23 Oct 2013

Members of Ntlo ya Dikgosi have proposed that the chief Land Tribunal president should take oath in public upon assuming the duties of his office.

They came up with the resolution at the current sitting of the 13th meeting of the 2nd Ntlo ya Dikgosi in Gaborone on Tuesday, October 22.

Members of the house came up with the proposal after the Minister of Transport and Communications, Mr Nonofo Molefi presented a draft bill of the 2013 Land Tribunal bill No. 14 of 2013 to Ntlo ya Dikgosi on behalf of the Minister of Lands and Housing, Mr Lebonaamang Mokalake.

The proposal came about when members of the house were debating the bill which stated that a Land Tribunal president and any member of the land tribunal shall upon assuming the duties of their office take and subscribe to such an oath for the execution of their duties of office as mightbe prescribed.

The draft bill further stated that an oath shall be taken and subscribed, before the Registrar of the High Court. Serowe regio's Kgosi Boiditswe said it was important for such high profiled officers to take oath in the presence of the public as this will be one way of making them aware of the existence of such officers.

Not, only will the oath taken in public make them aware but will also educate them to know exactly what the officers’ responsibilities entail as they will therefore know which doors to knock on, when in need of their assistance.

Members of the house together with the Minister Molefhi wholly subscribed to the proposal. Minister Molefhi advised dikgosi to take relevant steps in proposing to the relevant authorities to suggest a ceremonial session in oath taking by the chief Land Tribunal president.

On the appointment of the chief Land Tribunal president, dikgosi proposed that the officer should not be directly appointed by the minister but rather be recommended by a board.

Barolong's Kgosi Lotlaamoreng II advised that as much as high officers in the judicial system were recommended by the judicial service commission, the same should apply with regards to the appointment of the chief Land Tribunal president.

He therefore proposed that the specially selected Land Tribunal Commission should be responsible for the recruitment of the officer. “It then has to be this special commission that will make recommendation to the minister for such an officer to be appointed”, he said.

The house debated the draft bill and came up with proposals, which shall be added to the bill, and presented to the National Assembly. The bill is meant to re-establish the Land Tribunal through  an act of Parliament which shall expand the tribunals mandate to be able to hear  appeals from both the  Land Tribal Act as well as those arising from the Town and Country Planning Act. ENDS