Our courts need bailiffs

| Wednesday April 28, 2010 00:00

We appreciate that the process needed extensive consultation to ensure that there is uniformity of training methods and basic understanding of conduct, ethics and single policing philosophy to avoid bottlenecks and misunderstandings.

The process has relatively been smooth. The reality however is that local police officers performed a vital role in the lives of rural folks.

Their integration into the Botswana Police Service has therefore left rural communities without law enforcers.

The Customary Court system is on its knees with very few or in most cases no police officers to oil its operations.

Local police officers used to bear the burden of implementing the decisions of the Customary Courts. Without these offices, the justice system in remote villages is seriously hampered.

While Customary Courts continue to dispense justice, there are no police officers to deliver summons, to execute floggings and to follow up on fines and other demands of the court.

This is a great disservice to the majority of Batswana who live in rural areas and depend on the traditional judicial system.

While the modern courts might be improving in adopting new technologies such as Case Management System, the bigger justice system - the Customary Courts - might be short-changed.

We want to implore the authorities particularly the Ministry of Local Government to speed up the process of employing court bailiffs or put in place a method that can help in implementing and executing the decisions of the Customary Court.

The ministry has in the past made an undertaking that it is expediting the hiring of court bailiffs but this has taken much more time than necessary. Court bailiffs are needed at our Kgotla.

On another matter, we want to hail the government for moving quickly to sign two very important agreements with Lesotho and Swaziland.

The import of the agreements with the two countries is that they will ensure that double taxation is avoided.

Information from the Ministry of Finance indicates that the agreements will split taxing rights between Botswana and the two countries.

We believe the agreements will enhance cooperation, stimulate business and help investors in the three countries.

                                                         Today's thought

Imagine a situation where someone is ordered to pay a fine within a month but takes six months because there is no one to follow the issue up.

                                    - Kgosi Keletlhobogile Baatlholeng