27 Feb 2018

Legal Aid Botswana covers and renders services to all indigent citizens who apply for legal assistance across the country, says Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Mr Shaw Kgathi.

He said Legal Aid Botswana has centres in Gaborone, Francistown, Maun, Kasane and Tsabong with two additional legal aid centres planned for Palapye in 2019/2020 and Ghanzi in 2020/2021.

Mr Kgathi dismissed the perception that Legal Aid Botswana only benefitted citizens in cities, towns and major villages.

“Legal assistance is provided to many indigent citizens through legal aid practitioners deployed in all legal aid centres. Private legal practitioners willing to accept legal aid instructions are also engaged to provide legal assistance to citizens who qualify,” he said.

He further said to date Legal Aid Botswana has received over 20 000 applications for legal assistance.

Mr Kgathi said any citizen anywhere in Botswana may apply for legal aid, and that where the matter in respect of which legal aid was granted was to be adjudicated at a place where there was no legal aid centre, a salaried legal aid practitioner or private lawyer would usually be instructed.

He further informed Parliament that there were no plans to establish legal aid satellite offices within the National Development Plan (NDP).

“However, in more sparsely populated areas, Legal Aid Botswana will consider visiting those villages on an ad hoc basis in order to extend legal aid services to more indigent citizens,” he said.

The Member of Parliament for Francistown East, Mr Buti Billy had wanted to know if the minister was aware that Legal Aid Botswana covered and rendered services to villages within 100kms from each centre and that by virtue of this, Legal Aid Botswana was benefiting citizens who lived in cities, towns and major villages.

He also wanted to find out when the minister intended to have legal aid centres or satellite offices in remote areas where the majority of the poor who needed legal services were found. ENDS