01 May 2017

Minister of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs, Mr Edwin Batshu says his ministry has been experiencing challenges regarding the registrations of some societies .

He said some societies had struggled to manage their affairs, which have given rise to a number of unresolved conflicts.

Speaking at the official launch of the Advisory and Arbitration Council (AAC), Mr Batshu said although the internal conflicts affected some societies, it was more prevalent in religious or faith based societies.

He said the advantage of AAC was that parties were allowed to resolve their disputes through mutual understanding and respect for one another.

“This provides potential advantages compared to judicial proceedings, which usually take long to resolve among parties. I have noted that the council members are endowed with appropriate pedigree of expertise, which will provide the necessary guidance and assist in resolving disputes timely,” he said.

Mr Batshu said already some disputes had been referred to the courts of law, while others were still with the Department of Civil and National Registration awaiting possible redress, adding that the old Societies Act did not give the Registrar of Societies authority to mediate disputes among registered societies.

He said effectively, Societies’ disputes were resolved in courts of law, which have resulted in a lot of unresolved cases, which greatly compromised the governance of concerned societies.

“It is against this unsettling development that government through his ministry and in consultation with stakeholders saw the need to amend the Societies Act,” he stated.

The minister explained that the Societies (Amended) Act of 2016 had therefore established the AAC, whose sole obligation was to guide and advice the minister on issues of registration of societies as well as to arbitrate in cases of disputes within and between registered societies.

He further explained that the Act provided for the council to regulate its own procedures and establish committees it considered appropriate, and mighty delegate to any such committee any function it considered necessary.

“I believe that this process will include technical expertise that will strengthen the operation of the AAC as well as facilitate the effective implementation of the Act and Regulations,” he said.

When presenting members of the Advisory and Arbitration Council, Mr Batshu appealed to the nation at large to provide support to the council so that it could execute its responsibilities effectively.

He further noted that some of the members of the council had served the country with distinction and had left lasting legacies in their pursuit of governance.

The AAC is comprised of Ms Festinah Bakwena as the chairperson, Ms Ogomoditse Matsila, Mr Joseph Orebotse, Reverend Mosweu Simane, Mr Oboletswe Matlhaope, Mr Joseph Dikgomo, Ms Felistus Motimedi and Mr Basupang Steady, while Ms Banny Molosiwa and Ms Mavis Itseng are ex-officio members.

Minister Batshu implored members of respective societies to ‘accord the council great respect and support, adding that he believed that with their cooperation, Botswana would be able to achieve the restoration of moral uprightness. ENDS