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Botswana Pages | Welcome to Botswana.
Botswana is a republic. Members of the 40-seat National Assembly (parliament) are directly elected, and the majority party's leader takes office as president. A 15-member House of Chiefs, representing the major ethnic groups, advises parliament on legislation pertaining to custom and tradition. The judiciary is independent and has two branches. Cases involving customary law are heard in the kgotla by local chiefs and headmen, and statutory cases are heard in the Magistrate Court or the High Court. There is also an Appeals Court.
Each village is divided into dikgotlana (neighbourhoods). Each dikgotlana has a kgosana (an elder appointed by the village chief) and a kgotla. Decisions at the kgotlana (neighbourhood) and village levels are made in the kgotla through a consensus process in which all adult males discuss the issue. Women may also express opinions, but they remain at the back of the meeting hall. The chief’s kgotla is used to settle matters that cannot be determined at the kgotlana level. Local councils are responsible for administering schools, health facilities, and other matters.
The community is the core of Tswana life, and the chief is the symbol of unity. Traditionally, the community was self-sufficient. It built its own schools, roads, and health clinics, and believed in a precept called ipelegeng, a Setswana word meaning "carry yourselves". The emphasis on community and harmony continues today, even though the government is now more responsible for infrastructure.
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