09 Mar 2020

The Judiciary will soon reach the threshold of 30 judges as prescribed by Section 3 of the High Court Act, (cap 04:02), says Chief Justice Terrence Rannowane.

Giving welcome remarks during the ground breaking of Maun High Court recently, he said with the creation of the Maun Division, he would approach the Minister of Defence, Justice and Security to move for the increase of high court judges complement to more than 30.

Mr Rannowane revealed that the idea of having a high court in Maun was part of the restructuring of the judiciary, which was at the heart of his blue-print.

He said it was always encouraging to see milestones, which were critical in the realisation of the organisational blue-print, being achieved relatively soon after the announcement.

He thanked all stakeholders for their valuable support in making the dream of establishing a high court in Maun a reality.

The establishment of the division, he said, was a deliberate and purposeful endeavour by the Administration of Justice in the fulfilment of its strategic plan of enhancing physical access to justice and the realisation of its vision of a world class judicial system by 2036.

The setting up of the facility, he said, would reduce distance travelled and costs incurred by litigants to source court services in Francistown.

Furthermore, Mr Rannowane noted that the benefits extended to all those who also sought the services of the master’s office.

“We are convinced as a judiciary that the time saved from travelling long distances to either Francistown, Gaborone or Lobatse will be directed by all the stakeholders towards expeditious service delivery in terms of case completion and reduction of the backlog,” he added.

He appreciated the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security’s support, which he said was critical in transforming temporary structures into a purpose-built court for the benefit of users of court services in the Ngami region.

The construction project has been awarded to Tachizhou Company and it is expected to be completed by April.

The project manager, Mr Arnold Kalichi thanked the government for entrusting him with the responsibility of undertaking a major project.

He assured the government of delivering a quality project on time and within budget.

He also promised to create employment for the locals, noting that he would bring in only a few skilled personnel while the majority would be from Maun.

He said he would also source machinery locally and appealed to the community to cooperate and ensure ownership of the project. ENDS