{"id":18469,"date":"2022-12-15T09:55:45","date_gmt":"2022-12-15T09:55:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/allegations-could-ruin-cj-judiciary-image-state"},"modified":"2022-12-15T11:09:03","modified_gmt":"2022-12-15T11:09:03","slug":"allegations-could-ruin-cj-judiciary-image-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/allegations-could-ruin-cj-judiciary-image-state","title":{"rendered":"Allegations could ruin CJ, judiciary image – State"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. <\/strong><\/span>After filing an interlocutory application to strike out averments which they deem \u2018scandalous\u2019 state lawyer Phazha Molebatsi says the matters have the potential to damage the image of the judiciary and Chief Justice (CJ),Terence Rannowane. Arguing his case before Judge Godfrey Radijeng yesterday at the Gaborone High Court, Molebatsi said the averments would negatively affect the judiciary and CJ outside the court proceedings.<\/b><\/p>\n

He added that unnecessary details like phone calls, texts have been given in the averments therefore their submission is that the latter are scandalous and therefore should be struck out. \u201cCJ\u2019s reputation will be damaged if those allegations are left to be part of the record,\u201d he pointed out. The interlocutory application to strike out the averments comes after Gaborone High Court Judge, Justice Gaolapelwe Ketlogetswe’s interim interdict case against the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). In the interim interdict Ketlogetswe seeks to stop the JSC from hearing the matter he had reported CJ to Masisi who then referred his (Ketlogetswe’s) complaint to the JSC as he does not want the Commission to deal with his matter.<\/p>\n

Molebatsi indicated that the averments comprise defamatory connotations because they accuse the third respondent Rannowane of dishonesty and interfering in the judiciary. Ketlogetswe made news headlines recently after he accused CJ and the Minister for State President, Kabo Morwaeng of judicial interference with regards to Lobatse legislator, Dr Thapelo Matsheka\u2019s case. Now Molebatsi feels that the averments narrate a sequence of events which gives an impression that there was an attempt to interfere with the decision of the judge. \u201cThe averments are sensitive and if they are not struck out the applicant will be forced to address the complaints from the respondent prematurely because the matter is yet to be dealt with. This has the potential to interfere in the rights of the JSC because the latter shall not be subjected to direction and control according to the constitution,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He said the JSC does not need to disclose its procedures. As such, he said some issue will have to be responded to and cannot be avoided. Molebatsi also said the averments do not assist the court in any way and the court must not be used under the guise of being robust. \u201cThe court will be used as a vehicle to spread these averments. The court should not be seen to condone or be used as a platform for inappropriate behavior,\u201d he said. For his part, Ketlogetswe\u2019s attorney Advocate Duma Boko said the state should indicate what is irrelevant in the averments and which of the averments is scandalous and how so.<\/p>\n

He said the averments must be so worded for them to be scandalous as to be defamatory and abusive. \u201cIf they are they must be so worded as to be intended to harass or annoy,\u201d he said. Boko said the first respondent in the main application being president Mokgweetsi Masisi and the third respondent CJ are not applicants in the interlocutory application therefore they should avoid an undue and improper lumping or conflation. Boko indicated that the parties are separate entities which are independent of each other therefore they cannot be lumped together. He said it is incompetent for the deponent to purport to speak for the CJ. Boko said when \u2018a scandalous\u2019 allegation is made it must relate to the applicant who should be in a position to demonstrate which part is scandalous, irrelevant and defamatory. He said if the averments are removed then there would be no background and therefore no substructure. \u201cIt will be singularly improper to have the averments structured that way,\u201d he emphasized. Boko further emphasized that context is everything no wonder the averments need to stay.<\/p>\n

Radijeng will deliver an order tomorrow (Thursday) and the main application (interim interdict) would be heard on January 4, 2023. Meanwhile, the JSC will not take any action regarding the Ketlogetswe matter until the interim interdict is heard and the matter finalised.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Botswana<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. After filing an interlocutory application to strike out averments which they deem \u2018scandalous\u2019 state lawyer Phazha Molebatsi says the matters have the potential to damage the image of the judiciary and Chief Justice (CJ),Terence Rannowane. Arguing his case before Judge Godfrey Radijeng yesterday at the Gaborone High Court, Molebatsi said the averments […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":18468,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6,7],"tags":[233,237,234],"class_list":["post-18469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-files","category-head-lines","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-botswana","tag-botswana"],"yoast_head":"\nAllegations could ruin CJ, judiciary image - State - Botswana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After filing an interlocutory application to strike out averments which they deem \u2018scandalous\u2019 state lawyer Phazha Mo ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/allegations-could-ruin-cj-judiciary-image-state\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Allegations could ruin CJ, judiciary image - 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