13 Oct 2025

Vice President, Mr Ndaba Gaolathe says an independent and accessible judiciary is the most powerful instrument of transformation.

Speaking at the closure of the Southern and Eastern Africa Chief Justice Forum (SEACJF) Conference recently, Mr Gaolathe, also Minister of Finance, said judicial independence was also a sacred trust held on behalf of the people and shields the weak from the whims of power.

Such, he said gave businesses the confidence in the sanctity of contracts and anchored nations in moments of political or economic turbulence, adding that judicial independence and accountability complemented each other, hence neither should be isolated.

“A judiciary that is independent but not accountable risks losing public trust, a judiciary that is accountable but not independent risks losing its soul,” he warned.

Thus, he said the conference strengthened not only the judicial fabric of participating countries but also the moral architecture upon which the continent’s renewal must stand.

He noted that Botswana was embarking on a new chapter anchored on human rights, good governance and accountable institutions.

Mr Gaolathe said such conviction was at the heart of the twelfth National Development Plan (NDP 12) and the Botswana Economic Transformation Plan (BETP).

He said transformation cannot take root in the absence of good governance, adding that ‘no economy can flourish where the rule of law is uncertain, no investor can thrive where fairness is compromised and democracy cannot endure where accountability is optional.”

He added that Botswana was open to the world yet grounded in African solidarity, confident in its sovereignty and steadfast in multilateralism.

For his part, Chief Justice Gaolapelwe Ketlogetswe said the country’s judiciary recognised and appreciated constitutionalism and was not working under any pressure.

However, Justice Ketlogetswe said the judiciary wanted to be more empowered to adequately carry out its duties.

“Courts must leverage technology to ensure improvement in service delivery,” he added.

The Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of Africa chairperson, also Chief Justice of Zimbabwe, Justice Luke Malaba, said the organisation comprised about 49 countries in Africa that shared fundamental aspirations.

Justice Malaba said  judges played a pivotal role in society.

However, he said judges often faced pressure and criticism when things were not going accordingly.

“There’s no society that will exist without judges. All we have been experiencing over the past two days is a desire to perfect,” he said. He also encouraged judges not to succumb to self-interest, as they could lose their independence.

The forum, which was held under the theme: Judicial Independence and Accountability in Safeguarding the Rule of Law. ENDS