BCP Stops EVM Purchase, For Now
Monday, May 08, 2017
The IEC attorney John Griffiths confirmed this to the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) in a correspondence dated April 26, 2017. “We refer to our previous correspondence and our advice that our client has stopped purchasing the Electronic Voting Machines. We herewith confirm that our client shall not proceed with the procurement process at this stage,” Griffiths wrote to the BCP lawyer Gabriel Komboni.
In March 2017, Komboni sought from the IEC written confirmation that they shall suspend the procurement of the EVMs pending the outcome of the litigation filed by the BCP in February. The IEC secretary Keireng Zuze, chairperson Justice Abednego Tafa and the Attorney General (AG) were served same letters by Komboni, who is acting for the BCP.
While it is widely acknowledged that Khama holds the title of Kgosi, the government’s failure to properly gazette his recognition has raised serious concerns about adherence to legal procedures and the credibility of traditional leadership. (See a story elsewhere in this newspaper.) Recent court documents by the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Kgotla Autlwetse, shed light on the intricacies of Khama’s recognition process....