14 Nov 2022

Court Annexed Mediation will be introduced to complement judicial case management and improve the efficiency of the judiciary.

Delivering the State of the Nation Address in Gaborone on Monday, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi said that one of the fundamental aspects of good governance was equitable access to justice hence the Court Annexed Mediation would facilitate access to justice.  

“It will reduce the backlog of judgments and rulings,” he said.

Further, he said the expansion of the mandate of Legal Aid Botswana would facilitate the provision of free legal service to deserving citizens, adding that it would start offering criminal legal aid as a pilot project through the establishment of units in Gaborone and Francistown.

President Masisi explained that government had strengthened legislation and institutions to ensure that Botswana was never again greylisted. “In this regard, Parliament passed 17 bills,” he said.

The acts, he said were to effect the recommendations of the Eastern and Southern African Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) and Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

He said good governance, adherence to the principles of participatory democracy and the rule of law, remained central to sustainable inclusive development as illustrated by Botswana speaks platform. This digitised traditional kgotla system connects traditional democracy with modern proceedings at the National Assembly.

He said the platform had been featured by the World Bank, United Nations, European Union and Inter-Parliamentary Union as an example of digital democracy. 

Dr Masisi told Parliament that government remained committed to the fight against corruption and would close all avenues for corruption.

However, he said Botswana’s decline in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index of 2021 was of great concern.

He therefore, highlighted that as a countermeasure, stronger inter-agency cooperation was a must to restore the integrity of government processes and structures.

With regards to the fight against crime, Dr Masisi said government had recruited 1 000 police officers in 2022 to enhance law enforcement and increase visibility.

He further added that 27 police posts would be constructed during the Transitional National Development Plan to bring public security services closer to Batswana.

To further intensify the war against crime, he said the government would take advantage of digital technology using specialised equipment such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Technology, commonly known as drones.

Dr Masisi said following the implementation of some recommendations of the Presidential Commission on Livestock Rustling in some villages in the Bobirwa Constituency in 2021, there was a significant reduction in cases of cattle rustling in the area.

He said the initiative would be expanded to cover the entire country through bilateral agreements with similarly affected neighbouring countries. ends