09 Feb 2026

Government should pause the ongoing consultations on the Constitutional Court and instead sensitise the public about the court and the good expected to be derived out of it. 

The sentiments were shared by residents of Tutume and nearby villages on Wednesday when Minister of Labour and Home Affairs Major General Pius Mokgware consulted with them on the proposal to establish a Constitutional Court.

Former Tutume Sub District Council chairman Mr Ishmael Mokgethi noted that residents were not against the establishment of the Constitutional Court, however, many of them lacked understanding of how the court would benefit the nation.

He proposed that government should first have laid the groundwork by educating the public on the institution and its importance before seeking their views on whether or not it should be established. 

Mr Mokgethi further asked whether the infrastructure was already available to house this new court, taking into consideration the fact that the economy was ailing and there was so much uncertainty on the flow of finances.

He added that although government reports to had set aside P275 million for the project, one wondered if it was appropriate to implement the project at this time when the country was struggling financially. 

As for one Mr Isaac Kgata from Maitengwe, said the review of the Constitution should precede the establishment of the Constitutional Court.

Mr Kgata said the Constitution itself had so many thorny issues that needed to be addressed, amongst which he cited the restructuring of tribal territories and the recognition of certain tribes ahead of others.

For his part, Minister Mokgware explained that the Constitutional Court was a specialised independent court which was going to help address issues of human rights violations.

He appealed to residents not to think that government was prioritising setting up the court ahead of everything else. Maj. Gen Mokgware said establishing the ConCourt was one of government’s promises to build a new Botswana which valued and respected human rights. BOPA