Africa-Press – Botswana. Kachikau residents have pronounced the Penal Code Amendment Act 2021 as a welcome development that safeguards a girl child’s upbringing.
The Act enhances penalties for sexual offenders as enacted by the Parliament of Botswana.
Addressing a kgotla meeting in Kachikau on October 20, Minister of Justice, Mr Machana Shamukuni told residents that any person charged with rape would be sentenced to a minimum of 20 years imprisonment or a maximum term of life imprisonment.
He said in a case where rape was committed by violence resulting in injury, the perpetrator would be sentenced to a minimum 25 years imprisonment, whereas a person convicted of rape and infecting a victim with HIV knowingly would face a 30-year sentence.
The minister further pointed out that where a victim below the age of 14 or with a disability was raped by a guardian, the person convicted would face a minimum of 30 years imprisonment.
Mr Shamukuni stated that gender-based violence was on the rise in Chobe, adding that some cases go unreported as victims feared stigmatisation by the society.
Moreover, he noted that some victims dismissed the cases while others failed to present evidence needed to convict perpetrators.
He highlighted that as long as sexual offences were left unreported, sex predators would continue to take advantage of underage girls and violate women.
The minister informed residents that his ministry would review the bail application law as a response to the public outcry against people who committed heinous crimes such as murder and get bail.
He said the review would include legal provisions relating to granting bail in order to safeguard the community as some people on bail had committed the same crime.
He said his ministry would embark on an awareness campaign to educate Batswana about this particular law before being debated in Parliament in November or February 2024.
For his part, Department of Public Prosecutions chief prosecutor, Mr Gasemotho Pitagano informed residents that the DPP had recently opened an office in Chobe to expedite the process of justice.
He highlighted that the public was a key stakeholder for justice to prevail, hence urged individuals to assist in gathering evidence and testimonies to speed up court proceedings.
Mr Pitagano said currently there were 61 cases in Chobe 13 of which were defilement, 12 were rape cases, six threats to kill, seven murder and the rest were non-sexual and violence related.
Kachikau residents hailed the increase in imprisonment term, noting that sex predators would desist from violating others with the fear of serving more stringent penalties.
Residents said Botswana had become an unsafe place to raise a girl child due to the high rate of GBV.
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