure the magistrate or judge to whom the application has been made must be satisfied that there is reasonable ground to suspect the commission of an actual offence.
In light of published insinuations to the contrary, we can further confirm that DIS, like any Government organ, is also held strictly accountable for its expenditures. In this respect we are subject to oversight by both the Executive and Legislative braches, as well as the Auditor General.
Such oversight is, moreover, also explicitly provided for in the Intelligence and Security Service Act.
In addition to the constitutionally mandated responsibilities of Parliament, which of course must approve the DIS budget, and the Auditor General, the Act provides for an Intelligence and Security Council whose functions include examining the expenditure and administration of Directorate, as well as overseeing its legal framework.
The Intelligence and Security Act further provides for the establishment and functioning of a dedicated Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security, as well as the special Tribunal to receive and investigate any complaints be members of the public.
The role of the Parliament Committee, as defined in the Act, is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Directorate.
The Committee is further tasked with producing an Annual report of the Parliamentary Committee, to be presented to both H.E. the President and before the National Assembly.
In light of another recent media report, we would here wish to emphasise that the Minister can only exclude a matter from publication in the public report, as laid before the National Assembly, if it appears to the Minister, after consultations with the Parliamentary Committee, that publication of the matter would be prejudicial to the continued discharge of the functions of the Directorate.
In such exceptional circumstance the Minister is, moreover, required to issue a statement confirming that such exclusion had been made.
In addition to the above the DIS like any public institution exists under the general laws of the Republic. In this respect the Intelligence and Security Act provides for additional safeguards to other applicable legislation.
This point is further underscored in Section 11 of the Act, which explicitly states that: "The officers and support staff may exercise such powers and shall perform such functions as are conferred upon them by or under this Act or any other written law and shall, in the performance of their functions, obey all lawful directions which they may receive from any person having the authority to give such directions."
In this context DIS personnel are, for example, like all other public officers, subject to such legislation as the Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) Act and the Finance and Audit Act, whose section 6 governs the control of monies.
We trust that this statement will go someway to reassuring our stakeholders, the public that the DIS exists to serve and protect their interests. In this respect members of the public should feel free to contact us with any information or concerns they may have that will assist us in our performance.
Finally, members of the public are reminded that they can lodge any complaints about our service with the Registrar of the High Court who is obliged, within seven days, to forward the same to the Chairman of the Tribunal, with a copy to the Minister responsible.
Speech by the Minister of Defence Jjustice and Security on behalf of the Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration
source: Republic of Botswana (16/2/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 3 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
B2) 16/2/09: SPEECH BY THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE JUSTICE AND SECURITY ON BEHALF OF THE MINISTER FOR PRESIDENTIAL AFFAIRS AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION HONOURABLE D.N. SERETSE AT THE COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY, MINISTRY - 0100, PARLIAMENT:
INTRODUCTION
1. Mr Chairman, allow me to present to this Honourable House the budget proposal for the Parliament of Botswana, Organisation - 0100, for the financial year 2009/2010. The total provision for which I seek approval is Ninety-Three Million, Eight Hundred and Four Thousand, Two Hundred and Thirty Pula (P 93 804 230) of which, Seventy-Seven Million, Five Hundred and Thirty Six Thousand, Seven Hundred and Thirty Pula (P77 536 730) is for the Recurrent Budget and Sixteen Million Two Hundred Sixty Seven Thousand, Five Hundred Pula (P16 267 500) is for the Development Budget. However, before I do so, I would like to appraise the House on the activities of Parliament for the financial year 2008/09.
LEGISLATION AND OVERSIGHT
2. Mr Chairman, the principal role of Parliament is to make laws for the peace, order and good governance of the Republic of Botswana. In the period under review, (February, July and November 2008 meetings) the National Assembly received thirty one (31) bills, passed thirty (30) and deferred one (1). This is a record achievement of 97% for which we can be proud. We live in a period of rapid changes and therefore timeous Law making is a goal we must continue to strive for. To do otherwise is to risk loss of opportunities and hamper social and economic development. It is therefore in our interest to continue to review processes including standing orders for value addition.
3. Parliament also undertook a number of activities which were geared towards ensuring accountability and transparency. These included financial scrutiny of public accounts, briefings and tours by Parliamentary Committees. There are noticeable improvements in committee work in general as evidenced by novel initiatives such as; the country-wide tour which was undertaken by the Assurances Committee to monitor and evaluate project implementation, and the consultative workshop which was held by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Subsequent to the PAC workshop, a standard reporting format is being developed to guide both the Committee and the Accounting Officers. In spite of these commendable efforts, our biggest challenge is the reform of the committee system. I am confident this will be achieved through the on - going exercise of restructuring parliamentary committees.
4. Mr Chairman, it is worth noting that the Joint Advisory Committee of Ntlo Ya Dikgosi and Botswana Council of Churches on Social Values extensively consulted Batswana during the months of July and August 2008. It is no doubt that this exercise enhanced the role of Parliament in promoting participatory democracy. Let me note here that the report has been presented to the President for consideration.
5. As we strive to improve the law making process, accountability and transparency, we are faced with a number of operational challenges some of which are due to resource constraints. In an effort to address these, Parliament continues to capacitate both the Legislators and Staff. A significant number of workshops were held for the Legislators and staff to improve levels of productivity. Three (3) Parliamentary Committees went for bench-marking in Zambia, Mauritius and the United Kingdom. Other notable efforts of enhancing participatory democracy and capacity building included participation in activities of the inter-Parliamentary Associations such as SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF), Commonwealth Parliamentary Organisation (CPA) and International Parliamentary Union (IPU). While these achievements are notable, there is need for Parliament to continuously review and embrace new methods of doing work in order to improve its overall effectiveness.
6. Mr Chairman, in our quest to promote participatory democracy and enhance public knowledge and understanding of the work and role of Parliament, the Hon. Speaker of the National Assembly undertook the first leg of a country wide tour which included holding Kgotla meetings and visiting constituency offices. This is indeed commendable as it constitutes a stride towards the attainment of the Vision 2016 Pillars of "An Open Democratic and Accountable Nation and An Educated and Informed Nation". It is my hope that the Hon Speaker will share his findings with this house at an appropriate time. In addition to this, Parliament has also participated in a number of shows and fairs which were aimed at "taking Parliament to the People".
PARLIAMENT ADMINISTRATION
7. Mr Chairman, as you may recall, this House raised a number of concerns during the 2008/09 Committee of Supply debates on the level of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) usage to improve parliamentary processes. In an effort towards creating an e- parliament, Parliament of Botswana has increased the staff complement of ICT professionals during the 2008/09 financial year. A project to modernise the IT architecture was also started and will continue during the next financial year. Through this, publishing of the proceedings of the two (2) chambers through the internet, subject to parliamentary reforms which would facilitate this initiative, would be made possible. It is also expected that the Parliament website will be launched during the current budget session. Furthermore, 71% of Constituency Offices are now connected to the internet and e-mail services.
8. Mr Chairman, in yet another effort to improve information management, parliament is in the process of relocating the research and library services to bigger and more equipped facilities at the former Ministry of Works and Transport buildings. The new services will be automated to improve information accessibility and dissemination. Efforts are being made to outsource the production of the Hansard and other House publications.
9. Mr Chairman, security in parliament is yet another challenge to us. Whilst we would like Parliament to be as accessible as possible to the public, it is our duty to ensure that Honourable Members operate under a secure environment. Mr Chairman, you will agree with me that given the current global security concerns, the level of security in parliament and its precincts is a source of grave concern. We are currently reviewing a number of options that will address these concerns.
10. Mr Chairman, as regards human capital, Parliament managed to reduce the vacancy rate from a peak of 5.1% to 2.8%. Nonetheless, Parliament is still in short supply of area specialists and this continues to hamper service delivery particularly in areas such as research, committees and translation. To address these challenges, Parliament administration is in the process of rationalising its operations through an Organisation and Methods (O&M) exercise.
RECURRENT BUDGET
11. Mr Chairman, I now wish to provide the details of the recurrent budget estimates for the year 2009/2010. In the interest of time, I will highlight only those votes in which there are substantial changes.
12. The proposed recurrent budget for Parliament for the year 2009/2010 is Seventy-Seven Million, Five Hundred and Thirty Six Thousand, Seven Hundred and Thirty Pula (P77 536 730). This represents an increase of Four Million, Five Hundred and Seventy Nine Thousand, Eight Hundred and Eighty Pula (P4 579 880) or 6.2% over the current year's budget of Seventy-Two Million, Nine Hundred and Fifty Six Thousand, Eight Hundred and Fifty Pula (P72 956 850).
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
13. Of the P77,536,730 requested, the National Assembly seeks the provision of Seventy Million, Eight Hundred and Seventy Six Thousand, Four Hundred and Thirty Pula (P70 876 430). This is an increase of Four Million, Seven Hundred and Eighty Eight Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty Pula (P4 788 950) or 7.2% over the current financial year's budget. The increase is mainly in the following items; salaries and allowances which increased by 23.4% due to the 15% salary adjustment, new and upgraded posts; general expenses and supplies which increased by 11% largely on account of loss of economies of scale on purchases previously made by the Department of Supply; as well as training which increased by 37.9% attributable to the emphasis put on capacity building by the National Assembly.
NTLO YA DIKGOSI
14. Mr. Chairman, Ntlo Ya Dikgosi requests a provision of Six Million, Six Hundred and Sixty Thousand, Three Hundred Pula (P6 660 300) representing a decrease of 3% from the previous year's budget of Six Million, Eight Hundred and Sixty Nine Thousand, Three Hundred and Seventy Pula (P6 869 370). The reduction is a result of the rationalisation of posts between Ntlo Ya Dikgosi and the National Assembly.
15. It is worth noting that a new item on Councils, Conferences and Exhibitions has been created for Ntlo Ya Dikgosi.
DEVELOPMENT BUDGET
16. Mr. Chairman, the proposed budget for development for Parliament for the year 2009/2010 is Sixteen Million, Two Hundred Sixty Seven Thousand, and Five Hundred Pula (P16 267 500)
17. As a reminder Mr. Chairman, for the current financial year 2008/2009, Parliament was allocated the sum of Thirteen Million, Two Hundred and Seventy One Thousand, Three Hundred and Sixty Nine Pula (P13 271 369) for its development projects. Overall, Parliament did not do as well as it could have with respect to project implementation. The expenditure to date on the 2008/09 financial year development budget stands at Two Million, Five Hundred and Seventy Two Thousand, Eight Hundred and Twelve Pula (P2 572 812) which is 19.39%.
18. Mr. Speaker, the refurbishment of the old Chamber which includes improvement of acoustics was delayed by the absence of specialist expertise to do the preparatory work. In other cases, what originally appeared to be minor works turned out to be more involving on account of the state of the old buildings. With respect to the refurbishment of the old Ministry of Works and Transport building which was meant to augment Parliament office space, there has been little progress as Parliament assumed responsibility for the project following decentralisation from Ministry of Lands and Housing in October 2008. This delay has also affected the computerisation project. However, a number of projects have now passed their planning/pre-contract stages and will be going into construction hence the request for a higher budget for 2009/2010.
19. Mr. Chairman that concludes my budget proposals for the recurrent and development estimates for Parliament. I, therefore, request that the sum of Seventy-Seven Million, Five Hundred and Thirty Six Thousand, Seven Hundred and Thirty Pula (P77 536 730) for recurrent expenditure, and Sixteen Million, Two Hundred Sixty Seven Thousand, Five Hundred Pula (P16 267 500) for development expenditure be approved and stand part of the estimates for the financial year 2009/2010.
20. I move accordingly, thank you
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
B2) 16/2/09: SPEECH BY THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE JUSTICE AND SECURITY ON BEHALF OF THE MINISTER FOR PRESIDENTIAL AFFAIRS AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION HONOURABLE D.N. SERETSE AT THE COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY, MINISTRY - 0100, PARLIAMENT:
INTRODUCTION
1. Mr Chairman, allow me to present to this Honourable House the budget proposal for the Parliament of Botswana, Organisation - 0100, for the financial year 2009/2010. The total provision for which I seek approval is Ninety-Three Million, Eight Hundred and Four Thousand, Two Hundred and Thirty Pula (P 93 804 230) of which, Seventy-Seven Million, Five Hundred and Thirty Six Thousand, Seven Hundred and Thirty Pula (P77 536 730) is for the Recurrent Budget and Sixteen Million Two Hundred Sixty Seven Thousand, Five Hundred Pula (P16 267 500) is for the Development Budget. However, before I do so, I would like to appraise the House on the activities of Parliament for the financial year 2008/09.
LEGISLATION AND OVERSIGHT
2. Mr Chairman, the principal role of Parliament is to make laws for the peace, order and good governance of the Republic of Botswana. In the period under review, (February, July and November 2008 meetings) the National Assembly received thirty one (31) bills, passed thirty (30) and deferred one (1). This is a record achievement of 97% for which we can be proud. We live in a period of rapid changes and therefore timeous Law making is a goal we must continue to strive for. To do otherwise is to risk loss of opportunities and hamper social and economic development. It is therefore in our interest to continue to review processes including standing orders for value addition.
3. Parliament also undertook a number of activities which were geared towards ensuring accountability and transparency. These included financial scrutiny of public accounts, briefings and tours by Parliamentary Committees. There are noticeable improvements in committee work in general as evidenced by novel initiatives such as; the country-wide tour which was undertaken by the Assurances Committee to monitor and evaluate project implementation, and the consultative workshop which was held by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Subsequent to the PAC workshop, a standard reporting format is being developed to guide both the Committee and the Accounting Officers. In spite of these commendable efforts, our biggest challenge is the reform of the committee system. I am confident this will be achieved through the on - going exercise of restructuring parliamentary committees.
4. Mr Chairman, it is worth noting that the Joint Advisory Committee of Ntlo Ya Dikgosi and Botswana Council of Churches on Social Values extensively consulted Batswana during the months of July and August 2008. It is no doubt that this exercise enhanced the role of Parliament in promoting participatory democracy. Let me note here that the report has been presented to the President for consideration.
5. As we strive to improve the law making process, accountability and transparency, we are faced with a number of operational challenges some of which are due to resource constraints. In an effort to address these, Parliament continues to capacitate both the Legislators and Staff. A significant number of workshops were held for the Legislators and staff to improve levels of productivity. Three (3) Parliamentary Committees went for bench-marking in Zambia, Mauritius and the United Kingdom. Other notable efforts of enhancing participatory democracy and capacity building included participation in activities of the inter-Parliamentary Associations such as SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF), Commonwealth Parliamentary Organisation (CPA) and International Parliamentary Union (IPU). While these achievements are notable, there is need for Parliament to continuously review and embrace new methods of doing work in order to improve its overall effectiveness.
6. Mr Chairman, in our quest to promote participatory democracy and enhance public knowledge and understanding of the work and role of Parliament, the Hon. Speaker of the National Assembly undertook the first leg of a country wide tour which included holding Kgotla meetings and visiting constituency offices. This is indeed commendable as it constitutes a stride towards the attainment of the Vision 2016 Pillars of "An Open Democratic and Accountable Nation and An Educated and Informed Nation". It is my hope that the Hon Speaker will share his findings with this house at an appropriate time. In addition to this, Parliament has also participated in a number of shows and fairs which were aimed at "taking Parliament to the People".
PARLIAMENT ADMINISTRATION
7. Mr Chairman, as you may recall, this House raised a number of concerns during the 2008/09 Committee of Supply debates on the level of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) usage to improve parliamentary processes. In an effort towards creating an e- parliament, Parliament of Botswana has increased the staff complement of ICT professionals during the 2008/09 financial year. A project to modernise the IT architecture was also started and will continue during the next financial year. Through this, publishing of the proceedings of the two (2) chambers through the internet, subject to parliamentary reforms which would facilitate this initiative, would be made possible. It is also expected that the Parliament website will be launched during the current budget session. Furthermore, 71% of Constituency Offices are now connected to the internet and e-mail services.
8. Mr Chairman, in yet another effort to improve information management, parliament is in the process of relocating the research and library services to bigger and more equipped facilities at the former Ministry of Works and Transport buildings. The new services will be automated to improve information accessibility and dissemination. Efforts are being made to outsource the production of the Hansard and other House publications.
9. Mr Chairman, security in parliament is yet another challenge to us. Whilst we would like Parliament to be as accessible as possible to the public, it is our duty to ensure that Honourable Members operate under a secure environment. Mr Chairman, you will agree with me that given the current global security concerns, the level of security in parliament and its precincts is a source of grave concern. We are currently reviewing a number of options that will address these concerns.
10. Mr Chairman, as regards human capital, Parliament managed to reduce the vacancy rate from a peak of 5.1% to 2.8%. Nonetheless, Parliament is still in short supply of area specialists and this continues to hamper service delivery particularly in areas such as research, committees and translation. To address these challenges, Parliament administration is in the process of rationalising its operations through an Organisation and Methods (O&M) exercise.
RECURRENT BUDGET
11. Mr Chairman, I now wish to provide the details of the recurrent budget estimates for the year 2009/2010. In the interest of time, I will highlight only those votes in which there are substantial changes.
12. The proposed recurrent budget for Parliament for the year 2009/2010 is Seventy-Seven Million, Five Hundred and Thirty Six Thousand, Seven Hundred and Thirty Pula (P77 536 730). This represents an increase of Four Million, Five Hundred and Seventy Nine Thousand, Eight Hundred and Eighty Pula (P4 579 880) or 6.2% over the current year's budget of Seventy-Two Million, Nine Hundred and Fifty Six Thousand, Eight Hundred and Fifty Pula (P72 956 850).
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
13. Of the P77,536,730 requested, the National Assembly seeks the provision of Seventy Million, Eight Hundred and Seventy Six Thousand, Four Hundred and Thirty Pula (P70 876 430). This is an increase of Four Million, Seven Hundred and Eighty Eight Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty Pula (P4 788 950) or 7.2% over the current financial year's budget. The increase is mainly in the following items; salaries and allowances which increased by 23.4% due to the 15% salary adjustment, new and upgraded posts; general expenses and supplies which increased by 11% largely on account of loss of economies of scale on purchases previously made by the Department of Supply; as well as training which increased by 37.9% attributable to the emphasis put on capacity building by the National Assembly.
NTLO YA DIKGOSI
14. Mr. Chairman, Ntlo Ya Dikgosi requests a provision of Six Million, Six Hundred and Sixty Thousand, Three Hundred Pula (P6 660 300) representing a decrease of 3% from the previous year's budget of Six Million, Eight Hundred and Sixty Nine Thousand, Three Hundred and Seventy Pula (P6 869 370). The reduction is a result of the rationalisation of posts between Ntlo Ya Dikgosi and the National Assembly.
15. It is worth noting that a new item on Councils, Conferences and Exhibitions has been created for Ntlo Ya Dikgosi.
DEVELOPMENT BUDGET
16. Mr. Chairman, the proposed budget for development for Parliament for the year 2009/2010 is Sixteen Million, Two Hundred Sixty Seven Thousand, and Five Hundred Pula (P16 267 500)
17. As a reminder Mr. Chairman, for the current financial year 2008/2009, Parliament was allocated the sum of Thirteen Million, Two Hundred and Seventy One Thousand, Three Hundred and Sixty Nine Pula (P13 271 369) for its development projects. Overall, Parliament did not do as well as it could have with respect to project implementation. The expenditure to date on the 2008/09 financial year development budget stands at Two Million, Five Hundred and Seventy Two Thousand, Eight Hundred and Twelve Pula (P2 572 812) which is 19.39%.
18. Mr. Speaker, the refurbishment of the old Chamber which includes improvement of acoustics was delayed by the absence of specialist expertise to do the preparatory work. In other cases, what originally appeared to be minor works turned out to be more involving on account of the state of the old buildings. With respect to the refurbishment of the old Ministry of Works and Transport building which was meant to augment Parliament office space, there has been little progress as Parliament assumed responsibility for the project following decentralisation from Ministry of Lands and Housing in October 2008. This delay has also affected the computerisation project. However, a number of projects have now passed their planning/pre-contract stages and will be going into construction hence the request for a higher budget for 2009/2010.
19. Mr. Chairman that concludes my budget proposals for the recurrent and development estimates for Parliament. I, therefore, request that the sum of Seventy-Seven Million, Five Hundred and Thirty Six Thousand, Seven Hundred and Thirty Pula (P77 536 730) for recurrent expenditure, and Sixteen Million, Two Hundred Sixty Seven Thousand, Five Hundred Pula (P16 267 500) for development expenditure be approved and stand part of the estimates for the financial year 2009/2010.
20. I move accordingly, thank you
Speech by the Minister for Defence, Justice and Security, Hon. D. N. Seretse, to the Committee of Supply for Ministry 0200 - State President
source: Republic of Botswana (16/2/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 3 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
B1) 16/2/09: SPEECH BY THE MINISTER FOR DEFENCE, JUSTICE AND SECURITY, HON. D. N. SERETSE, TO THE COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY FOR MINISTRY 0200 - STATE PRESIDENT:
INTRODUCTION
1. Mr. Chairman, it is my pleasure to present the 2009/2010 Recurrent and Development Budget for State President under Head 0200. I will start by presenting the budget for departments falling under Defence, Justice and Security (DJS) namely: 0204 - Botswana Police Services, 0207 - Directorate of Intelligence and Security, 0209 - Botswana Defence Force and 0210 - Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime. I will subsequently cover the Presidential Affairs and Public Administration departments.
2. Mr. Chairman, I will preface my budget presentation with a brief on my Ministry's achievements and challenges in this financial year, i.e. 2008/2009.
BACKGROUND
3. Mr. Chairman, the incidence of crime particularly in urban and peri-urban areas showed an increase in certain offences whilst in others, notable decreases were observed. Crime of whatever form, however, continues to be a cause for concern.
4. In order to significantly reduce crime, my Ministry continues to coordinate all the Security and Defence Agencies, namely the Botswana Defence Force, Botswana Police Service, Directorate of Intelligence and Security and the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime. We are also engaging all other stakeholders such as Botswana Local Police Force, private security companies, the business community and the general public, in the development and improvement of our policing strategies.
5. The Botswana Police Service continues to be an active member of the international and regional organisations, such as INTERPOL and Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (SARPCCO). This enhances the capacity of the Service in the fight against trans-national organised crime.
6. Mr. Chairman, in responding to the challenges of realising a safe and secure nation, the Botswana Police Service has embarked on a number of initiatives and projects.
7. The Air Support Wing has been established with the delivery of two of the three helicopters on 14th January 2009 and the third is expected in August 2009.
8. Mr Chairman, the long awaited two (2) Water Cannons, which were ordered during the financial year 2006/2007 were delivered in March 2008.
9. We have improved on our community policing by introducing a cluster policing strategy. Villages, towns and cities, wards and Dikgotla therein are clustered on proximity to one another. Personnel within the respective Police Stations are distributed amongst these clusters. In future, satellite Police stations will be placed within these clusters to take policing to the people. Clusters will develop ways and methods of combating crime within their communities together with the police. This, we hope will be able to significantly reduce crime in communities as all will be involved and therefore have ownership of the crime fighting strategies.
10. The Police Service is developing a blue print for Rapid Response Teams. These will improve on the responsiveness of the Police to reported incidents and will comprise all the necessary response elements and in some cases even include other security stakeholders. This initiative will definitely come with costs, and we intend to use both appropriated and non-appropriated funds, the latter of which will be raised through our cooperation with the business community.
11. We are also consulting on city surveillance and traffic monitoring solutions to improve on detection and prevention and improve the overall efficiency of the Botswana Police Service in fighting crime. We are continuing to use all the security and defence agencies in aid of one another in stepping up our efforts to eradicate crime. This, we have found necessary for optimal use of available and relevant government resources.
12. It was my intention to establish during the financial year 2009/2010 the Stock Theft Branch for specialized investigations on stock theft cases and Internal Affairs Department for specialized investigations on police processes and adherence to procedures. However, because of the economic meltdown, the creation of these departments has been deferred until the economic situation stabilizes. The merger of Botswana Local Police Service and Botswana Police Service is expected to materialize in the 2009/2010 financial year.
13. Mr. Chairman, the Directorate of Intelligence and Security became operational in April, 2008. During the first half of the financial year, the directorate focused mainly on setting up and acquiring the necessary office space, recruiting staff and purchasing furniture and equipment necessary for its mandate. The Directorate will, in the next financial year, open up offices in strategic locations which will assist in ensuring that the office delivers on its mandate. We have since the establishment of the Directorate seen a significant improvement in the general detection of crime and this is largely due to the cooperation between the security agencies of government.
14. Mr. Chairman, let me assure all the sceptics that the DIS was established to ensure the security of Botswana and every Motswana and this they will do diligently with due regard to the laws of this country.
15. Mr. Chairman, after dropping from 5.9 to 5.4 in 2007 in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, Botswana realized a slight improvement from 5.4 to 5.8 according to the 2008 Transparency International ratings. This rating retains Botswana within the 25 least corrupt countries the world over and still occupies the first position on the African continent.
16. Mr. Chairman, our biggest challenge is to keep the DCEC and its strategies under constant review and evaluation to determine the level of effectiveness, relevance and responsiveness. In this Financial Year, the DCEC has opened a Regional Office in Maun. This will improve accessibility of services to its stakeholders.
17. Mr. Chairman, the National Anti Corruption Strategy is still outstanding, but some significant strides have been made in engaging various ministries and departments on a number of strategies, for instance, the establishment of corruption prevention committees. The formation of such committees entails extensive training on public service standards, risk management, compliance and increased institutional capacity to minimize corruption opportunities.
18. We have also started doing security audits in all ministries to identify gaps and opportunities for corruption and recommend remedial measures. Often times, corruption takes place because of weak or lack of internal control measures. These efforts are very important and critical if we are to make a significant impact on detection and prevention.
19. Mr. Chairman, the outreach programme continues to engage various stakeholders in various forms that also include production and distribution of anti corruption literature, radio programmes, advertorials, workshops and seminars. We have seen significant interest in these programmes as can be judged by the number of requests for DCEC interventions and services from different ministries.
20. On the investigation front, during the year under review, the DCEC continues to be engaged in various operational activities that included cross border investigations. It is anticipated, looking at the characteristics of on-going investigations, that such activities will be continued in the forth-coming year.
21. Mr Chairman, the Botswana Defence Force has continued to protect the territorial integrity of our country and has assisted respective civil authorities in the execution of their mandates to make Botswana a safe and secure nation. The BDF has, and continues to assist the Department of Wildlife and National Parks in combating poaching, the Ministry of Agriculture at the height of Foot and Mouth outbreak, and the police in various policing operations. The BDF has just recently completed a Force Level Exercise "Matsubutsubu II" to ensure that it remains combat ready at all times. Our Defence force has in this financial year donated more than P120, 000.00 to various charities through its outreach programme. Aren't we lucky to have a defence force that takes security beyond the orthodox definition.
22. Finally, Mr Chairman, my Ministry is conducting a National Security Strategy Review. This will inform all Government policies and assist in the prioritisation of projects and activities, based on the assessed threat and its level. We have adopted a wide and all inclusive definition of security. Security is no longer a function of armies and security forces but relates to all threats that will have a negative impact on the safety and security of every citizen.
RECURRENT BUDGET
23. Mr. Chairman, the Recurrent Budget for Defence, Justice and Security is three billion, fifty million, five hundred and eighty thousand and seventy pula (P3 050 580 070). This is an increase of three hundred and fifty-five million, two hundred and one thousand and forty pula (P355 201 040) or 13% over 2008/2009 estimates of two billion, six hundred and ninety-five million, three hundred and seventy-nine thousand and thirty pula (P2 695 379 030). Allow me not to go into the details of the recurrent budget proposals, department by department as they are contained in the Estimates of Expenditure Book, suffice to mention that there are increases relating to, inter alia, personnel emoluments, new institutions and structures, increased footprint, crime prevention campaigns and general increase in the scope of responsibilities, of the defence and security agencies.
DEVELOPMENT BUDGET 2009/2010
24. Mr. Chairman, I request the sum of one billion, twenty-eight million, five hundred thousand pula (P1 028 500 000) for the Defence, Justice and Security departments. This is an increase of one hundred and eleven million, one hundred and sixty-two thousand, two hundred and forty three pula (P111 162 243) or 10.81% over 2008/2009 estimates of nine hundred and seventeen million, three hundred and thirty-seven thousand, seven hundred and fifty-seven pula (P917 337 757).
25. Of this amount, the Botswana Defence Force takes the largest share of five hundred million pula (P500 000 000) or 48.61%. The second largest is the Botswana Police Service with three hundred and ten million Pula (P310 000 000) or 30.14%, while the Directorate of Intelligence and Security accounts for the third largest share with two hundred million pula (P200 000 000) or 19.45%. The remaining eighteen million, five hundred thousand pula (P18 500 000) or 1.80% is distributed amongst the following projects: Border Fence, Dukwi Refugee Camp and Development of DCEC.
26. Mr. Chairman, the one billion, twenty-eight million and five hundred thousand pula (P1 028 500 000) for year 2009/2010 will be spent on the following development projects;
DEPARTMENT 0202 - OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
Project 09130 - Construction of Border Fence - Three Million Pula (P3 000 000)
27. Mr. Chairman, for this project, I request an amount of three million pula (P3 000 000) to start the reconstruction of the border fence along the Botswana/South Africa, Botswana/Namibia and Botswana/Zimbabwe boundaries. Some preparatory work has already been started towards the implementation of this project. For example, consultations with stakeholders and assessment of the extent of the dilapidation of the fence are currently on-going.
Project 09140 - Development of Dukwi Refugee Camp - Five Million Pula (P5 000 000).
28. Mr. Chairman, for this project, I request five million pula (P5 000 000) to be spent on the refurbishment of staff houses as well as the installation of a new water reticulation system at the Dukwi Refugee Camp.
DEPARTMENT 0204 - BOTSWANA POLICE SERVICE Project 09128 - Police New Facilities - One Hundred and Ninety-Five Million Pula (P195 000 000).
29. Mr. Chairman, during the 2008/2009 financial year, the following projects were physically completed and are awaiting final payments: Kachikau Police Station with 31 houses and Sehitwa Police Station with 25 houses.
30. The following projects are still on-going: the renovations of 7 houses at Sehithwa, 39 houses in Molepolole and remedial works to access road and the upgrading of existing sewer into wetlands at Tshesebe Police Station. The construction of Mahalapye Police Station with 64 houses and Palapye Police Station with 70 houses is expected to start during this quarter of 2008/2009.
31. Mr. Chairman, the following projects are currently under design stage and construction is expected to start during the financial year 2009/2010": Mmathubudukwane Police station with 55 houses, Mmashoro Police Station with 31 houses, Gantsi Police Station with 30 houses, Semolale Police Station with 20 houses, 28 houses at Letlhakane, 43 houses at Botshabelo, 130 houses at Block 10, and International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) Post Blast Range.
32. Mr. Chairman, the appointment of consultants to undertake the designs for the following projects has just been completed: Matsiloje Police Station, Forensic Science Laboratory building, Maitengwe Police Station, Martins Drift Police Station, Mmadinare Police Station, Sebina Police Station and Marapong Police Station. The construction of these Police Stations is expected to start during the third quarter of 2009/2010. The designs for Phitshane-Molopo Police Station and Gerald Estate Police Station will be finalised during the first quarter of 2009/2010.
33. Mr. Chairman, the new projects that are planned for the financial year 2009/2010 include the following: improvements to Tutume Police Station and Housing, Nata Police Station and Housing, Urban Police Station, Kalkfontein Police Station and Central Police Station.
34. Mr. Chairman, I therefore request one hundred and ninety-five million pula (P195 000 000) for the financial year 2009/2010 to start new projects, make payments for the on-going projects as well as final payments for completed ones.
Project 09129 - Police Fleet Expansion - Eighty-Five Million Pula (P85 000 000)
35. Mr. Chairman, two aircraft have been delivered, the third expected in August 2009 and eighty seven (87) vehicles have been ordered and are expected to be delivered before the end of this financial year.
36. Mr. Chairman, I therefore request the sum of eighty-five million pula (P85 000 000) for the purchase of additional vehicles and final payment for the Air Support project.
Project 09131 - Police Telecommunications and Equipment - Thirty million Pula (P30 000 000)
37. The on-going projects under this vote include: the introduction of Police Incident Management in Control Rooms, the implementation of the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) and the Global System for Monitoring Networks. The replacement of Smartzone Radio Trunking System will be starting during the 2009/2010 financial year.
38. Mr. Chairman, I therefore request thirty million pula (P30 000 000) under this project to continue with the implementation of the above projects.
DEPARTMENT 0207 - DIRECTORATE OF INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY Project 09137 - Directorate of Intelligence and Security - Two Hundred Million Pula (P200 000 000)
39. Mr. Chairman, during the financial year 2008/2009, the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) was allocated one hundred and eighty-eight million, eight hundred and fifty-seven thousand, nine hundred and ninety-eight pula (P188 857 998). The funds were used on major projects such as the acquisition of office and staff accommodation, purchasing of vehicles and procurement of other basic equipment necessary for the DIS to execute its mandate. For the financial year 2009/2010, I request an amount of two hundred million pula (P200 000 000) to continue funding general and special projects of the DIS. Contrary to illusions from some quarters, these funds will not be used for Botswana Democratic Party campaigns.
DEPARTMENT 0209 - BOTSWANA DEFENCE FORCE Project 09132 - Botswana Defence Force - Five Hundred Million Pula (P500 000 000)
40. Mr. Chairman, the shortage of accommodation in the Botswana Defence Force continues to be a major challenge. However, during the financial year 2008/09, 295 houses were completed in various installations around the country.
41. Mr. Chairman, I request an amount of five hundred million pula (P500 000 000) to cover the on-going building projects, mainly housing, as well as payments for aircraft, vehicles, communications and defence equipment for the Botswana Defence Force.
DEPARTMENT 0210 - DIRECTORATE ON CORRUPTION AND ECONOMIC CRIME Project 09133 - Development of DCEC - Ten Million, Five Hundred Thousand Pula (P10 500 000)
42. Mr. Chairman, I request an amount of ten million, five hundred thousand pula (P10 500 000). This amount will be used for the renovation of the Regional Office in Francistown as well as the design and construction of Maun staff houses.
43. Mr. Chairman, this concludes my presentation of the 2009/2010 Recurrent and Development Budget proposals for Defence, Justice and Security departments that fall under my portfolio responsibility.
44. Mr. Chairman, allow me now to present the 2009/2010 Recurrent and Development Budget for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration (PAPA) departments, namely: 0201 - State House, 0202 - Office of the President, 0203 - Directorate of Public Service Management, 0206 - Office of the Former President Masire, 0211 - National Aids Coordinating Agency, 0212 - Government Implementation Coordination Office and 0213 - Office of the Former President Mogae.
45. Mr. Chairman, I want to start by appraising Parliament on some of the achievements made, challenges met since the last budget session and key strategies for the coming financial year.
46. Mr. Chairman, the intention of Government in introducing the Performance Management System (PMS) in the public service was to ensure delivery on set and agreed plans, improve and sustain productivity at all levels, and inculcate a culture of performance. A number of reform initiatives have been introduced over the years and they are paying dividends.
47. There have been gaps, however, between the planning, budgeting, implementation and monitoring of performance. In a bid to address the gaps, the Government adopted Integrated Result Based Management (IRBM) as a comprehensive reform initiative in the preparation of National Development Plan 10 (NDP10). The planning approach ties tangible results to budget for improved efficiency in the use of limited resources. More details will come out during the NDP10 discussions.
48. Mr. Chairman, issues of mindset change and lack of innovation are still an impediment towards overall improved service quality and productivity. The World Economic Competitiveness report has cited, amongst others, poor work ethic as a challenge in Botswana. In light of this, the Public Service Reforms Unit will continue to work in partnership with various stakeholders on the issue.
49. Mr. Chairman, In pursuit of its monitoring and evaluation role with respect to approved policies, programmes and projects, Government Implementation Coordination Office (GICO) has initiated measures which include standardization of reporting. GICO is also developing a comprehensive computerization system for tracking purposes and it is expected to be operational before the end of financial year 2009/2010.
50. Mr. Chairman, for its part, the Directorate of Public Service Management continues to implement a number of strategies with a view to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the public service. These include:
(a) Management of vacancies
* Graduate registration programme which resulted in the placement of 2089 graduates in ministries by January 2009, thus reducing the vacancy rate in the C-band from 19% to 7.3%.
* The engagement of external recruitment agencies.
* Decentralisation of Appointment Boards to district level.
* The use of application lists from District Labour offices for industrial class posts without the need to advertise.
(b) Assessment and Development Centres - The use of best practice selection methods such as Assessment and Development Centres (AC/DC's) in addition to traditional selection and recruitment methods of interviews and promotions, especially in relation to leadership positions.
(c) Development of Job Effectiveness Descriptions and Competency framework The development of Job Effectiveness Descriptions and competence frameworks in place of existing Job descriptions.
(d) Succession Planning - The introduction of succession planning in order to minimize gaps in service delivery once an officer has to leave for whatever reason.
(e) Human Capital Development - Emphasis on development of competencies of officers to deliver quality service as opposed to long term training programmes.
(f) Botswana Civil Service College - The Botswana Institute of Administration and Commerce (BIAC) has been transformed into the Botswana Civil Service College (BCSC) and new training programmes are already running. Since April 2008 up to January 2009 one thousand (1,000) Public Officers have attended new leadership development programmes. Induction of newly recruited officers has been revamped and one thousand two hundred (1,200) public officers have been inducted. Transitional arrangements are also progressing well.
(g) Public Service Act and Unionisation
Finalisation of collective Bargaining Structures as provided for in the recently enacted Public Service Act.
(h) Business Process Re-engineering - The re-engineering of Public Service business processes and setting of performance standards.
To date, two hundred and thirty five (235) processes across Ministries have been re-engineered and fifty two (52) customer service standards have been published.
51. Mr. Chairman, efforts to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic are continuing. The ARV Roll Out programme continues to make significant positive contributions and it has significantly reduced the number of AIDS deaths and averted approximately 50 000 adult deaths, by the end of 2007. The estimated annual number of new child infections declined to about 890 by the end of 2007.
52. The number of lives that can be saved by the ART programme in future depends on current prevention efforts and the effect of such interventions on new infections. The total number of those newly in need of ART in 2009 is estimated at 161 700 and is projected to increase to 220 500 by 2016. Additional resources will therefore be required to sustain current enrolees and new entrants, otherwise we may have to trade off resources from other developmental needs to sustain ART treatment.
53. The challenge therefore is to strengthen and scale up prevention interventions in order to contain or even curtail the occurrence of new infections. This will bring down resource requirements to sustainable levels although not immediately. I therefore call upon the leadership at all levels to support prevention scale up to assist in turning the epidemic around.
54. Mr. Chairman, Former President Sir Ketumile Masire continues to play a critical role in issues of Election Monitoring, Peace-keeping, Post Conflict Reconstruction and Rehabilitation, and Promotion of Democracy and Good Governance. Success in these endevours has a positive effect on our enjoyment of peace and stability.
55. Similarly Mr. Chairman, Former President, Mr. F.G. Mogae continues to provide leadership in a number of areas including the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Other areas of engagement relate to the promotion of dialogue on matters which are important to the continent as well as the promotion of Botswana's interests abroad, especially on economic and governance issues.
RECURRENT BUDGET
56. Mr. Chairman, the Recurrent Budget for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration (PAPA) is three hundred and thirty-two million, six hundred and seventy-one thousand and ninety pula (P332 671 090). This is an increase of sixty-seven million, three hundred and fifty thousand, eight hundred and seventy pula (P67 350 870) or 25% over the 2008/2009 estimates of two hundred and sixty-five million, three hundred and twenty thousand, two hundred and twenty pula (P265 320 220). As requested earlier, I propose not go into details with respect to recurrent budget proposals, department by department as they are contained in the Estimates of Expenditure Book. Suffice to mention that there are increases relating to, inter alia, personnel emoluments, decentralization of vehicle replacement from Central Transport Organisation (CTO), furniture and equipment.
DEVELOPMENT BUDGET 2009/2010
57. Mr. Chairman, I request the sum of nine hundred and ninety-eight million, nine hundred and one thousand, two hundred and forty-one pula (P998 901 241) for the Presidential Affairs and Public Administration departments. This is an increase of thirty four million, and eleven thousand, three hundred and seventy-nine pula (P34 011 379) or 3.40% over the 2008/2009 estimates of nine hundred and sixty-four million, eight hundred and eighty-nine thousand, eight hundred sixty-two pula (P964 889 862).
58. Of this amount, the HIV/AIDS Programme takes the largest share of eight hundred and thirty-eight million, seven hundred and fifty-one thousand, three hundred and seventy pula (P838 751 370) or 83.97%. The second largest share goes to the Presidential Jet with ninety million pula (P90 000 000) or 9.01%. The remaining seventy million, one hundred and forty-nine thousand, eight hundred and seventy-one pula (P70 149 871) or 7.02% is distributed amongst several projects, namely: Improvements to State House, Office of the President Computerisation, Office of the President Fleet Expansion, Office of the President Consultancies, Directorate of Public Service Management, Botswana Civil Service College, and Development of BNPC.
59. Mr. Chairman, nine hundred and ninety-eight million, nine hundred and one thousand, two hundred and forty-one pula (P998 901 241) for the year 2009/2010 will be spent on the following development projects:
Department 0201 - State House
Project 09121- Improvements to State House - Seven Million, Five Hundred Thousand Pula (P7 500 000).
60. Mr. Chairman, the total amount requested under this project is seven million, five hundred thousand pula (P7 500 000). The funds will be used for the completion of Phase III of the State House which comprises of the rehabilitation of electrical, mechanical, and plumbing installations, landscaping at the State House as well as conversion of the old Serious Crime Squad offices to provide accommodation for the BDF Sentries at the State House.
61. Mr. Chairman, Phase III of the State House project commenced in March 2008. It was originally anticipated to be completed by October 2008, but unfortunately the works were delayed due to the discovery of unforeseen problems such as ants' infestation in the roof space that necessitated complete re-roofing of the building. The project is now expected to be completed in March 2009. With regard to the conversion of Serious Crime Squad offices into a BDF Sentry accommodation and landscaping of State House, work is expected to start during the first quarter of 2009/2010.
Department 0202 - Office of the President Project 09122 - OP Computerisation - Seven Million, Six Hundred Thousand Pula (P7 600 000)
62. Mr. Chairman, the total amount requested under this project is seven million, six hundred thousand pula (P7 600 000). The funds will be used to cater for the development of the National Disaster Management and the Appeals Management Systems as well as the computer needs for Office of the President and Office of the Auditor General.
63. Mr. Chairman, the Appeals Management System project has already been awarded and work is expected to be completed by December 2009. As for the Disaster Management System project, tenders are currently being evaluated and the project is expected to start in the second quarter of the financial year 2009/10. Once awarded, the project is estimated to take eleven months to complete.
Project 09123 - OP Fleet Expansion - Three Million, Three Hundred and Thirty-Eight Thousand, Six Hundred and Ninety Pula (P3 338 690)
64. Mr. Chairman, under this vote, I request three million, three hundred and thirty-eight thousand, six hundred and ninety pula (P3 338 690) for the financial year 2009/10. The funds will be used for the procurement of vehicles for the Office of the President and Office of the Auditor General.
65. Mr. Chairman, the delivery of the Executive Caravan for His Excellency the President has been delayed. It was initially expected that the Caravan will be delivered by November 2008. The latest estimated delivery date is now February 2009.
Project 09124 - OP Consultancies - Fourteen Million, Seven Hundred and Thirty-Seven Thousand, One Hundred and Eighty-One Pula (P14 737 181)
66. Mr. Chairman, under this project, I request a total amount of fourteen million, seven hundred and thirty-seven thousand, one hundred and eighty-one pula (P14 737 181). The funds will be used to continue the implementation of various strategies to reform the public sector with a view to improve productivity and service delivery. Part of the funds will be used for the Review of the Legal Framework and the Restructuring of the Office of the Auditor General, as well as the Customer Satisfaction Survey under Office of the President.
Project 09136 - Presidential Jet - Ninety Million Pula (P90 000 000)
67. Mr. Chairman, the delivery of the Presidential Jet which was expected in October 2008 has been delayed. The Jet is now expected to be delivered in May 2009. I therefore request ninety million pula (P90 000 000) under this project for financial year 2009/2010 to cover the final payment for the Jet.
Department 0203 - Directorate of Public Service Management Project 09127 - Botswana Civil Service College - Thirteen Million, Nine Hundred and Forty Thousand Pula (P13 940 000)
68. Mr. Chairman, the construction of the hostel, kitchen and dining hall at Botswana Institute of Administration and Commerce is complete and the final account is expected to be paid in April 2009. The tenders for the purchase of furniture will be awarded in February 2009 with delivery expected in March 2009. The construction of the auditorium is not yet complete due to the dispute between the contractor and the client. Negotiations to close the matter are on-going between the two parties. The pre-design work for the new Botswana Civil Service College will start in 2009/2010.
69. Mr Chairman, I therefore request an amount of thirteen million, nine hundred and forty thousand pula (P13 940 000).
Project 09138 - Development of DPSM - Eighteen Million, Eight Hundred and Seventy-Nine Thousand Pula (P18 879 000)
70. Mr Chairman, I request an amount of eighteen million, eight hundred and seventy-nine thousand pula (P18 879 000) under this vote to undertake the following projects: development of DPSM Interactive Website, development of a Business Process Management System, undertake Research on Labour Market, Establish an Information Resource Centre and develop Assessment and Development Centres (AC/DCs).
Project 09139 - Development of BNPC - Four Million, One Hundred and Fifty-Five Thousand Pula (P4 155 000)
71. Mr. Chairman, I request four million, one hundred and fifty five thousand pula (P4 155 000) for the Botswana National Productivity Centre (BNPC). The funds will be used to cover the refurbishment of the BNPC buildings, design of the Francistown Regional Office, upgrading of the Francistown library and the purchase of a generator for the Gaborone office.
DEPARTMENT 0211 - NATIONAL AIDS COORDINATING AGENCY
Project 09134 - HIV/AIDS Programme - Eight Hundred and Thirty-Eight Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty-One Thousand, Three Hundred and Seventy Pula (P838 751 370)
72. Mr Chairman, the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to claim the largest share of the development budget for State President. The funds are used for the implementation of various national response programmes such as like home based care, orphan care, condom supplies, provision of Anti Retroviral Therapy, Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission. Particular emphasis will be placed on scaling up prevention interventions to curb new infections. Issues of sustainability, allocative and technical efficiency of the various programmes will also be addressed.
73. Mr. Chairman, I therefore request an amount of eight hundred and thirty-eight million, seven hundred and fifty-one thousand, three hundred and seventy pula (P838 751 370).
74. Mr. Chairman, this concludes my submission on Presidential Affairs and Public Administration departments.
CONCLUSION
75. Mr. Chairman, having concluded the presentations for the entire Ministry of State President Head 0200, I therefore request that the sum of three billion, three hundred and eighty-three million, two hundred and fifty-one thousand, one hundred and sixty pula (P3 383 251 160) for Recurrent Expenditure, and two billion, twenty-seven million, four hundred and one thousand, two hundred and forty-one pula (P2 027 401 241) for the Development Budget be approved and stand part of the Estimates for the financial year 2009/2010. I move accordingly. I thank you Mr. Chairman
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President "Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"
B1) 16/2/09: SPEECH BY THE MINISTER FOR DEFENCE, JUSTICE AND SECURITY, HON. D. N. SERETSE, TO THE COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY FOR MINISTRY 0200 - STATE PRESIDENT:
INTRODUCTION
1. Mr. Chairman, it is my pleasure to present the 2009/2010 Recurrent and Development Budget for State President under Head 0200. I will start by presenting the budget for departments falling under Defence, Justice and Security (DJS) namely: 0204 - Botswana Police Services, 0207 - Directorate of Intelligence and Security, 0209 - Botswana Defence Force and 0210 - Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime. I will subsequently cover the Presidential Affairs and Public Administration departments.
2. Mr. Chairman, I will preface my budget presentation with a brief on my Ministry's achievements and challenges in this financial year, i.e. 2008/2009.
BACKGROUND
3. Mr. Chairman, the incidence of crime particularly in urban and peri-urban areas showed an increase in certain offences whilst in others, notable decreases were observed. Crime of whatever form, however, continues to be a cause for concern.
4. In order to significantly reduce crime, my Ministry continues to coordinate all the Security and Defence Agencies, namely the Botswana Defence Force, Botswana Police Service, Directorate of Intelligence and Security and the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime. We are also engaging all other stakeholders such as Botswana Local Police Force, private security companies, the business community and the general public, in the development and improvement of our policing strategies.
5. The Botswana Police Service continues to be an active member of the international and regional organisations, such as INTERPOL and Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (SARPCCO). This enhances the capacity of the Service in the fight against trans-national organised crime.
6. Mr. Chairman, in responding to the challenges of realising a safe and secure nation, the Botswana Police Service has embarked on a number of initiatives and projects.
7. The Air Support Wing has been established with the delivery of two of the three helicopters on 14th January 2009 and the third is expected in August 2009.
8. Mr Chairman, the long awaited two (2) Water Cannons, which were ordered during the financial year 2006/2007 were delivered in March 2008.
9. We have improved on our community policing by introducing a cluster policing strategy. Villages, towns and cities, wards and Dikgotla therein are clustered on proximity to one another. Personnel within the respective Police Stations are distributed amongst these clusters. In future, satellite Police stations will be placed within these clusters to take policing to the people. Clusters will develop ways and methods of combating crime within their communities together with the police. This, we hope will be able to significantly reduce crime in communities as all will be involved and therefore have ownership of the crime fighting strategies.
10. The Police Service is developing a blue print for Rapid Response Teams. These will improve on the responsiveness of the Police to reported incidents and will comprise all the necessary response elements and in some cases even include other security stakeholders. This initiative will definitely come with costs, and we intend to use both appropriated and non-appropriated funds, the latter of which will be raised through our cooperation with the business community.
11. We are also consulting on city surveillance and traffic monitoring solutions to improve on detection and prevention and improve the overall efficiency of the Botswana Police Service in fighting crime. We are continuing to use all the security and defence agencies in aid of one another in stepping up our efforts to eradicate crime. This, we have found necessary for optimal use of available and relevant government resources.
12. It was my intention to establish during the financial year 2009/2010 the Stock Theft Branch for specialized investigations on stock theft cases and Internal Affairs Department for specialized investigations on police processes and adherence to procedures. However, because of the economic meltdown, the creation of these departments has been deferred until the economic situation stabilizes. The merger of Botswana Local Police Service and Botswana Police Service is expected to materialize in the 2009/2010 financial year.
13. Mr. Chairman, the Directorate of Intelligence and Security became operational in April, 2008. During the first half of the financial year, the directorate focused mainly on setting up and acquiring the necessary office space, recruiting staff and purchasing furniture and equipment necessary for its mandate. The Directorate will, in the next financial year, open up offices in strategic locations which will assist in ensuring that the office delivers on its mandate. We have since the establishment of the Directorate seen a significant improvement in the general detection of crime and this is largely due to the cooperation between the security agencies of government.
14. Mr. Chairman, let me assure all the sceptics that the DIS was established to ensure the security of Botswana and every Motswana and this they will do diligently with due regard to the laws of this country.
15. Mr. Chairman, after dropping from 5.9 to 5.4 in 2007 in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, Botswana realized a slight improvement from 5.4 to 5.8 according to the 2008 Transparency International ratings. This rating retains Botswana within the 25 least corrupt countries the world over and still occupies the first position on the African continent.
16. Mr. Chairman, our biggest challenge is to keep the DCEC and its strategies under constant review and evaluation to determine the level of effectiveness, relevance and responsiveness. In this Financial Year, the DCEC has opened a Regional Office in Maun. This will improve accessibility of services to its stakeholders.
17. Mr. Chairman, the National Anti Corruption Strategy is still outstanding, but some significant strides have been made in engaging various ministries and departments on a number of strategies, for instance, the establishment of corruption prevention committees. The formation of such committees entails extensive training on public service standards, risk management, compliance and increased institutional capacity to minimize corruption opportunities.
18. We have also started doing security audits in all ministries to identify gaps and opportunities for corruption and recommend remedial measures. Often times, corruption takes place because of weak or lack of internal control measures. These efforts are very important and critical if we are to make a significant impact on detection and prevention.
19. Mr. Chairman, the outreach programme continues to engage various stakeholders in various forms that also include production and distribution of anti corruption literature, radio programmes, advertorials, workshops and seminars. We have seen significant interest in these programmes as can be judged by the number of requests for DCEC interventions and services from different ministries.
20. On the investigation front, during the year under review, the DCEC continues to be engaged in various operational activities that included cross border investigations. It is anticipated, looking at the characteristics of on-going investigations, that such activities will be continued in the forth-coming year.
21. Mr Chairman, the Botswana Defence Force has continued to protect the territorial integrity of our country and has assisted respective civil authorities in the execution of their mandates to make Botswana a safe and secure nation. The BDF has, and continues to assist the Department of Wildlife and National Parks in combating poaching, the Ministry of Agriculture at the height of Foot and Mouth outbreak, and the police in various policing operations. The BDF has just recently completed a Force Level Exercise "Matsubutsubu II" to ensure that it remains combat ready at all times. Our Defence force has in this financial year donated more than P120, 000.00 to various charities through its outreach programme. Aren't we lucky to have a defence force that takes security beyond the orthodox definition.
22. Finally, Mr Chairman, my Ministry is conducting a National Security Strategy Review. This will inform all Government policies and assist in the prioritisation of projects and activities, based on the assessed threat and its level. We have adopted a wide and all inclusive definition of security. Security is no longer a function of armies and security forces but relates to all threats that will have a negative impact on the safety and security of every citizen.
RECURRENT BUDGET
23. Mr. Chairman, the Recurrent Budget for Defence, Justice and Security is three billion, fifty million, five hundred and eighty thousand and seventy pula (P3 050 580 070). This is an increase of three hundred and fifty-five million, two hundred and one thousand and forty pula (P355 201 040) or 13% over 2008/2009 estimates of two billion, six hundred and ninety-five million, three hundred and seventy-nine thousand and thirty pula (P2 695 379 030). Allow me not to go into the details of the recurrent budget proposals, department by department as they are contained in the Estimates of Expenditure Book, suffice to mention that there are increases relating to, inter alia, personnel emoluments, new institutions and structures, increased footprint, crime prevention campaigns and general increase in the scope of responsibilities, of the defence and security agencies.
DEVELOPMENT BUDGET 2009/2010
24. Mr. Chairman, I request the sum of one billion, twenty-eight million, five hundred thousand pula (P1 028 500 000) for the Defence, Justice and Security departments. This is an increase of one hundred and eleven million, one hundred and sixty-two thousand, two hundred and forty three pula (P111 162 243) or 10.81% over 2008/2009 estimates of nine hundred and seventeen million, three hundred and thirty-seven thousand, seven hundred and fifty-seven pula (P917 337 757).
25. Of this amount, the Botswana Defence Force takes the largest share of five hundred million pula (P500 000 000) or 48.61%. The second largest is the Botswana Police Service with three hundred and ten million Pula (P310 000 000) or 30.14%, while the Directorate of Intelligence and Security accounts for the third largest share with two hundred million pula (P200 000 000) or 19.45%. The remaining eighteen million, five hundred thousand pula (P18 500 000) or 1.80% is distributed amongst the following projects: Border Fence, Dukwi Refugee Camp and Development of DCEC.
26. Mr. Chairman, the one billion, twenty-eight million and five hundred thousand pula (P1 028 500 000) for year 2009/2010 will be spent on the following development projects;
DEPARTMENT 0202 - OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
Project 09130 - Construction of Border Fence - Three Million Pula (P3 000 000)
27. Mr. Chairman, for this project, I request an amount of three million pula (P3 000 000) to start the reconstruction of the border fence along the Botswana/South Africa, Botswana/Namibia and Botswana/Zimbabwe boundaries. Some preparatory work has already been started towards the implementation of this project. For example, consultations with stakeholders and assessment of the extent of the dilapidation of the fence are currently on-going.
Project 09140 - Development of Dukwi Refugee Camp - Five Million Pula (P5 000 000).
28. Mr. Chairman, for this project, I request five million pula (P5 000 000) to be spent on the refurbishment of staff houses as well as the installation of a new water reticulation system at the Dukwi Refugee Camp.
DEPARTMENT 0204 - BOTSWANA POLICE SERVICE Project 09128 - Police New Facilities - One Hundred and Ninety-Five Million Pula (P195 000 000).
29. Mr. Chairman, during the 2008/2009 financial year, the following projects were physically completed and are awaiting final payments: Kachikau Police Station with 31 houses and Sehitwa Police Station with 25 houses.
30. The following projects are still on-going: the renovations of 7 houses at Sehithwa, 39 houses in Molepolole and remedial works to access road and the upgrading of existing sewer into wetlands at Tshesebe Police Station. The construction of Mahalapye Police Station with 64 houses and Palapye Police Station with 70 houses is expected to start during this quarter of 2008/2009.
31. Mr. Chairman, the following projects are currently under design stage and construction is expected to start during the financial year 2009/2010": Mmathubudukwane Police station with 55 houses, Mmashoro Police Station with 31 houses, Gantsi Police Station with 30 houses, Semolale Police Station with 20 houses, 28 houses at Letlhakane, 43 houses at Botshabelo, 130 houses at Block 10, and International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) Post Blast Range.
32. Mr. Chairman, the appointment of consultants to undertake the designs for the following projects has just been completed: Matsiloje Police Station, Forensic Science Laboratory building, Maitengwe Police Station, Martins Drift Police Station, Mmadinare Police Station, Sebina Police Station and Marapong Police Station. The construction of these Police Stations is expected to start during the third quarter of 2009/2010. The designs for Phitshane-Molopo Police Station and Gerald Estate Police Station will be finalised during the first quarter of 2009/2010.
33. Mr. Chairman, the new projects that are planned for the financial year 2009/2010 include the following: improvements to Tutume Police Station and Housing, Nata Police Station and Housing, Urban Police Station, Kalkfontein Police Station and Central Police Station.
34. Mr. Chairman, I therefore request one hundred and ninety-five million pula (P195 000 000) for the financial year 2009/2010 to start new projects, make payments for the on-going projects as well as final payments for completed ones.
Project 09129 - Police Fleet Expansion - Eighty-Five Million Pula (P85 000 000)
35. Mr. Chairman, two aircraft have been delivered, the third expected in August 2009 and eighty seven (87) vehicles have been ordered and are expected to be delivered before the end of this financial year.
36. Mr. Chairman, I therefore request the sum of eighty-five million pula (P85 000 000) for the purchase of additional vehicles and final payment for the Air Support project.
Project 09131 - Police Telecommunications and Equipment - Thirty million Pula (P30 000 000)
37. The on-going projects under this vote include: the introduction of Police Incident Management in Control Rooms, the implementation of the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) and the Global System for Monitoring Networks. The replacement of Smartzone Radio Trunking System will be starting during the 2009/2010 financial year.
38. Mr. Chairman, I therefore request thirty million pula (P30 000 000) under this project to continue with the implementation of the above projects.
DEPARTMENT 0207 - DIRECTORATE OF INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY Project 09137 - Directorate of Intelligence and Security - Two Hundred Million Pula (P200 000 000)
39. Mr. Chairman, during the financial year 2008/2009, the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) was allocated one hundred and eighty-eight million, eight hundred and fifty-seven thousand, nine hundred and ninety-eight pula (P188 857 998). The funds were used on major projects such as the acquisition of office and staff accommodation, purchasing of vehicles and procurement of other basic equipment necessary for the DIS to execute its mandate. For the financial year 2009/2010, I request an amount of two hundred million pula (P200 000 000) to continue funding general and special projects of the DIS. Contrary to illusions from some quarters, these funds will not be used for Botswana Democratic Party campaigns.
DEPARTMENT 0209 - BOTSWANA DEFENCE FORCE Project 09132 - Botswana Defence Force - Five Hundred Million Pula (P500 000 000)
40. Mr. Chairman, the shortage of accommodation in the Botswana Defence Force continues to be a major challenge. However, during the financial year 2008/09, 295 houses were completed in various installations around the country.
41. Mr. Chairman, I request an amount of five hundred million pula (P500 000 000) to cover the on-going building projects, mainly housing, as well as payments for aircraft, vehicles, communications and defence equipment for the Botswana Defence Force.
DEPARTMENT 0210 - DIRECTORATE ON CORRUPTION AND ECONOMIC CRIME Project 09133 - Development of DCEC - Ten Million, Five Hundred Thousand Pula (P10 500 000)
42. Mr. Chairman, I request an amount of ten million, five hundred thousand pula (P10 500 000). This amount will be used for the renovation of the Regional Office in Francistown as well as the design and construction of Maun staff houses.
43. Mr. Chairman, this concludes my presentation of the 2009/2010 Recurrent and Development Budget proposals for Defence, Justice and Security departments that fall under my portfolio responsibility.
44. Mr. Chairman, allow me now to present the 2009/2010 Recurrent and Development Budget for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration (PAPA) departments, namely: 0201 - State House, 0202 - Office of the President, 0203 - Directorate of Public Service Management, 0206 - Office of the Former President Masire, 0211 - National Aids Coordinating Agency, 0212 - Government Implementation Coordination Office and 0213 - Office of the Former President Mogae.
45. Mr. Chairman, I want to start by appraising Parliament on some of the achievements made, challenges met since the last budget session and key strategies for the coming financial year.
46. Mr. Chairman, the intention of Government in introducing the Performance Management System (PMS) in the public service was to ensure delivery on set and agreed plans, improve and sustain productivity at all levels, and inculcate a culture of performance. A number of reform initiatives have been introduced over the years and they are paying dividends.
47. There have been gaps, however, between the planning, budgeting, implementation and monitoring of performance. In a bid to address the gaps, the Government adopted Integrated Result Based Management (IRBM) as a comprehensive reform initiative in the preparation of National Development Plan 10 (NDP10). The planning approach ties tangible results to budget for improved efficiency in the use of limited resources. More details will come out during the NDP10 discussions.
48. Mr. Chairman, issues of mindset change and lack of innovation are still an impediment towards overall improved service quality and productivity. The World Economic Competitiveness report has cited, amongst others, poor work ethic as a challenge in Botswana. In light of this, the Public Service Reforms Unit will continue to work in partnership with various stakeholders on the issue.
49. Mr. Chairman, In pursuit of its monitoring and evaluation role with respect to approved policies, programmes and projects, Government Implementation Coordination Office (GICO) has initiated measures which include standardization of reporting. GICO is also developing a comprehensive computerization system for tracking purposes and it is expected to be operational before the end of financial year 2009/2010.
50. Mr. Chairman, for its part, the Directorate of Public Service Management continues to implement a number of strategies with a view to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the public service. These include:
(a) Management of vacancies
* Graduate registration programme which resulted in the placement of 2089 graduates in ministries by January 2009, thus reducing the vacancy rate in the C-band from 19% to 7.3%.
* The engagement of external recruitment agencies.
* Decentralisation of Appointment Boards to district level.
* The use of application lists from District Labour offices for industrial class posts without the need to advertise.
(b) Assessment and Development Centres - The use of best practice selection methods such as Assessment and Development Centres (AC/DC's) in addition to traditional selection and recruitment methods of interviews and promotions, especially in relation to leadership positions.
(c) Development of Job Effectiveness Descriptions and Competency framework The development of Job Effectiveness Descriptions and competence frameworks in place of existing Job descriptions.
(d) Succession Planning - The introduction of succession planning in order to minimize gaps in service delivery once an officer has to leave for whatever reason.
(e) Human Capital Development - Emphasis on development of competencies of officers to deliver quality service as opposed to long term training programmes.
(f) Botswana Civil Service College - The Botswana Institute of Administration and Commerce (BIAC) has been transformed into the Botswana Civil Service College (BCSC) and new training programmes are already running. Since April 2008 up to January 2009 one thousand (1,000) Public Officers have attended new leadership development programmes. Induction of newly recruited officers has been revamped and one thousand two hundred (1,200) public officers have been inducted. Transitional arrangements are also progressing well.
(g) Public Service Act and Unionisation
Finalisation of collective Bargaining Structures as provided for in the recently enacted Public Service Act.
(h) Business Process Re-engineering - The re-engineering of Public Service business processes and setting of performance standards.
To date, two hundred and thirty five (235) processes across Ministries have been re-engineered and fifty two (52) customer service standards have been published.
51. Mr. Chairman, efforts to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic are continuing. The ARV Roll Out programme continues to make significant positive contributions and it has significantly reduced the number of AIDS deaths and averted approximately 50 000 adult deaths, by the end of 2007. The estimated annual number of new child infections declined to about 890 by the end of 2007.
52. The number of lives that can be saved by the ART programme in future depends on current prevention efforts and the effect of such interventions on new infections. The total number of those newly in need of ART in 2009 is estimated at 161 700 and is projected to increase to 220 500 by 2016. Additional resources will therefore be required to sustain current enrolees and new entrants, otherwise we may have to trade off resources from other developmental needs to sustain ART treatment.
53. The challenge therefore is to strengthen and scale up prevention interventions in order to contain or even curtail the occurrence of new infections. This will bring down resource requirements to sustainable levels although not immediately. I therefore call upon the leadership at all levels to support prevention scale up to assist in turning the epidemic around.
54. Mr. Chairman, Former President Sir Ketumile Masire continues to play a critical role in issues of Election Monitoring, Peace-keeping, Post Conflict Reconstruction and Rehabilitation, and Promotion of Democracy and Good Governance. Success in these endevours has a positive effect on our enjoyment of peace and stability.
55. Similarly Mr. Chairman, Former President, Mr. F.G. Mogae continues to provide leadership in a number of areas including the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Other areas of engagement relate to the promotion of dialogue on matters which are important to the continent as well as the promotion of Botswana's interests abroad, especially on economic and governance issues.
RECURRENT BUDGET
56. Mr. Chairman, the Recurrent Budget for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration (PAPA) is three hundred and thirty-two million, six hundred and seventy-one thousand and ninety pula (P332 671 090). This is an increase of sixty-seven million, three hundred and fifty thousand, eight hundred and seventy pula (P67 350 870) or 25% over the 2008/2009 estimates of two hundred and sixty-five million, three hundred and twenty thousand, two hundred and twenty pula (P265 320 220). As requested earlier, I propose not go into details with respect to recurrent budget proposals, department by department as they are contained in the Estimates of Expenditure Book. Suffice to mention that there are increases relating to, inter alia, personnel emoluments, decentralization of vehicle replacement from Central Transport Organisation (CTO), furniture and equipment.
DEVELOPMENT BUDGET 2009/2010
57. Mr. Chairman, I request the sum of nine hundred and ninety-eight million, nine hundred and one thousand, two hundred and forty-one pula (P998 901 241) for the Presidential Affairs and Public Administration departments. This is an increase of thirty four million, and eleven thousand, three hundred and seventy-nine pula (P34 011 379) or 3.40% over the 2008/2009 estimates of nine hundred and sixty-four million, eight hundred and eighty-nine thousand, eight hundred sixty-two pula (P964 889 862).
58. Of this amount, the HIV/AIDS Programme takes the largest share of eight hundred and thirty-eight million, seven hundred and fifty-one thousand, three hundred and seventy pula (P838 751 370) or 83.97%. The second largest share goes to the Presidential Jet with ninety million pula (P90 000 000) or 9.01%. The remaining seventy million, one hundred and forty-nine thousand, eight hundred and seventy-one pula (P70 149 871) or 7.02% is distributed amongst several projects, namely: Improvements to State House, Office of the President Computerisation, Office of the President Fleet Expansion, Office of the President Consultancies, Directorate of Public Service Management, Botswana Civil Service College, and Development of BNPC.
59. Mr. Chairman, nine hundred and ninety-eight million, nine hundred and one thousand, two hundred and forty-one pula (P998 901 241) for the year 2009/2010 will be spent on the following development projects:
Department 0201 - State House
Project 09121- Improvements to State House - Seven Million, Five Hundred Thousand Pula (P7 500 000).
60. Mr. Chairman, the total amount requested under this project is seven million, five hundred thousand pula (P7 500 000). The funds will be used for the completion of Phase III of the State House which comprises of the rehabilitation of electrical, mechanical, and plumbing installations, landscaping at the State House as well as conversion of the old Serious Crime Squad offices to provide accommodation for the BDF Sentries at the State House.
61. Mr. Chairman, Phase III of the State House project commenced in March 2008. It was originally anticipated to be completed by October 2008, but unfortunately the works were delayed due to the discovery of unforeseen problems such as ants' infestation in the roof space that necessitated complete re-roofing of the building. The project is now expected to be completed in March 2009. With regard to the conversion of Serious Crime Squad offices into a BDF Sentry accommodation and landscaping of State House, work is expected to start during the first quarter of 2009/2010.
Department 0202 - Office of the President Project 09122 - OP Computerisation - Seven Million, Six Hundred Thousand Pula (P7 600 000)
62. Mr. Chairman, the total amount requested under this project is seven million, six hundred thousand pula (P7 600 000). The funds will be used to cater for the development of the National Disaster Management and the Appeals Management Systems as well as the computer needs for Office of the President and Office of the Auditor General.
63. Mr. Chairman, the Appeals Management System project has already been awarded and work is expected to be completed by December 2009. As for the Disaster Management System project, tenders are currently being evaluated and the project is expected to start in the second quarter of the financial year 2009/10. Once awarded, the project is estimated to take eleven months to complete.
Project 09123 - OP Fleet Expansion - Three Million, Three Hundred and Thirty-Eight Thousand, Six Hundred and Ninety Pula (P3 338 690)
64. Mr. Chairman, under this vote, I request three million, three hundred and thirty-eight thousand, six hundred and ninety pula (P3 338 690) for the financial year 2009/10. The funds will be used for the procurement of vehicles for the Office of the President and Office of the Auditor General.
65. Mr. Chairman, the delivery of the Executive Caravan for His Excellency the President has been delayed. It was initially expected that the Caravan will be delivered by November 2008. The latest estimated delivery date is now February 2009.
Project 09124 - OP Consultancies - Fourteen Million, Seven Hundred and Thirty-Seven Thousand, One Hundred and Eighty-One Pula (P14 737 181)
66. Mr. Chairman, under this project, I request a total amount of fourteen million, seven hundred and thirty-seven thousand, one hundred and eighty-one pula (P14 737 181). The funds will be used to continue the implementation of various strategies to reform the public sector with a view to improve productivity and service delivery. Part of the funds will be used for the Review of the Legal Framework and the Restructuring of the Office of the Auditor General, as well as the Customer Satisfaction Survey under Office of the President.
Project 09136 - Presidential Jet - Ninety Million Pula (P90 000 000)
67. Mr. Chairman, the delivery of the Presidential Jet which was expected in October 2008 has been delayed. The Jet is now expected to be delivered in May 2009. I therefore request ninety million pula (P90 000 000) under this project for financial year 2009/2010 to cover the final payment for the Jet.
Department 0203 - Directorate of Public Service Management Project 09127 - Botswana Civil Service College - Thirteen Million, Nine Hundred and Forty Thousand Pula (P13 940 000)
68. Mr. Chairman, the construction of the hostel, kitchen and dining hall at Botswana Institute of Administration and Commerce is complete and the final account is expected to be paid in April 2009. The tenders for the purchase of furniture will be awarded in February 2009 with delivery expected in March 2009. The construction of the auditorium is not yet complete due to the dispute between the contractor and the client. Negotiations to close the matter are on-going between the two parties. The pre-design work for the new Botswana Civil Service College will start in 2009/2010.
69. Mr Chairman, I therefore request an amount of thirteen million, nine hundred and forty thousand pula (P13 940 000).
Project 09138 - Development of DPSM - Eighteen Million, Eight Hundred and Seventy-Nine Thousand Pula (P18 879 000)
70. Mr Chairman, I request an amount of eighteen million, eight hundred and seventy-nine thousand pula (P18 879 000) under this vote to undertake the following projects: development of DPSM Interactive Website, development of a Business Process Management System, undertake Research on Labour Market, Establish an Information Resource Centre and develop Assessment and Development Centres (AC/DCs).
Project 09139 - Development of BNPC - Four Million, One Hundred and Fifty-Five Thousand Pula (P4 155 000)
71. Mr. Chairman, I request four million, one hundred and fifty five thousand pula (P4 155 000) for the Botswana National Productivity Centre (BNPC). The funds will be used to cover the refurbishment of the BNPC buildings, design of the Francistown Regional Office, upgrading of the Francistown library and the purchase of a generator for the Gaborone office.
DEPARTMENT 0211 - NATIONAL AIDS COORDINATING AGENCY
Project 09134 - HIV/AIDS Programme - Eight Hundred and Thirty-Eight Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty-One Thousand, Three Hundred and Seventy Pula (P838 751 370)
72. Mr Chairman, the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to claim the largest share of the development budget for State President. The funds are used for the implementation of various national response programmes such as like home based care, orphan care, condom supplies, provision of Anti Retroviral Therapy, Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission. Particular emphasis will be placed on scaling up prevention interventions to curb new infections. Issues of sustainability, allocative and technical efficiency of the various programmes will also be addressed.
73. Mr. Chairman, I therefore request an amount of eight hundred and thirty-eight million, seven hundred and fifty-one thousand, three hundred and seventy pula (P838 751 370).
74. Mr. Chairman, this concludes my submission on Presidential Affairs and Public Administration departments.
CONCLUSION
75. Mr. Chairman, having concluded the presentations for the entire Ministry of State President Head 0200, I therefore request that the sum of three billion, three hundred and eighty-three million, two hundred and fifty-one thousand, one hundred and sixty pula (P3 383 251 160) for Recurrent Expenditure, and two billion, twenty-seven million, four hundred and one thousand, two hundred and forty-one pula (P2 027 401 241) for the Development Budget be approved and stand part of the Estimates for the financial year 2009/2010. I move accordingly. I thank you Mr. Chairman
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