Appointment of the first citizen chief justice
The Chief justice is the most senior judge in the country. The Chief Justice is both the administrative and judicial head of the judiciary.Botswana’s first ever Chief Justice (CJ), was Dendy Young, who was appointed in 1968 to 1971.
According to the Administration of Justice, up until 1992, Judges of the High Court were expatriate Judges who were appointed on short contracts of 2-3 years. However this changed, and today the High Court currently has a complement of more than twenty seven citizen judges.
The appointment of Citizen Judges to the bench started in 1992. The late Justice Moleleki Didwell Mokama was appointed the first citizen Chief Justice of Botswana followed by the Late Chief Justice Mukwesu Nganunu and Chief Justice Maruping Dibotelo. The current Chief Justice is Hon. Chief Justice Terence T. Rannowane.
