22 Feb 2018

Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration Mr Eric Molale said he was cognisant that the current chief executive officer of Legal Aid Botswana was an expatriate.

Answering a question in Parliament on Wednesday on behalf of Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Mr Molale said when the contract of the chief executive officer expires on March 31, the succession plan was to fill the position with a suitable local as there were now eligible Batswana lawyers, both within Legal Aid Botswana and the local market.

“The post of the chief executive officer of Legal Aid Botswana will become vacant when the incumbent’s contract of employment expires on March 31.

“I do not intend to relieve the current holder this responsibility until his tenure of office expires.

When the post falls vacant on April 1, I shall, in consultation with Legal Aid Board, localise it,” he said.

Minister Molale said section 19 (2) of Legal Aid Act 2013, ‘stipulates that a person shall not be appointed as chief executive officer unless he or she possesses experience and training in the legal area and is qualified to be admitted as a legal practitioner.’

He said specific requirements for the position were a Bachelor’s degree in Law, admission to practice in the courts of Botswana and a minimum of 15 years’ experience, five which should have been at strategic management level.

He said there were many Batswana lawyers who hold the qualifications, hence his intention to localise the post in April 2019.

Currently, he said there were two expatriates employed by Legal Aid Botswana, being South African the chief executive officer and the mediation and alternative dispute resolution manager, a Zimbabwean whose contract of employment also expires on March 31, 2018 and the post would also be localised.

Francistown East Member of Parliament, Mr Buti Billy had asked the minister to state if he was aware that the chief executive officer of Legal Aid Botswana is an expatriate. The minister was also to state what succession plan he and Legal Aid Botswana had put in place in the event of the expatriate’s departure.

MP Billy had also wanted the minister to elucidate as to when the minister and the Board intend to localise this position and relieve the current holder.

He also asked what special qualifications were needed to be chief executive officer of Legal Aid Botswana that Batswana did not have, and how many foreigners were currently employed by Legal Aid Botswana and what special skills they possess that Batswana do not have. Ends