15 Mar 2022

 Minister of Defence, Justice and Security remains confident that the new Courts Rules, stipulating that a judgment should be passed within 90 days, will help to expedite access to justice. 

Minister Kagiso Mmusi said this when presenting the 2022/2023 financial year budget proposal for the Administration of Justice to Parliament on Monday, which comprised over P325 million for recurrent expenditure and P39 million in development expenditure. 

The minister briefed legislators that the Administration of Justice experienced low case disposal rate during the 2021 legal year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“The disposal rate for criminal cases at the high court was 37 per cent and 48 per cent at the magistrate courts. 

The disposal rate for civil cases at the high courts was 42 per and 57 per cent at the magistrate courts,” he said. 

He was however hopeful that the new Courts Rules would improve access to justice by ensuring timely delivery of judgements since judges would receive performance reports each month indicating which cases were still awaiting decisions out of the turnaround time. 

Mr Mmusi said despite challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Administration of Justice was able to implement the second phase of the establishment of Maun High Court division, with the addition of a third court room and administration block. 

He said the project was expected to be completed by the end of this month. 

“The setting up of this division in Maun is meant to reduce the distance travelled and costs incurred by litigants and the public in the North West District in pursuit to access services,” he said. 

He added that the other ongoing project was the maintenance of magistrates’ houses in Bobonong and Kasane. 

He also pointed that the second phase of the project to improve security at Gaborone High Court was also ongoing. 

Mr Mmusi also said the office of the mediation administrator would be established in an effort to facilitate expedition of cases through the mediation process. 

He further said the Administration of Justice had introduced posts of deputy sheriffs in Kasane, Maun and Ghanzi in effort to avail access to justice by all. 

The minister told MPs that the Administration of Justice was still facing challenges such as shortage of court administration personnel, including librarians and court reporters to transcribe court proceedings. 

Mr Mmusi said the judiciary was keen to digitise its services and hold virtual courts in all its high court divisions around the country, in order to enhance service delivery. 

Regarding the 2022/2023 budget estimates, the minister said the development expenditure would cover infrastructure projects such as construction of a court and staff houses in Serowe, procurement of vehicles, improvements of security and the computerisation project. BOPA