Gaborone High Court Judge, Tshepo Motswagole, has issued a stern warning to the Commissioner of Prisons and Rehabilitation Colonel Silas Motlalekgosi to put his house in order, or face the music.
This comes after the department failed to comply with two court orders – first one issued in June 2019 and later re-issued in March 2020.
The order was that the department should assist inmate, Bogosi Matsheng, to get a medical expert report for his civil matter against the Attorney General and the Department of Prisons and Rehabilitation.
Matsheng who is serving time in prison for armed robbery is suing the AG’s Chambers for injuries he sustained when he was allegedly assaulted in prison.
Although The Voice has not been able to verify the amount he is demanding from the Attorney General, it is said that the amount exceeds two hundred thousand pula.
There was a delay in the proceedings as the AG legal representative said he was standing in for a colleague.
The matter adjourned for a few minutes and it emerged that the case was missing from the AG Chambers records and there was confusion over who is handling it.
Justice Motswagole said that he was not happy with the department’s habit of not complying with court orders saying to the warders who drove the plaintiff all the way from Mahalapye that; “go and tell the commissioner that the judge is very angry. This is unacceptable. You must hand the order that I am going to issue today to the Commissioner or any Officer in Charge,” he said.
The plaintiff told the court that he would be out of prison in October and would also work hard to get the report.
Nonetheless, Motswagole issued another order to the commissioner to comply with the previous orders.
The matter is scheduled to continue next year.
Matsheng was driven back to Mahalapye prison where he is going to complete his prison sentence.
