the monitor

Apology not enough: Prosecute the persecutors

The humiliating court-ordered apology to be splashed across the world’s biggest newspapers and TV screens this week is more than just an embarrassment for Botswana.

It’s a stark, global advertisement of a shocking abuse of state power that must be answered for, not swept away with mere words.

Ambassador Bridgette Motsepe’s victory in forcing the government to publicly retract vile, fabricated allegations linking her to money-laundering and terrorism financing is a step towards justice. But let’s be clear: the government’s admission that investigator Jako Hubona’s sworn affidavit was entirely false and reckless isn’t the end. It’s the bare minimum start. To trumpet a "commitment to the rule of law" whilst those who weaponised the state against innocent citizens remain unpunished, is hollow indeed.

Editor's Comment
Deadly weekend demands immediate vigilance

The heartbreaking reports carried elsewhere on this publication of a woman killed in Metsimotlhabe and four family members perishing near Metsimaswaana Bridge are, devastatingly, not isolated incidents. They represent the sharp, painful tip of a weekend that has seen far too many collisions, injuries, and losses on the roads. This alarming spike in fatalities is a screaming siren we cannot ignore. It compels a direct and urgent plea to every...

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