BONELA Hails Govt's Law Reform Move

Commenting on this development, BONELA legal officer Uyapo Ndadi said: "As a lawyer, who deals with indigent clients everyday, I fully understand what difference to one's life legal aid can make."

Ndadi said he has endured the pain of being unable to help people presenting unassailable cases falling outside their mandate. He added that such clients would naturally give up their strong and winnable cases because they cannot afford legal fees, which are often exorbitant. "As a legal practitioner, there is nothing as painful as dealing with archaic laws that have no relevance to modern day Botswana. The gaps in our laws open up opportunities for human rights abuses, such as the continued discrimination of employees in the workplace based on their actual or perceived HIV status," Ndadi said.