27 Jun 2022

The law must bar former presidents from holding the same office again.

In her submissions to the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Review of the Constitution at a consultative meeting held here Friday, residents, M Mmapula Phuduhudu said the law’s non-committal on the matter was worrisome.

Ms Phuduhudu told the commission that while the constitution clearly spelt out qualifications for, as well as length of tenure of office for presidential office, it was silent with regard to former presidents.

“The law is clear on all these other aspects, but does not go on to explain what should happen with former presidents. This raises fear that one day a former president may want to become president again,” she submitted.

Ms Phuduhudu also raised issue with the fact the law did not disallow former presidents to come back as MPs.

Once elected as a legislator, the person may be appointed vice president, which would qualify him or her to hold forte when the president was away or indisposed, she said.

“Re tshwanetse re gakologelwe gore fa o kile wa nna tautona o ntse o ka boa wa nna mopalamente, se ka bosone se rayang gore o ka nna mothusa-tautona. Section 36 e letlelela gore motho yo o kileng a nna tautona o ka nna mothusa-tautona, ka jalo a bo a ka dira ditiro tsa ga tautona fa mabaka a patika gore a di dire.”

Wrapping up her submission on this, Ms Phuduhudu proposed that the law must  “lock out” former presidents from returning to both the office and parliament.

“Nna fa e ne e le nna, ke ka lotlela molao-motheo gore yo o kileng a nna tautona a seka a boelela a dira ditiro tsa botautona gape,” she said.

When sharing her views on calls for direct election of the president, the Sefhophe resident said she found nothing wrong with the current system.

She used her own people’s traditional political setup as an analogy to drive her point home:

“We as Batalaote of Sefhophe, are under the leadership of a Motalaote kgosi, who performs his duties with the support and assistance of his dikgosana who are also Batalaote. The day our Motalaote kgosi goes and attempts to stamp his authority elsewhere, chances are he will face rejection,” She said.

The analogy was meant to show the likely dichotomy between a minority president and a majority opposition in parliament, which would make it for him/her to perform.

Another Sefhophe resident Mr Head Seponono proposed the law should give Parliament more independence by disallowing MPs with constituencies from holding cabinet positions.

Mr Seponono suggested instead that the number of specially-elected MPs be adjusted upwards such that a full cabinet could be drawn from them.

That way, he argued, elected representatives would be able to articulate the needs of their constituencies without the biases that came with being a cabinet minister.

On violent and intrusive crimes, residents asked for more stringent methods of punishment.

Ms Obopegile Mmopimontle proposed that murderers should be hanged without trial, saying that once investigations had proved someone committed murder, the person should be sent to the gallows without a trial.

“Re a fela ke batho ba ba bolayang ba bangwe. Fa a sena go bolaa motho o a tsewa o ya go bewa kwa a a ja a nona a nna kana. Nna ka re motho yo o bolaileng motho, a a bolawe gone foo.”

As for rapists and those convicted of stock theft, Sefhophe’s Ms Mmoloki Bautlwetse proposed that they should hang or serve life.

Still from Sefhophe Ms Gabatlwaelwe Ramabusa said the law should compel those convicted of rape to compensate their victims.

“We want protection from people who rape us. The law must force them to compensate us. It should acknowledge that these people can brutalise their victims and leave them deformed and scarred for life. This is why the law must force them to compensate victims in addition to the punishments that they would get.” ENDS