10 Mar 2026

Minister of Justice and Correctional Services has reported a significant increase in the disposal of cases across the country’s judicial system. 

Presenting the 2026/27 budget proposals for the Administration of Justice on Monday, Minister Nelson Ramaotwana told Parliament that disposal rates for the 2025 calendar year reached 40 per cent at the High Court and 54 per cent at the Magistrate Court for criminal matters. Minister Ramaotwana added that civil case disposals were even more robust, standing at 50 per cent and 77.3 per cent respectively.

He credited the opening of the Mahalapye High Court with significantly improving access to justice and noted that the establishment of specialised courts would further accelerate such improvements. However, he regretted that a moratorium on recruitment remained a major hurdle.

 “We must work with limited resources and rationalise existing positions to address critical manpower needs,” he added. 

He further told legislators that the current priority projects included restructuring the Magistracy and Registrarship, delinking the Master’s office to improve administrative efficiency as well as addressing shortage of personnel to adapt to modern legal challenges. 

Following the minister’s presentation, Members of Parliament called for a return to traditional judicial strengths to handle specific local issues, particularly stock theft. MP for Okavango West, Mr Kenny Kapinga argued that customary courts were marginalised by the introduction of Roman-Dutch law and should be restored to prominence. 

He also advocated for civil imprisonment for those who circumvented justice. Specially elected MP, Major Gen. Pius Mokgware argued that stock theft cases belonged in customary courts where officers understood traditional livestock branding, marks and colours. 

He also called for specialised courts for rape and maintenance. Mmopane-Metsimotlhabe MP, Ms Helen Manyeneng proposed increasing the jurisdictional limit of customary courts to P10,000 and urged the courts to consider all forms of income, not just basic salaries, in maintenance cases to prevent hidden assets. 

Dr Kesitegile Gobotswang of Tswapong South decried the overwhelmed state of Legal Aid, noting that justice currently favoured the privileged. He called for a new Magistrate Court in Tswapong and argued that the burden of proof in stock theft cases should shift to the suspects. 

MP Arafat Khan of Molepolole North highlighted the backlog in maintenance cases in Molepolole and called for more personnel to speed up family law conclusions. 

Meanwhile, Parliament approved a total of P459 million for the ministry, comprising P435 million for recurrent expenditure and P24 million for the development budget. BOPA