02 Nov 2026

Professor Bonolo Dinokopila has been sworn in as a High Court judge, completing the latest batch of judicial appointments.

The appointment completes the latest batch of judicial appointments, intended to enhance access to justice and strengthening the judiciary.

Other appointments were of Justice Tshegofatso Mogomotsi to the Court of Appeal while Dr Tachilisa Balule and Prof Dinokopila were appointed to the High Court bench.

He was sworn in by President Advocate Duma Boko on October 30. 

President Boko welcomed him to the Judiciary and counselled him that judges are subjected to the most probing by society, but said such scrutiny should be done respectfully. He noted that judges should not wilt under scrutiny.

He further expressed confidence in Professor Dinokopila, whom he described as a human rights lawyer and scholar, adding that he had no doubt about his ethical ability to execute the functions of a judge fairly.

President Boko further said it was his pleasure to see Professor Dinokopila rising to the office of a judge, saying his was a worthy appointment.

“I am very happy and confident that our judiciary is enriched,” President Boko said.

Prof Dinokopila is an admitted attorney of the courts of Botswana. Prior to his appointment, he was an Associate Professor of Law in the Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law, at the University of the Free State in South Africa.

He has published books, several journal articles and book chapters on constitutional and human rights law and has participated in national, regional and international conferences to present his viewpoints on human rights issues.

He has served as a board member of Botswana Railways (2021–2024) and as a member of the Botswana Tax Board of Adjudicators (2024–present), a quasi-judicial body mandated to adjudicate appeals relating to decisions of the Commissioner General of the Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS).

A renowned academic, he obtained his Bachelor of Laws Degree (LLB) from the University of Botswana in 2007, his master’s degree from the University of Pretoria and later a Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree from the same university with a thesis on the human rights mandate of the Pan-African Parliament. ENDS