06 Apr 2022

Residents of Kauxwi, Mohembo East, Kaputura and Goa want women to be permitted to propose to and marry men, a representative of the communities Mr Baleseng Mahupe told the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Review of the Constitution, yesterday. He did not elaborate, leaving the meeting in stitches.

Mr Mahupe also asked that DNA testing be made compulsory to prevent conflicts over paternity of children. 

Moving away from these, he entreated that the constitution should not only acknowledge Batswana’s indigenous knowledge but should also protect it.

Giving an example of traditional midwifery, Mr Mahupe argued that if not protected such knowledge would likely be exploited by opportunists.

Another resident, Retired Major Lefedile Andreck, submitting on behalf of Shakawe residents proposed that offenders against minors should be given life sentences considering the long-term effects their crimes usually had on victims.  He argued the gravity of the offences demanded that offenders be severely punished.

Maj. Andreck also submitted that the law should proscribe concurrent running of sentences for intrusive crimes so convicts could truly pay for their crimes.

“Even if sentences pile up to a total of 500 years, let it be so. If you kill two people and your offences each attract a life sentence, you should get slapped with two life sentences, and the court should pronounce those to run consecutively,” he said.

Moreover, he requested that no one should be considered for presidential pardon as espoused in Section 53 of the constitution, unless they had served at least half of their sentence.

That he said, would give those involved in handling cases the assurance that their efforts toward ensuring justice was done were not in vain.

Sharing the submissions from the Xaoga community, Mr Malwetse Monnawaditau asked that the term of office of the vice president be harmonised with that of the president.

“Mothusa-tautona o tshwanetse go nna 10 years, a bo a tswa le tautona wa gagwe,” he said.

Mr Monnawaditau also called for the standardisation of bogadi.

Calling for direct election of the president on behalf of the Tobera community, Mr John Kambwata proposed also that the law should provide for the president to serve only one term.

Further, he said the tenure of office for councillors and Members of Parliament should also be limited to a single term.

On an unrelated matter, Mr Kambwata proposed that in light of the immense responsibilities requiring high level of maturity that members of Village Development Committees (VDCs) carried, the law should disallow people aged under 30 from assuming the committees’ membership.

Proposing the introduction of a P2 000 monthly salary for the members, he said the sitting allowance that they presently drew was far from being commensurate with their many responsibilities.

Ghani representative Mr Lekgowa Monowe asked that land administration be partly vested in dikgosi.

He proposed that dikgosi be tasked with land allocation while the role of land boards should be limited to measuring portions of land as well as the issuance of certificates to holders of land rights.

Ends