Africa-Press – Botswana. Chief Justice, Mr Terrence Rannowane has appealed to members of the public to refrain from attacking Judges in the media and social media platforms.
Giving an address at the official opening of the Legal Year at the High Court in Gaborone on Tuesday, Mr Rannowane termed such acts as some form of intimidation, which must be discouraged particularly that Judges did not have a platform to defend themselves.
He emphasised that the primary role of the judiciary was to uphold the rule of law and administer justice in accordance with the law and the Constitution.
“Judges’ oath of office require them to apply the law faithfully without fear or favour or ill will, as such personal beliefs or political bias should not be allowed to influence the decision-making process,” he said.
Justice Rannowane further said the judiciary’s main function was to promote peaceful resolution of disputes in the courts and to adjudicate over cases thereby contributing to the maintenance of peace and tranquillity.
He said the judiciary was also the upholder of the rule of law by ensuring compliance with the Constitution of Botswana by all the branches of the government, adding ‘the role of the Judiciary was core to the democratic governance of the nation’.
He said the opening of the legal year was an important annual event which focused the country’s attention on the Administration of Justice and the important role played by the judiciary. “It serves the important purpose of formally launching a particular legal year by restating to the public the continued commitment of the judiciary to its mandate and in particular reflecting on the relevant on-going activities of this indispensable arm of government,” he said.
Justice Rannowane said the judiciary also used the occasion to account to the nation on the mandate vested on it by the constitution, therefore befitting the theme of: The Judiciary as an Independent Arm of Government.
He said the theme was a reiteration of what was known and practiced by democratic countries worldwide.
Mr Rannowane said in mature democracies such as Botswana, which adhered to the doctrine of separation of powers, a proper understanding of the role of the judiciary provided the basis for public oversight of judicial work. He also noted that the importance of good understanding informed meaningful comments or views of court decisions and enabled constructive suggestions that may help improve the system.
On the other hand, Justice Rannowane said an inaccurate, incomplete or misconceived role of the judiciary was often a basis for inappropriate criticism of court decisions, sometimes even personal attacks against judicial officers.
Additionally, he said the judicial system provided for a hierarchical appeal process that enabled it to quality assure its decision making based on the subsisting set of laws.
The Chief Justice also noted with regret the palpable incidents of forum shopping where litigants traversed vast distances to register their cases seeking Judges of their choice.
He said the practice impacted negatively on the professional image and integrity of the judiciary and must be discouraged.
Despite challenges among them forum shopping, Mr Rannowane said the justice system was striving for a clean judiciary where judicial officers constantly comported themselves to dignify the Administration of Justice and earn the confidence and respect of the public.
“We maintain an independent, responsive, clean, modern and efficient Judiciary that is accountable to the public in its pursuit of a society in which the rule of law prevails,” he said.
He said it was gratifying that Botswana had been praised for having the best criminal justice system in Africa and the best in the world according to the latest World Justice Project Report released on October 25, 2023.
“The report indicated that Botswana has the third best civil justice system in Africa following after Rwanda and Namibia. The report further indicated that Botswana recorded an improvement in both its criminal and civil justice system.It ranked Botswana in terms of criminal justice system number 32 out of 142 countries in the world. Its worthy of note that the world justice project is an independent, multidisciplinary organisation working to advance the rule of law world-wide,” he said.
For More News And Analysis About Botswana Follow Africa-Press
