24 Jul 2014

Parliament on Wednesday, July 23 amended section 4(2) of the Presidential Elections (Supplementary Provisions) Act by substituting the word “Lobatse” with “Gaborone.”

Presenting the Presidential Elections (Supplementary Provisions) (Amendment) Bill before Parliament, the acting minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Mr Shaw Kgathi said there was a need to substitute for the office of the Chief Justice at Lobatse for such an office in Gaborone as such a move has been necessitated by the relocation of the High Court from the former to the latter.

Even though he supported the Bill, the MP for Kgatleng West Mr Gilbert Mangole said the Bill only moves to conclude the initial relocation of the High Court from Lobatse, something which he said government vehemently denied before, saying only a few services rather than the High Court itself were being relocated.

The MP for Palapye, Mr Moiseraela Goya also supported the Bill, saying that the relocation of the office of the Chief Justice to Gaborone where the High Court is located will make it easier to manage. 

He said this is especially that the High Court building in Gaborone is more deserving as the headquarters than the one in Lobatse. 

The MP for Francistown South, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi said even though he supported the Bill, the relocation of the office from Lobatse will make it a haunted town, especially that other important government departments have been moved from the town in the past.

Mr Mmolotsi said he felt that government wants to ensure that Lobatse remains with no significant government office, which he said was an onslaught by government on opposition held constituencies.

He said such a move will make innocent residents suffer unjustly just because of their rightful political choice. 

The MP for Gaborone West South, Mr Botsalo Ntuane however, felt that the amendment of the Bill should have been broadened to cover an important element of reducing paper work for presidential candidate nominations.

He said lack of such an element will mean that the Bill will miss being thoroughly reviewed. 

Mr Ntuane also hailed the current practice of electing the president of the country, saying the direct election of a president would make things complicated because of fragile issues that usually crop out, like voting along ethnic groups.

He also said this will then create problems as minor groups that do not have the numbers will never have a chance to have one of their own as president, and that the current practice gives people a chance to elect the best candidate. ENDS