The Botswana National Front (BNF) has comdemned the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) government for engaging a foreign lawyer, meanwhile BNF is also guilty of the same crime. The ‘crime’ which they’ve termed “a vote of no confidence on the abilities of citizen lawyers”.
“The Botswana National Front (BNF) strongly condemns the retaining of the South African Advocate Gerrie Nel by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). This is a clear vote of no confidence on the abilities of citizen lawyers and also a danger to national security. It is embarrassing that after decades of training legal practitioners in the country with public resources, the Botswana government finds it appropriate to import legal services from outside the country when there are many citizen legal practitioners who can competently provide the services. At a time when there are calls for citizen empowerment, it is manifestly clear that the government is paying lip service to the policy on citizen empowerment as it lacks confidence on its own personnel at the DPP and in the private sector. Local lawyers have proved themselves capable of providing quality service as they have led in many high profile cases.” the BNF comdemned through its Publicity Secretary- Mr. Justin Hunyepa.
The South African lawyer- Advocate Gerrie Nel of Afri-Forum has been appointed by the government through DPP to represent the government in a case of a Hundred billion pula (P100 billion) money laundering against former DIS (Directorate on Intelligence and Security) agent Ms. Wilhelmina Maswabi codenamed Butterfly, and others.
Contrary to what the BNF is condemning the BDP government about, the BNF has too recently engaged foreign lawyers. In 2019, they engaged Advocate Tembeka Nicholas Ngcukaitoi in the case of UDC (Umbrella for Democratic Change) against BMD (Botswana Movement for Democracy). In 2020, the UDC which BNF is part and parcel of, engaged two (2) South African lawyers in the case of elections petitions before the Court of Appeal. The two lawyers were Advocate Dirk Johnathan Vatten and Advocate Alec Freund.
Meanwhile, the BNF is of the view that the case which Advocate Nel will be handling is sensitive and may engage state secrets, and as such it’s not wise involving a foreigner in such a case. According to the BNF, the DPP should with immediate effect terminate the mandate given to Advocate Nel and employ services of citizen lawyers.
