Category: Daily News

The existence of a Constitutional Court will not only help develop Botswana’s constitutional democratic system but will also strengthen or enhance the judicial process.
Presenting a strong case for the establishment of a Constitutional Court before a full council session in Serowe on Monday, Assistant Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Mr Augustine Nyatanga described the court as a specialised institution that interpret the nation’s constitution, ensuring laws and government actions align with fundamental principles, protecting human rights and upholding the rule of law.
Furthermore, he said the ongoing nationwide consultations spoke volumes on government’s commitment to embrace the ‘voice of the people’ and that the collective opinion of the majority held authority for issues pertaining to national interests.
To this end, Minister Nyatanga said there would be a referendum in the near future for the public to vote for or against the establishment of the Constitutional Court – an exercise that would determine whether Batswana want it or not.
He reiterated that government wanted the establishment of the Constitutional Court to deal with human rights issues, pointing everybody within the territory of Botswana should be free.
In addition, he said everybody in the country should be entitled to the fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual, including life, liberty, security, protection of the law and freedom of conscience, expression and assembly, regardless of race, place of origin, political opinions, colour, creed, or sex, hence the need to establish such a court.
“If we are not cognisant of people’s rights as the leadership, that might incite violence thus disturbing peace and threatening national security.”
He said the hierarchy of courts in Botswana was structured from the highest appellate authority, the Court of Appeal down to customary courts, adding the Court of Appeal was currently the highest in the country and is the final arbiter of all legal matters.
Therefore, he said there was a huge backlog of cases at the High Court, exceeding a thousand cases, thus necessitating the move to establish a Constitutional Court that would expedite the disposal of cases revolving around human rights.
He said the High Court had unlimited jurisdiction and therefore establishing a Constitutional Court would accord the country the opportunity to adequately deal with burning issues within a short space of time.
However, commenting on the Constitutional Court establishment, some councillors expressed divergent views, with most councillors giving its proposed introduction a thumbs up.
Councillor Kebakgale Kutuso of Kgosing ward wondered where government would get the money to fund the establishment of the court in an ailing economy.
Mr Kutuso said challenges in the health and education sectors were more pressing hence government should instead be channelling money towards the procurement of medicines and the renovation of dilapidated school infrastructure.
He was of the view that paying judges was expensive and thus implored government to prioritise needs, arguing there were more pressing issues than the Constitutional Court.
Councillor Nametso Senku of Mabeleapodi said the Constitutional Court was a good initiative but that its timing was off as there were more pressing issues at the moment that required attention.
He said considering the budgetary constraints, this was not the appropriate time to establish the Constitutional Court.

Government has resolved to compensate former BCL employees in accordance with the 18-month soft landing payment and other benefits that were promised when the mine closed in 2016 due to liquidation.

This was stated by the Minister for State President, Defence and Security, Mr Moeti Mohwasa, during a consultation meeting with former BCL employees and other relevant stakeholders on January 12.

Mr Mohwasa said government was aware that some promises made to employees when the mine closed had not been fulfilled.

He said the situation had negatively impacted the wellbeing and social status of some of the former employees, hence it was necessary to take decisive acti on to address the issue.

Mr Mohwasa said the primary compensation issue was that of the promised 18-month soft landing measure, an initiative that was designed specifically to provide critical support to employees affected by the mine’s closure, ensuring they have a financial cushion while navigating the challenges.

“The 18-month soft landing measure will only apply to those who lost their jobs when the mine closed in 2016 under liquidation. The task force team and relevant stakeholders will be assigned to work collectively and round the clock on modalities of compensation and other related matters,” he said.

He said while the assigned task team devised policies to roll out the compensation process, it was imperative to take collaborative measures for the success of the process.

Mr Mohwasa also highlighted government’s commitment to establishing a Liquidation Protection Fund to safeguard stakeholders and mitigate the effects of potential liquidations within the sector in future.

He said this would provide crucial support to affected parties, ensuring that they had access to necessary resources and assistance during challenging times.

Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Major General Pius Mokgware, stated that the 18-month soft landing compensation would not interfere with any other payments , especially for those whose health had been adversely affected by working at the mine.

He emphasised that proper procedures for compensating individuals with health issues would be followed carefully.

Currently, 107 former employees have received compensation for various health challenges related to their ti me at the mine.

The president of the Botswana Mine Workers Union, M r Joseph Tsimako acknowledged the 18-month soft landing compensation.

However, he stated that while modalities were still being finalised, there should be clear and constant feedback, saying this would give the much-needed clarity to the former employees.

Meanwhile, a former BCL mine employee, Mr Dipogiso Ookeditse appreciated the efforts, while on the one hand he observed that government should have also taken a resolution on how the concerned individuals would be compensated.

He expressed concern that assigning the issue to the taskforce team for the formulation of comprehensive policies and guidelines regarding the rollout of the compensation could potentially lead to further delays in the process.

Another ex-employee, Mr Rex Tambula, underscored the need to distinguish between the Insolvency Act and the Liquidation Act.

He said the practice of merging the two pieces of legislation led to significant overlap, which in turn created confusion.  He said conflation of the Acts resulted in ambiguities that could hinder effective decision-making and disrupt orderly resolution of matters.

“Separation of these two Acts would facilitate a more coherent legal framework thereby enhancing clarity and efficiency in managing insolvency and liquidation matters,” he said.

Zantete primary school, a new facility in Letlhakane, located in Phase II Extension received its first batch of over 700 pupils today.

The school offers pre-primary school classes up to standard six, while there is also a special education department.

School head, Ms Oakantse Kenyaditswe said beginners were from the location, while standard two and upwards were transfers from already existing schools.

Boteti District Council chairperson, Mr Onkhuparetse Monnaatsie encouraged teachers and management to take good care of the new facility by instilling discipline in children so that they desist from vandalism.

Since classes at Zantete are of double story plans, Mr Monnaatsie appealed to teachers to always preach safety precautions to avoid incidents of children pushing and injuring each other on staircases.

When the opposition forces that coalesced into the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) eventually transformed the Botswana political landscape with a historic electoral victory over the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in the October 2024 elections, it was after nigh on six decades of work.

That foundational work the proverbial ‘mofufutso wa phatlha’ (the brow of the sweat) of opposition politics, was done by veterans, among them Lenyeletse Koma who passed away on New Year’s Eve.

The 86 year-old political stalwart dedicated his earlier adult years to developing the politics of one of the components of the UDC, the Botswana National Front (BNF) and thus helped shape an alternative to the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) during the country’s nascent years of party politics.

His younger brother, Mr Olekotse Koma, said in an interview that his elder brother, a nephew of BNF party founder and chief ideologue, the late Dr Kenneth Koma, was the first of the eight children of Mr Ramherong Koma, whose family originated at Ditlharapa Ward, Serowe, but settled in Mahalapye.

“Lenyeletse studied at Moeng College alongside the likes of former president Dr Festus Mogae and former cabinet minister and real estate businessman, Mr David Magang. My brother later proceeded to study at university level, up to post graduate masters studies in Soviet Russia, earning qualifications in economics and accounts,” Mr Koma details.

The 1960s saw the centre-right BDP, a moderate political organisation built on conservatism, the principles of democracy and development, and the consultation (therisanyo) of the kgotla system, national cohesion (kagisano) defeating the more radical, Pan-Africanist and African socialist based Botswana People’s Party (BPP).

Dr Koma, who returned from studies in Moscow to witness the BDP victory in the March 1965 general elections, founded the BNF, as a mass democratic united front of different class interest groups, with their minimum programme, seeking to unseat the BDP in pursuit of a “national democratic revolution,” social justice and labour rights.

“Lenyeletse was one of the early BNF stalwarts, alongside the likes of his uncle Dr Koma, Mareledi Giddie, Klaas Motshidisi, Obonetse Menyatso and others. He worked with them to teach the BNF doctrine in party study groups, and went around campaigning to build the movement,” said Mr Koma.

Lenyeletse Koma further became one of the founders of Mahalapye Secondary School, which gave an opportunity to pupils from different backgrounds, including those who could not be absorbed into government schools.

“Lenyeletse taught at Mahalapye secondary, which drew learners from as far afield as Maun, some of whom were not placed into secondary schools after their primary school leaving examinations. But Mahalapye secondary worked on building the academic potential of these students as well as their vocational training,” Mr Koma added.

He later founded a construction company, which among its project got involved in the building of a primary school in Marapong.

Former Lobatse mayor, Mr David Maswabi added that Lenyeletse was one of the activists who inspired them and guided his generation’s activism within the BNF.

“We were coming from Kanye and Lobatse, and we had some of these party elders from Mahalapye and Palapye and we often engaged, as they guided us steadily into party policy,” Mr Maswabi revealed.

After disagreements within the BNF, Lenyeletse founded the Botswana Labour Party, which struggled to gain political traction in the 1990s.

In recent years, he focused on Christian evangelism, as a bishop of a church in Lobatse.

In particular, he preached against the perils of alcohol abuse and how it derails the future of young people.

He will be laid to rest Saturday in Lobatse, where he had settled over the years.

Tonota District Council is conducting assessment to identify immediate needs of families affected by torrential rainfall, which wreaked havoc in Matsitama on Sunday afternoon.  

According to the district’s acting senior social welfare officer, Mr Basimane Mothoagae, already 39 people had been accommodated at Matsitama Primary School.

He said a number of houses were affected, which prompted the council to do house to house assessments.

Kgosi Reuben Kethobogile of Matsitama said there were no fatalities recorded save for only person, who sustained injuries when the house collapsed on him.

One of the victims, Ms Barulanaye Basekilwe, a teacher at Matsitama Primary School, said her furniture, which included tv, couch and other household items were destroyed.

In a laudable show of calm and peaceful festive season, Chobe National Park has registered no cases of misconduct inside the park. This is the first Christmas holiday since Sedudu-Ngoma gates transit route was officially opened for a 24-hour operation by Minister and of Environment and Tourism, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi in April. In an interview, Department of Wildlife and National Parks acting regional officer- Chobe Dr Karabo Danster said Batswana have embraced the 24-hour operation of the Sedudu and Ngoma gates as an access point to Chobe Enclave from Kasane and vice versa traversing through Chobe National Park. He stated that there were no accidents recorded in the park this festive season which was an indication that road users were vigilant. “Chobe National Park is a high density area where wildlife traverse from the forest for forage down to the river for water and they do pass through the A33 road inside the park,” he said. However, he raised concern about the littering activities inside the park with some motorists disposing plastics and bottles alongside the road. The officer pointed out that the department conducted daily patrols from Ngoma gate covering the riverfront up-to Sedudu gate. Moreover, Dr Danster said there was minimal activity on the Chobe River for boat cruise as this was a tourism off season. He said during the festive season it is mostly Batswana who enjoy visiting Chobe for tourism excursions with their families. He noted that the spirit of calmness was also experienced at the boat cruises as no reports of misconduct were recorded.

Department of Wildlife and National Parks has condemned the retaliatory killing of four lions, a jackal and 12 vultures in Lesoma.In an interview, Principal Veterinary Officer in Chobe, Dr Karabo Danster said the department was treating this case as retaliatory incident of human-wildlife conflict.He stated that the first case was reported beginning of December where two lions, jackal and vultures were found dead.Again, he said on December 24, a passerby reported sighting two dead lions along the A33 road.Dr Danster revealed that the two lions, male and female along the road were covered in wounds, which presumably appeared to have been caused by a sharp object.“We discovered during the postmortem that a gun was used on both the lions, which wounded them hence they succumbed to injuries from a close range shots.”He alleged that preliminary investigations showed that a farmer whose livestock had been killed by lions took the matter into his own hands hence retaliated by poisoning carcasses, which were devoured by these animals.Dr Danster stated that the residual samples were currently at the laboratory for testing to establish, which poison was used.Furthermore, he remarked that DWNP was working closely with law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders to educate the public on how they should take care of their properties.“Most of the livestock in Chobe do not roam round at night but contained in predator proof kraals hence cases of lion attacks are rare unless livestock are left outside kraals and predators prey on them.”The officer said no arrests were made hence appealed to the community to assist them to catch the perpetrators.

Kanye West MP, Mr Victor Phologolo, has stressed that regular dialogue with constituents and stakeholders is key to ensuring legislators effectively fulfil their mandate.Speaking at the Kanye leadership forum recently, Mr Phologolo highlighted the value of such gatherings, saying they should be convened more often to tackle the challenges facing the area and to find solutions. Mr Phologolo also updated attendees on national developments, including the government’s adoption of measures to curb expenditure.The Kanye West MP also informed his constituents about some development progress, noting that the proposed Kanye Hospital was not included in the National Development Plan (NDP)12. However, he assured that the project would be pursued through Public-Private Partnerships.Other projects which were not incorporated in NDP 12, he said included the Selokolela-Lorolwane Road, Segwagwa Road, and the paving of roads leading to farms. Mr Phologolo further acknowledged ongoing challenges in Kanye, including poor school performance particularly in remote areas like Lorolwane as well as social issues such as alcohol and substance abuse, passion killings and defilement.Participants raised concerns about persistent water shortages in Kanye, inadequate internal roads and frequent network failures at Department of Road Transport and Safety offices. They further demanded thorough investigations into the rising cases of killings affecting Kanye and the nation as a whole.Kebotlhokwa Care Centre Coordinator, Ms Boingotlo Gupta, underscored the need for intensified counselling as a means to support victims of gender-based violence and prevent future incidents.Meanwhile, Officer Commanding No. 14 District, Senior Superintendent David Ramoseki, alerted attendees to the alarming rise in scams where fraudsters called some victims announcing competition winners or invoke ‘Know Your Customer’ schemes to defraud Batswana of large sums. Such cases, he said, were on the increase and were a major concern for law enforcement.While acknowledging that entering competitions was not inherently wrong, he advised the public to exercise caution, such as retaining receipts after providing personal details at tills, as these often contained sensitive information like full names and phone numbers that scammers exploited.On stock theft, Senior Superintendent Ramoseki urged farmers to take proactive measures to protect their livestock rather than depending solely on farm workers.In his contribution, Kanye District Council secretary, Mr Joseph Banyatsang, updated participants on Kanye Stadium, stating that Phase I was complete and were awaiting funding for the next phase. He added that Phase II would involve construction of ablution blocks, kiosks and changing rooms.

Christmas Day brought more than festive cheer at Princess Marina Hospital maternity ward, as 21 babies were born.

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Nursing Superintendent, Ms Cecilia Mooketsi said the hospital welcomed 12 baby boys and nine girls on the day, making it a memorable Christmas for families and health workers alike.

She praised the commitment of nurses and midwives who worked through out the holidays, noting that while many were celebrating with their families, maternity staff were on duty to safely usher in new life. 

Among the new mothers was Ms Goitseone Baipoledi, who delivered her second child shortly after lunchtime. Holding her newborn, she described the birth as the greatest Christmas gift, saying the moment brought joy and gratitude to her family.

Kgosi Khama IV of Bangwato on Christmas Day gifted children with hampers at his home in Serowe. 

Kgosi Khama, who is also the former president, traditionally donates Christmas gifts to children in Serowe and surrounding villages demonstrating the love for the children. 

The gesture is an annual event that his family has carried on for decades.

Appreciating the gifts, Ms Wame Letlhare, whose children received gifts, commended Kgosi Khama for his continuous efforts in demonstrating love to the children through donations for decades.