CALLS FROM INSIDE

The Botswana Prison Service is considering cellphone signal blocking at correctional facilities.This move comes on the backdrop of smuggled phones that continue to find their way into prison cells, raising security fears and concerns over possible disruption to communities living near prisons.Botswana Prison Service Public Relations Officer, Oagile Kojane told The Midweek Sun this week that contraband phones remain one of the biggest headaches facing correctional facilities.“The phones never have owners. During searches, they are usually found hidden and no inmate claims ownership, so we destroy them,” Kojane said.He said inmates and their associates use increasingly creative methods to sneak devices into prison compounds.According to Kojane, some visitors have been caught cutting Bible pages to conceal phones, while others hide them inside the soles of shoes.In more extreme cases, some wrap the devices in foil before swallowing them or concealing them internally to avoid detection during searches.“Inmates continue to use cellphones, and at one point, jamming technology was considered as a possible way to stop this. BOCRA would have to handle such a process, but there are concerns about people living close to prisons and those in surrounding areas who could also be affected,” he said.The use of illicit mobile phones inside prisons remains a serious security threat, as they allow inmates to bypass correctional controls and continue communication with the outside world.Prison authorities say smuggled devices have been linked to scams, extortion and coordination of criminal activities from behind bars.Botswana Prisons Service Commissioner Anthony Mokento previously raised alarm over the growing number of phones being recovered from inmates, describing the trend as a threat to prison security and rehabilitation efforts.Between January and May 2025, more than 1,600 cellphones were confiscated during searches across correctional facilities. In November 2025 a smartphone was seized in prison from now convicted rapist and disgracedpastor, Goitsekgosi Mojadigo, leader of Divine Anointing Church International.Investigations have also linked some prison officials, including senior officers, to smuggling operations.To tighten security, the prison service has been upgrading search equipment and reviewing staff deployment at entry points.The possible use of signal-blocking technology has raised questions about how nearby communities could be affected, particularly in areas where prisons are located close to residential settlements.Some newer prison facilities, however, are situated further away from densely populated areas, including Letlhakane State Prison, which lies about 5.4 kilometres east of Letlhakane Village, while Boro Prison serves the Maun area.

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CALLS FROM INSIDE