BDP, AG lose appeal with costs
Tuesday, November 11, 2014

BDP lawyer parks Tafa
The BDP and the AG had appealed the case they lost on Friday over the constitutionality of the Standing Orders with respect to the election of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker and the endorsement of the Vice President. Delivering the unanimous short ruling on behalf of his colleagues, Judge President Ian Kirby said they had debated the central issues and come to the decision that the Parliamentary Standing Orders did not contravene any provision of the Constitution.
This was after the High Court on Sunday night granted the ruling party leave to appeal the November 7 judgment delivered by Justice Michael Leburu on behalf of Justices Tebogo Tau and Singh Walia. The AG had wanted the court to declare some Parliamentary Standing unconstitutional. The opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) and the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) opposed the application while the BDP supported the AG’s application.
Hurt as he may have been, former president Ian Khama, Sir Seretse’s senior son who was given an opportunity to speak on behalf of the Seretse family, couldn’t mince his words as he took advantage to shred his successor Mokgweetsi Masisi to pieces.He, however, did not clearly mention names but he referred to Masisi as the leader of a political party that was founded amongst others by his father.He would also address him as the former State...