20 Oct 2026

Ntlo Ya Dikgosi is neither a rival of the National Assembly nor a junior partner to government, it complements government says chairperson Bangwaketse, Kgosi Malope II of Bangwaketse.

Officially opening the 7th meeting of the 5th Ntlo Ya Dikgosi in Gaborone on Monday, Kgosi Malope said the House had an advisory role so that legislation was not only lawful but legitimate.

“We counsel so that policy is not only on paper but rooted in the lived reality of the kgotla. In this way the three arms move as one body, distinct in function yet, united in purpose and bound together in service of the same Motswana,” he said.

Kgosi Malope said where the National Assembly made laws and enacted them, the House brought wisdom of custom and the voice of the grassroots to bear upon both.

He said that through the kgotla, dikgosi continued to preside over community disputes, oversee social welfare and bridge the distance between rural populations and policies of central government, among other duties.

“Where the state can sometimes feel distant, the kgotla is always near, and the nearness is itself a form of service,” he said.

Kgosi Malope said Ntlo Ya Dikgosi could no longer be content to be remembered only as the dignified voice of custom in the new decade of Botswana stating ‘our vision is clear. A modern, professional and people centred Ntlo Ya Dikgosi. A House that honours the past without being imprisoned by it and embraces the future without surrendering its soul. We seek not merely to advise once decisions are already made, but to help shape them before the ink is dry. That is the difference between being consulted and being heard. And, it is a difference the House is determined to make.”

Kgosi Malope said that was why the relationship between the House and the National Assembly must deepen rather than drift.

He said they asked to be drawn into the national conversation at its beginning than be merely summoned to its conclusion for a bill consulted upon in the House returned to Parliament stronger and a policy first tested in the Kgotla served government better.

“Collaboration, not competition is the spirit in which we extend our hand; and a hand extended in good faith deserves to be met in kind,” he said.

He said the spirit of partnership was reflected in their engagement with the Executive adding that the Ntlo Ya Dikgosi looked forward to continued collaboration with the Executive in advancing national development. He said culture and development were not rivals but partners adding that development without identity was merely construction, while development rooted in culture was nation-building.

“Our heritage is not a museum piece to be admired from afar. It is an economic asset, a social adhesive and a wellspring of national pride capable of driving tourism, creating jobs and biding our people together. As we build roads, schools and clinics, let us build also upon the cultural foundations that make Botswana unmistakably Botswana,” he said. ENDS