UB students' lawyers demand P20,000 deposit

CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI
Staff Writer | Wednesday August 5, 2009 00:00

The students cannot have recourse to their subvention fund as it stipulates that the money should never be used to pay legal fees. Reports reaching Mmegi reveal that the lawyers requested that they be paid before the next hearing and now the Student Representative Council (SRC) is going around soliciting for funds from Botswana National Front (BNF) Members of Parliament (MPs).

It has also been revealed that the SRC approached the UB legal clinic for help but the move was rejected on the grounds that it could not take up the case, which 'is now at an advanced stage'.  The lawyers are reported to have allegedly charged the students a total of P50, 000 for the legal services.

Represented by Collen Mudara of Kanjabanga and Associates, the students had won the case over their June and July allowances, which were stopped by the ministry at the beginning of their long vacation. The court ordered that the ministry pay the two months allowances by July 30.

However, the same week the ministry appealed the decision. The students are supposed to file their heads of argument by Friday for the hearing at the Court of Appeal next week Thursday.

Now the lawyers have reportedly requested that the students pay before they can file the answering argument. According to SRC vice president Nico Selobilwe, the lawyers have not demanded that they should be paid the deposit before the hearing. 'They have represented us three times. We just felt that we should pay them something before the hearing because they have been representing us without us having given them any money,' Selobilwe said.

He stated that they are now relying on the pledges made by the BNF MPs. 'We told the students about this and everyone was giving us the little they have, P10 notes or less than that. I cannot confirm how much we have right now. We are still soliciting for  funds,' Selobilwe said.

When contacted, the lawyer, Mudara refused to comment on the matter as 'the matter is between the client and us'.