07 Feb 2018

Chief Justice Maruping Dibotelo has appealed to the nation to rise up, unite with the criminal justice agencies and nip corruption in the bud through collective efforts as it affects everyone, especially the vulnerable and the poor, who are exposed to its brunt.

Speaking at the 2018 Legal Year opening on February 6, Justice Dibotelo said corruption was one of the major impediments to development and good governance as it undermined democracy and the rule of law.

He noted that the most common form of corruption was bribery and the other hotspots were in the land sector, construction, procurement, supplies, public transport, and the acquisition of driving licences.

He therefore said the setting up in 2013 of a court dedicated to corruption cases presided over by a roving judge was meant to expedite such cases after observing that interlocutory applications of a Constitutional nature moved at the Magistrates Courts stalled the progress of the cases.

On another issue, Justice Dibotelo appreciated the support extended by the government to the judiciary in the provision of vehicles and caravans for Special Stock Theft Courts as well as buses for the Special Traffic Courts.

He said he was happy to report that during his tenure those in authority, even though on rare and isolated occasions, did not agree with their judgements/decisions, nonetheless respected the principle and practice of the independence of the judiciary and rule of law by obeying court orders and affirming the primacy of the courts as the final arbiters of disputes in society.

On another positive note, he said as part of strengthening the judiciary’s capacity to deal with a growing volume of pending cases and the establishment on the High Court Bench, government approved the request for the appointment of four more judges at the three divisions of the High Court.

Meanwhile, Justice Dibotelo said although funding from government and donor funding resources were limited, there was need to adequately resource the judiciary and its programmes, because failure to do so may lead to frustrating the progression of planned or envisaged projects and programmes.

On other issues, the Chief Justice reiterated the judiciary’s continued commitment to work with and support Law Society of Botswana (LSB), a key stakeholder in driving the reforms that have been put in place, including identifying and finding solutions emanating from such reforms.

In the same breadth, he urged the law society to deal with and resolve backlog of the many complaints by members of the public against its members, which are before the LSB and to apply the principles of Judicial Case Management to fast-track the resolution of such complaints as this has a bearing on public confidence on ‘our’ institutions and systems. ENDS