Is Ombudsman Augustine Makgonatsotlhe our own public protector Thuli Madonsela?
Tuesday, September 05, 2017
Ombudsman Makgonatsotlhe in spite of the lack of specific provisions to arm him with the tools of the trade ordinarily enjoyed by an officer vested with the wherewithal of power and authority associated with the concept and definition of Ombudsman’s independence finds no excuse in the man-made constraints in the legislation creating his office, has exercised his intuitive discretion, to restore the confidence, expected of this office, but missed since the first Ombudsman Lethebe Maine, sensitised Batswana, what role the office was meant to play in this jungle of dog-eat-dog !
Obviously, after consulting authoritative literature and the conduct of all his predecessors in office, he probably thought it right to take a leaf from the fearless of them all, Ombudsman Maine who was unafraid to exercise the powers of the Office enjoyed by his counterparts elsewhere! Lethebe Maine, we remember nostaligically, was the one who drew public attention to the fact that the Vice President Lt General Ian Khama had no right to fly the BDF choppers when he was no longer staff member of the BDF.
The fees have been doubled from the previous amounts and raise concerns about political participation accessibility and democratic representation principles.This significant fee increase prompts questions regarding its impact on grassroots democracy.On one hand, the fees act as a filter, ensuring only serious contenders enter the race, potentially reducing frivolous candidacies and generating crucial campaign funds. The BDP argues that aspiring...