02 Mar 2023

The Ministry of Justice’s 2022/23 performance in terms of project implementation is not impressive, says Minister Machana Shamukuni. 

Speaking during the ministry’s annual retreat at Manong Game Lodge near Lobatse on Wednesday, he stressed the importance of timely execution of projects.

Any failure to deliver projects on time translated into failure of expending services to the nation, stated Mr Shamukuni.

The minister challenged officials to redefine the ministry’s operational focus for the next two years under the Transitional Development Plan which he said called for radical change and transformation.

Mr Shamukuni vowed to leave no stone unturned towards improving access to justice and reducing the backlog of cases in the coming financial year.

He said improved access to justice by every member of society was among his top priorities. 

“The second commitment is the review and the reform of the justice system. The third commitment is public education and outreach, and lastly the reduction of cases backlog,” he said.

Minister Shamukuni called  for collaboration among the ministry’s  accounting officers to ensure achievement of the objectives.

  The retreat, he said, offered the ministry an opportunity to introspect, find corrections and adopt new strategies aimed at achieving its mandate of delivering justice for all.

The ministry’s acting permanent secretary, Ms Dimpho Mogami  concurred saying ‘this retreat offers us an opportunity to look back and reflect on how we have been performing in the past year, to make necessary interventions and to develop ourselves’.

 Ms Mogami said for the next financial year, the ministry must  focus on the Transitional National Development Plan.

 “As the justice sector it is upon us to ensure that we deliver on that plan and especially projects in that plan,” she said.

Ms Mogami called on the ministry leadership to leverage technology to expedite services. 

The three-day retreat was attended by ministry leadership, directors and accounting officers from its organs such as Attorney General’s Chambers, Administration of Justice, Department of Public Prosecutions, Industrial Court, Ombudsman and Land Tribunal. Ends