The tussle between Botswana government and its nemesis, deported political scientist and government critic Professor Kenneth Good, took another turn this week. Good successfully sued the government and won undisclosed payouts at the African Union's human rights commission in Banjul, The Gambia.
The mode of payment of the compensation will be made in accordance with the pertinent laws of Botswana.
In its favourable ruling for the prohibited immigrant, the court also said Botswana should review its immigration laws.
Good, a former political science lecturer at the University of Botswana (UB) was declared a prohibited immigrant in 2005, after authoring an academic paper criticising Botswana's system of 'automatic succession' to the presidency, which he described as 'a poor example in Africa'. He twice challenged his deportation in the Botswana courts and lost on both occasions. His case has been before the AU's Human Rights Commission since 2005. The May ruling poses a challenge to Botswana's constitutional provision that empowers the President to declare a person a prohibited immigrant without giving reasons.
