Police Commissioner ordered to release missing overtime documents
The Gaborone High Court has issued a bombshell order, demanding that Police Commissioner Dinah Marathe produce long-hidden documents for unpaid overtime allowance for police officers who battled the infamous Cattle Lung Disease outbreak in Ngamiland in the late 90s.
The documents, believed to be stuck in limbo between Police Headquarters and the Attorney General’s Chambers- despite the two offices being just 200 meters apart- could finally unlock payments owed to a group of frustrated officers who have been fighting for justice for over 25 years.
Included in the documents are, a letter from the Commander of the Special Support Group (SSG), A Block Casualty Return Form for calculating payment, and a list of officers deployed in the operation.
Justice Dr Godfrey Radijeng gave Commissioner Marathe just 10 days to cough up the paperwork, further fuelling more drama in this long-running saga.
The court order came after a State Attorney Grenorrah Begane initially claimed ignorance of the documents, only to backtrack, revealing that his client had denied him access to them.
Apparently, the documents were sourced in July 2024 from SSG offices and ended up in the hands of one Senior Assistant Commissioner Sefhako, who was supposed to share them with AG Attorneys.
The revelation comes after Tshenolo Kgaswanyane and eight former SSG colleagues dragged the Attorney General to the High Court, demanding their overdue payments after being given the runarounds for decades.
When giving evidence this week, retired Constable Benjamin Magomotsi Barupi said that they were deployed between April 1996 and July 1997 and worked extra hours to contain the spread of the disease from Ngamiland into Gantsi District.
He added that upon completion of the assignment, they waited for their seniors to process the payment of their overtime allowance, as it was normal practice.
But years passed by until 2018 when they received correspondence from SSG to submit their claims.
However, unbeknown to them, they were starting another long journey between offices at Police Headquarters until they resolved to launch the legal process in early 2020.
Barupi said he retired from service in November 2018 when his payment was still being processed.
Kefithile Shima Kefithile who is currently stationed at Otse Police College confirmed that he processed the payments for some officers, adding that it was normal practice and the responsibility of senior officers to process payments within reasonable time.
The former SSG officers are also demanding compensation for Housing Allowance, claiming they were forced to live in tents at SSG camp in Gaborone for many years, whilst their colleagues stationed in police stations were given proper housing with running water and electricity.
The parties agreed that the calculations for the compensation will be done at the Registrar’s office once the Court has established that the BPS or AG is liable.
The matter continues on October 18th with attorney Uyapo Ndadi representing the applicants.
