An abomination stains Christmas

We can recall that in that winter night, agents of the Government of Botswana disregarded all tenets of natural justice and murdered John Kalafatis in a manner befitting gangsters of the worst order. And in defence of this atrocity, the then Vice President of the Republic Mompati Merafhe scornfully retorted Batswana were mournfully mistaken if they thought one or two deaths could tarnish international image of Botswana.

Botswana has been to a proponent and adherent of the rule of law, which is entrenched in the Constitution of the land in an aspect that echoes the United Nations Charter. “The concept of rule of law is deeply linked to the principle of justice, involving an ideal of accountability and fairness in the protection and vindication of rights and the prevention and punishment of wrongs,” says the Charter. “Long before the United Nations, states were working towards a rule of justice in international life with a view to establishing an international community based on law.”