“Improvement of access to justice is vital. I have pledged to review and reform the justice system, enhance public education and outreach and reduction of case backlog. Central to our purpose as the ministry responsible for justice is the delivery of services, which enable implementation of various projects and programmes to enhance access to timely justice,” he said. Shamukuni stated that it is a forum that they held instrumental in delivering their strategic objectives and enhancing organisational performance and service delivery for the coming financial year. Sharing the same sentiments, the ministry’s Acting Permanent Secretary Dimpho Mogami said a reduction of case backlog is a challenge amongst all the departments but revealed to be currently using digitalisation to respond to the challenge. Mogami stated that some departments are working with e-government to look at their case management systems. Furthermore, she disclosed having established that backlog and other issues of performance they need to discuss and come up with implementation and address programmes that are of concern. “We are reviewing the whole system in terms of how the High Court operates and what legislation it has for example: does the High Court think its legislation is outdated? What reforms they will like looking at reforms that the DPP (Directorate of Public Prosecution) will like,” she said.
Mogami added that access to justice is an evolving objective, which includes making sure that court goes to the people giving an example of the Maun High Court, which was constructed so that the northern part of the country could access it than having to travel to Francistown. “Recently we opened Takatokwane and Mogoditshane Magistrate's Courts. Access to justice also must be understood in the context of national priorities like the use of digitisation in making sure that Batswana access justice. We have to make sure that courts have the necessary policies and frameworks to digitalise if necessary, for example, can evidence be digitalised,” she said.
