Editors Note

Ex-convicts Are Human Too

All human beings regardless of their social status or background, economic wellbeing, gender, religion, race or geographical position, possess human rights. They do so simply as, and because they are human beings.

In other words, human rights are a set of entitlements that every human being must enjoy.  Such include the right to life, equality, and liberty, freedom from discrimination, torture and degrading treatment (Universal Declaration of Human Rights Articles 1, 2, 3 & 5). Botswana also has such rights enshrined in its constitution.

That rights provide basic standards for people to live in dignity should make us introspect on how we view and treat ex-convicts. The question we should ask ourselves is whether ex-convicts are still a condemned lot that should be deprived of a certain set or any individual rights especially the right to equality, freedom from discrimination and degrading treatment?

Of course they wronged us and committed crime but after serving time and having repented, should they still continue to wear the cloak of shame and suffer discrimination besides being denied employment and other basic human rights?

In this issue we carry a story of an ex-convict who decries the manner in which Botswana society views and treats ex-convicts. Most importantly, he says they are denied employment because they are treated as criminals. This is discrimination. How else are they supposed to survive without employment?

What then happens is that those who cannot endure this degrading treatment and what this ex-convict calls “re-sentencing by society”,find themselves back in prison after they resorted to their criminal ways to make ends meet.

London 2012 Here We Come!

Is Botswana poised for a big celebration? I mean, never before have the country’s prospects of clinching an Olympic medal looked so promising. Amantle Montsho is in explosive form.

Equally promising is Oteng Oteng, Botswana’s sole representative in boxing. It is against this backdrop that the Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) set a target of at least two medals from the games and should this come to pass, Batswana will be an elated lot after 32 years of trying without success.

Two may be small a number but the value derived will be immense since the BNSC would have partly delivered on its vision “to lead Botswana towards sporting excellence…” This is because Montsho, Oteng or other Team Botswana’s names will be etched among those of other world sporting greats, thereby putting Botswana on the world map. So, here we come!

To China With A Mission

Let me also take this opportunity to wish our Miss Botswana representative good luck. Tapiwa Preston looks determined and has what it takes to be crowned Miss World. That’s the way to go girl, bring the crown home! ENDS