BOFEPUSU rebukes Ian Kirby
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Botswana Federation of Public, Private and Parastatal Sectors Union (BOFEPPPUSU) has repudiated the Judge President of the Court of Appeal (CoA), Justice Ian Kirby for “provocative” remarks he uttered during the opening of the Court of Appeal session, beginning of the year.
Kirby had in his statement castigated unions and opposition parties against attacking him for cases that they have lost against the government and labelled the judges presiding over those matters and those who made the judgements as “executive minded”.
In a long strong worded response to Justice Kirby, BOFEPPPUSU cautioned that if Judges (like Kirby) are caught expressing their personal opinions in Court, they will subsequently be criticized and ostracized. However, the union federation pointed out that if they remain silent, then they will survive the wrath.
BOFEPPPUSU Deputy Secretary General, Ketlhalefile Motshegwa, said “in his vitriolic attack on the unions and opposition parties (because it is nigh impossible to attack the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Justice Kirby did not only attack unions and opposition parties, but his young colleagues in the lower Courts, presumably, the High Court.”
Kirby, when marking the opening of the Court of Appeal session this month uttered that, “the term, Executive–minded” is often used by parties, Unions or interest groups who have been unsuccessful in litigating a case against government, to describe the Judge who wrote their judgment.”
Kirby also blatantly stated that in Botswana there is no real separation of power between the Executive and the legislature while adding that the public service is led by the President and his Cabinet Ministers, who are all also full members of Parliament.
The Judge President also pointed out that “it is perhaps because of this need for stability and certainty that usually older and more seasoned individuals are appointed to the Court of Appeal bench. We have all been young and progressive Judges once, eager to leave our mark in the law reports with innovative and ground-breaking judgments, and to be remembered in a sense, for having in one way or another made or changed some aspect of the law.”
However, Motshegwa is alarmed by Kirby’s utterances. He in fact expressed that BOFEPPPUSU resolved not to let Kirby’s unprovoked vitriolic attack on the unions go unchallenged. He said they have also observed time without number that Justice Kirby is fond of either attacking unions and other interest groups in our society or making orbiter decisions on matters that he knows he will not be able to sit on or are still pending at the High Court; or when a statutory notice is issued against Attorney General as in the case of President Khama versus Omphemetse Motumise and Law Society of Botswana matter.
Motshegwa raised concern that Kirby’s remarks may affect the outcome of some cases, “we know that currently there are cases still to be heard by the Court of Appeal, which cases hinge on judicial independence and separation of power doctrines. Such cases include the Law Society (on behalf of Motumise) versus President Khama, four suspended Judges versus Khama, Outsa Mokone versus State and Manual Workers Union versus Khama.”
He added that it is therefore in light of the above cases, save for Mokone case, that Justice Kirby will not sit to propagate the executive viewpoint. The union leader highlighted that it has become habitual that the remaining Justices of Appeal either concur with Kirby’s decisions or will make decisions on the basis of the commands contained in Kirby’s speeches or Kirby’s orbiter dicta statements.
On separation of powers Motshegwa asserted that in future, owing to his public opinion, they want Judge President Kirby not to preside over their cases which deal with separation of powers, judicial independence and other public interest matters because “he already has an opinion and we hope his opinion was not also a directive to other Court of Appeal Judges to follow suit”.
He added that, “We are witnessing a situation where our Court of Appeal Judges always concur with Judge President in public interest matters. This is an indication that our Court of Appeal practices excessive judiciary timidity.” “Justice Kirby is wrong to say in Botswana there is no separation of power,” the union leader further said.
He explained that in Botswana like in America or South Africa, there is the Judiciary, Legislature and Executive and that in South Africa and Botswana, unlike in America, Ministers are members of the National Assembly. “They (Ministers) are appointed amongst the elected 400 members of the South African Legislature by the President. In South Africa like in Botswana the President and Minister of Public Enterprises are the head of Public Service,” Motshegwa contended against Kirby’s statement. “Our Court of Appeal seems to have regressed since it was localized because the citizen Judges seem to be all conservative and pro-Establishment,” he further quipped.
In Botswana, the BOFEPPPUSU DSG said, since the ascendancy of Khama to the Presidency of the Republic, the Court of Appeal is practicing excessive judicial timidity and its executive-mindedness is worsening by the day. He highlighted the fact that the Judicial Service Commission is made up of; the Chief Justice, Justice Maruping Dibotelo, President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Kirby, the Attorney General, Dr Athaliah Molokomme, the Chairman of Public Service Commission, a member of the Law Society nominated by the Law Society and a person who is not a lawyer, and all are appointed by the President except the Law Society of Botswana representative.
The BOFEPUSU DSG said in terms of Section 5(1), 96(1), 100(1) and 109(1) of the Constitution of Botswana, the President appoints his political gate keepers to the positions of Attorney General, Chief Justice, The President of Court of Appeal (the highest court), and the Chairman of Public Service Commission to the JSC to protect his interests and those of the Executive.
He added that “the Chief Justice empanels Judges who hear or sit in matters that involve the President. The President of Court of Appeal decides who hears matters of public interests which involve the President. The current President of Court of Appeal has a long history of association with the Khama family. He also presides over matters that are brought against President Khama.”
According to Motshegwa, tendencies of empanelling the bench with the usual Judges whose decisions are predictable whilst sidelining others speaks volumes of the rot in the Judiciary of Botswana. Motshegwa further emphasized that the struggle to fight for the welfare of workers in Botswana will not be deterred by excessive judicial timorous officers.
He continued: “we will die in the trenches fighting for the rights of workers and for generations yet unborn. Everything has its own timeline. A time will come when we will call audit of judicial competence to deal with judicial packing by Khama.” Meanwhile on his part Law Society of Botswana (LSB) Chairperson, Kgalalelo Monthe told this publication separately that the Society was “uncomfortable” with Kirby’s statement during the opening of the Court of Appeal session.
“You know he even spoke about this while some matters are still to be presided over by the Court of Appeal itself,” Monthe complained. According to Monthe, some of the matters to be decided by the Court of Appeal include the one involving the separation of power, which Kirby has already touched on.
“The separation of power matter is still before the courts and one cannot dwell into the details of it like the Judge President did in his statement.” Monthe further noted that, “You see, the duty of the Judge is to interpret the law. They state what the law says. And as to consequences, it is for other arms of government to see what to do.” He said Kirby was also sounding prescriptive to other Judges when he stated “his opinion” and said he hopes “other Judges agree” with him.
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ENVIRONMENT ISSUES: Masisi asks Virginia for help
President Mokgweetsi Masisi says the issue of sustainable natural resources management has always been an important part of Botswana’s national development agenda.
Masisi was speaking this week on the occasion of a public lecture at Virginia Polytechnic, under theme, “Merging Conservation, Democracy and Sustainable Development in Botswana.”
Botswana, according to Masisi, holds the view that the environment is fragile and as such, must be managed and given the utmost protection to enable the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“It is necessary that we engage one another in the interchange of ideas, perspectives, visualizations of social futures, and considerations of possible strategies and courses of action for sustainable development,” said Masisi.
On the other hand, dialogue, in the form of rigorous democratic discourse among stakeholders presents another basis for reconfiguring how people act on their environments, with a view to conserving its resources that “we require to meet our socio-economic development needs on a sustainable basis,” Masisi told attendees at the public lecture.
He said government has a keen interest in understanding the epidemiology and ecology of diseases of both domestic and wild animals. “It is our national interest to forestall the dire consequences of animal diseases on our communities livelihoods.”
President Masisi hoped that both Botswana and Virginia could help each other in curbing contagious diseases of wildlife.
“We believe that Virginia Tech can reasonably share their experiences, research insights and advances in veterinary sciences and medicines, to help us build capacity for knowledge creation and improve efforts of managing and containing contagious diseases of wildlife. The ground is fertile for entering into such a mutually beneficial partnership.”
When explaining environmental issues further, Masisi said efforts of conservation and sustainable development might at times be hampered by the emergence and recurrence of diseases when pathogens mutate and take host of more than one species.
“Water pollution also kills aquatic life, such as fish, which is one of humanity’s much deserved sources of food. In this regard, One Health Approach imposes ecological responsibility upon all of us to care for the environment and the bio-diversity therein.”
He said the production and use of animal vaccines is an important space and tool for conservation, particularly to deal with trans-border animal diseases.
“In Botswana, our 43-year-old national premier pharmaceutical institution called Botswana Vaccine Institute has played its role well. Through its successful production of highly efficacious Foot and Mouth vaccines, the country is able to contain this disease as well as supply vaccines to other countries in the sub-region.:
He has however declared that there is need for more help, saying “We need more capacitation to deal with and contain other types of microbial that affect both animals and human health.”
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Masisi saddened by deaths of elephant attacks
President Mokgweetsi Masisi has expressed a strong worry over elephants killing people in Botswana. When speaking in Virginia this week, Masisi said it is unfortunate that Batswana have paid a price with their own blood through being attacked by elephants.
“Communities also suffer unimaginable economic losses yearly when their crops are eaten by the elephants. In spite of such incidents of human-elephant conflict, our people embrace living together with the animals. They fully understand wildlife conservation and its economic benefits in tourism.”
In 2018, Nthobogang Samokwase’s father was attacked by an elephant when travelling from the fields, where he stayed during the cropping season.
It was reported that the man couldn’t run because of his age. He was found trampled by the elephant and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.
In the same year, in Maun, a 57-year-old British woman was attacked by an elephant at Boro and died upon arrival at the hospital. The woman was with her Motswana partner, and were walking dogs in the evening.
Last month, a Durban woman named Carly Marshall survived an elephant attack while on holiday in the bush in Botswana. She was stabbed by one of the elephant’s tucks through the chest and was left with bruises. Marshall also suffered several fractured ribs from the ordeal.
President Masisi Botswana has the largest population of African elephants in the world, totaling more than 130 000. “This has been possible due to progressive conservation policies, partnerships with the communities, and investment in wildlife management programmes.”
In order to benefit further from wildlife, Masisi indicated that government has re-introduced controlled hunting in 2019 after a four-year pause. “The re-introduction of hunting was done in an open, transparent and democratic way, giving the communities an opportunity to air their views. The funds from the sale of hunting quota goes towards community development and elephant conservation.”
He stressed that for conservation to succeed, the local people must be involved and derive benefits from the natural resources within their localities.
“There must be open and transparent consultations which involve all sectors of the society. It is against this backdrop that as a country, we lead the continent on merging conservation, democracy and sustainable development.”
Masisi stated that Botswana is open to collaborative opportunities, “particularly with identifiable partners such as Virginia Tech, in other essential areas such as conservation, and the study of the interplay among the ecology of diseases of wild animals and plants, and their effects on human health and socio-economic development.”
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Gov’t commit to injecting more funds in fighting HIV
Minister for State President Kabo Morwaeng says government will continue to make resources available in terms of financial allocations and human capital to ensure that Botswana achieves the ideal of eradicating HIV and AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
Morwaeng was speaking this morning in Gaborone at the High-Level Advocacy event to accelerate HIV Prevention in Botswana. He said the National AIDS and Health Promotion Agency (NAPHA), in partnership with UNAIDS, UN agencies, the Global Fund and PEPFAR, have started a process of developing transition readiness plan for sustainability of HIV prevention and treatment programmes.
“It is important for us, as a country that has had a fair share of donor support in the response to an epidemic such as HIV and AIDS, to look beyond the period when the level of assistance would have reduced, or ceased, thus calling for domestic financing for all areas which were on donor support.”
Morwaeng said this is important as the such a plan will guarantee that all the gains accrued from the response with donor support will be sustained until the end when “we reach the elimination of HIV and AIDS as a public health threat by 20230,” he said.
“I commit to continue support efforts towards strengthened HIV prevention, accentuating HIV primary prevention and treatment as prevention towards Zero New Infections, Zero Stigma, Discrimination and Zero AIDS related death, to end AIDS in Botswana.”
He reiterated that government commits to tackle legislative, policy and programming challenges that act as barriers to the achievement of the goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat.
In the financial year 2022/2023, a total of 119 Civil Society Organizations, including Faith Based Organizations, were contracted with an amount of P100 million to implement HIV and NCDs prevention activities throughout the country, and the money was drawn from the Consolidated Fund.
Through an upcoming HIV Prevention Symposium, technical stakeholders will use outcomes to develop the Botswana HIV Prevention Acceleration Road Map for 2023-2025.
Morwaeng stated that government will support and ensure that Botswana plays its part achieving the road map. He said there is need to put hands on the deck to ensure that Botswana sustains progress made so far in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
“There are tremendous achievements thus far to, reach and surpass the UNAIDS fast track targets of 95%- 95%- 95% by the year 2025. As reflected by the BAIS preliminary results of 2021, we now stand at 95- 98- 98 against the set targets.”
“These achievements challenge us to now shift our gears and strive to know who are the remaining 5% for those aware of their HIV status, 2% of enrolment on treatment by those aware of their status and 2% of viral suppression by those on treatment.”
Explaining this further, Morwaeng said shift in gears should extend to coming up with robust strategies of determining where these remaining people are as well as how they will be reached with the necessary services.
“These are just some of the many variables that are required to ensure that as a country, we are well positioned to reaching the last mile of our country’s response to the HIV and AIDS pandemic.”