31 Jan 2014

There are diverse benefits Botswana will derive from hosting delegates of the 52 Commonwealth states who will be partaking in the Commonwealth Law Ministers Conference scheduled for May.

The Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Mr Dikgakgamatso Seretse said this at a press conference in Gaborone on January 31.

He said the Commonwealth meeting, scheduled for Gaborone from May 5 to 8 this year, would not only boost the tourist sector directly, but also give the country international mileage.

“By offering to host the Commonwealth Law Ministers Conference, we were declaring that we are ready to bear the cost burden.  But there will be benefits that will arise from having a conference of this magnitude in our country,” Mr Seretse said.

He further said Botswana like any other democratic country, adhered to the Commonwealth Charter, which stressed having an impartial and competent judiciary as well as an independent and efficient legal system as being integral to upholding the rule of law in cultivating public confidence.

The conference, due convene under the theme: Consolidating Human Rights and the Rule of Law in the Commonwealth, was entrusted on Botswana as host, after the country pledged to host the 2014 edition at the previous meet held in Australia in 2011.

Commonwealth deputy secretary, political affairs, Mrs Masekgowa Masire-Mwamba, who detailed the conference history since 1965, expressed gratitude to Botswana for pledging to be the host.

She said Commonwealth states had similar legal states and the conference would afford them an opportunity, which afforded them the opportunity to share experiences, benchmark, and review the threats and challenges they face.

Mrs Masire-Mwamba said they considered Botswana a key state, especially since an anti-corruption centre was opened in Gaborone in 2013.

Accompanying Mrs Masire-Mwamba were her colleagues, Ms Kataliana Sapolu, (director) and Mr Jarvis Maiya (head of justice) both from the legal and constitutional affairs division of the Commonwealth Secretariat in London.  ENDS