31 Jul 2022

As the consultations drew to a close last Thursday at the Maruapula community centre in Gaborone, the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the review of the constitution of Botswana learned that the Botswana Council of Churches (BCC) was yet to reach a consensus on several national topical issues. 

When presenting the views of the Botswana Council of Churches (BCC), Secretary General said issues such as capital punishment, Abortion, Euthanasia and wider sexuality including same-sex marriages needed careful consideration. 

“These issues are delicate, emotive and divisive thus requiring utmost care for the sake of peace and national stability,” Reverend Gabriel Tsuaneng submitted. 

Reverend Mpho Moruakgomo echoed Reverend Tsuaneng’s words, agreeing that the complex nature of the issues at hand called for further national discourse and deliberation to reach finality. 

He stated further that as BCC they had always generated platforms and made resources available for effective engagement on pertinent national matters and were willing to do the same to find a lasting solution to the prevailing situation. 

On other issues, Reverend Tsuaneng asked for the removal of the church from the Societies Act.

He solicited that a new act named the religious organisations act should be provided for in the constitution to adequately deal with matters of concern to the church. 

He told commissioners that the amended Societies Act of 2022 was causing a lot of uneasiness among the church as it was counter-productive and posed a serious threat to the existence of the body of Christ in Botswana. 

Like other organisations that had presented their views before the commission, Reverend Tsuaneng proposed that the date of the general elections must be entrenched in the constitution. 

“It is proposed therefore that every five years the last Friday in October be set aside as the date for national and local government elections,” he said. He suggested that the local government as the second tier of governance ought to be accorded constitutional protection; a thing he said would give rise to sustainable and resilient communities. 

He was also of the view that the independence of state organs such as IEC, DISS, DCEC should not only be entrenched in the constitution but must be placed under the supervision of parliament. Botswana Council of Churches, according to him did not have any qualm with any kgosikgolo or pastor who ventured into active politics. 

In fact, he submitted that the kgosikgolo nomenclature must be entrenched in the constitution. On language development, Reverend Tsuaneng advocated for the issuance of community radio licenses. 

Meanwhile, Reverend Moruakgomo stated that BCC proposed the direct election of the president, a view he said was premised on the enormity of the power vested upon the number one citizen. He solicited also that Section 15 of the constitution on the protection from discrimination on the ground of race ought to come out clear with the view to encourage ‘cohesion and nation building.’ 

The right to access information was another aspect that he said BCC felt strongly that it had to be elevated to the constitution. 

He said there was dire need to re-look at the first past the post model of election in favour of other electoral models such as proportional representation or workable mixed member proportionality to further enhance representation and democracy in Botswana. Ends