Botswana

In June 1964, Britain accepted proposals for a democratic self-government in Botswana. The seat of government was moved in 1965 from Mafikeng in South Africa, to the newly established Gaborone, which sits on its border. The 1965 constitution led to the first general elections and to independence on 30 September 1966. Botswana is dominated by the Kalahari Desert, which covers up to 70% of its land surface. It offers diverse areas of wildlife habitat. In addition to the desert, there are grasslands and savannas, where Blue Wildebeest, antelopes, and other mammals are found. Northern Botswana has one of the few remaining large populations of the endangered African Wild Dog.

Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs

The overall objective of the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs is to create and maintain national harmony, welfare and justice as an essential background for unity, democracy and socio-economic development. The Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs aims to become a model organisation that provides services in an efficient and effective manner to the public by evolving a culture of customer care and maintaining service excellence at all times.

Pre-existing situation & UTCFS’s role

The Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs decided to move to a new site, in downtown Gaborone. This was to be a flagship building for the Botswana government. In order to provide the building, infrastructure and employees with an adequate level of security, the Ministry started looking for a security manufacturer who could meet their high demands. As the site holds many confidential documents that should only be accessed by authorised personnel, access control was the main priority. Before the staff at the new building could move in, all restricted areas needed to be secured. In search of a high-level security system, the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs turned to UTCFS to provide them with a solution.

UTCFS’s solution

UTCFS recognised the ministry's security needs and together with the local installer, G4S Botswana, presented them with a fitting solution. The ATS Master platform is installed, providing a high level of access control. This system today safeguards over 30 doors and future expansions to the system can easily be carried out. This access control system is monitored and managed by UTCFS's Alliance software package, a security management software which easily allows the ministry to create access badges, assign access rights, monitor activity throughout the building and perform system health checks. Looking forward, ATS Master and Alliance are also fully capable of integrating other security systems such as intrusion and fire detection and video surveillance. This aspect of UTCFS’s solution is greatly appreciated by many customers, since it offers a cost effective solution for future expansions. Having UTCFS’s technology in place, the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs can feel confident and secure at their new site.