This week, the LSB boycotted the opening of the 2024 Legal Year and instead held its parallel session where pertinent issues regarding the state of the Judiciary in the country were discussed. The LSB cited various unresolved administrative issues with the AoJ for boycotting the opening of the 2024 Legal Year after the LSB Council tabled a motion before its members calling on them to boycott this year's official ceremony and instead host a parallel event at the KSB Secretariat on February 6, 2024, where the chairperson addressed the members and discussions on the way forward take place.
A majority of LSB attorneys in good standing voted to boycott the opening of the 2024 Legal Year. The boycotting of the opening of this year’s Legal Year cycle was historic since the advent of democracy in Botswana. Before taking the decision to boycott this year’s opening the legal year, the LSB released a communiqué saying: “In the first quarter of 2023, the Council met with the Chief Justice (CJ) Terence Rannowane, former Chief Registrar, and a few judges of the High Court with a view to discuss issues of mutual interest and re-establish a relationship. However, the promised quarterly meetings were consistently cancelled or postponed by the AoJ, leaving the Council uninformed about interventions promised to rectify pressing issues within the Judiciary. The Council states that the current state of the Judiciary is a disgrace and lamentable, highlighting various issues including continuous delays in pro deo fee payments, inordinate delays in default judgments, shortages of stationery at High Courts, and a system-wide failure in Case Management.” The press release added:
