28 Feb 2018

Legal Aid Botswana has not and does not appoint people to non-existing posts nor have any posts been created for specific individuals, says Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Mr Shaw Kgathi.

He said in 2016 the board of Legal Aid Botswana approved a new organisational structure following consultations with staff which revealed that there was a need for specialised family law units in Gaborone and Francistown.

Mr Kgathi said two officers who were at the time holding senior legal aid counsel posts volunteered to be redeployed to take charge over the specialised family law units in Gaborone and Francistown.

He noted that in July 2017, the board also approved a revised structure which provided for family law units in Gaborone and Francistown to be headed at a higher level of principal legal aid counsel.

“The two senior legal aid counsels who had previously volunteered to oversee the interim family law units were appointed to act on the new principal legal aid counsel posts while the posts were advertised internally.

The selection committee of Legal Aid Botswana ultimately considered the two candidates who were already acting on the posts,” he said.

Mr Kgathi said the procedure followed was within the recruitment policy, and did not present any corporate governance violation.

The MP for Francistown East, Mr Buti Billy had asked the minister if he was aware that Legal Aid Botswana appointed people to non-existing posts and later created those posts specifically for the individuals without such posts being advertised and interviewed. ENDS