Chief Justice Gaolapelwe Ketlogetswe has hailed the launch of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) Military Justice System as an indication of a major transformative shift in the justice system of the military. Speaking at the launch of the initiative at the Sir Seretse Khama Barracks on Wednesday, Justice Ketlogetswe said as a nation built on the pillars of democracy, peace and justice, the system marked a bold step taken toward making fairness and accountability in the heart of the military institution. He said the rule of law and accountability were the foundation of discipline, service and public trust.
He said the system upheld due process for all service members, preventing bias and aligning with protraction against inhuman treatment and arbitrary violations of human rights enshrined in the Constitution of Botswana. Furthermore, he said the military justice system protected the force by upholding discipline while simultaneously safeguarding the rights of all individuals. He added that without fairness, it became a blind instrument of oppression, and without accountability it eroded the trust that bound soldiers together.
He further commended BDF Commander, General Mpho Mophuting for his visionary leadership in championing the initiative, which guaranteed fundamental rights such as the right to life, liberty and the right to security and protection of the law. Justice Ketlogetswe said when General Mophuting took over the command of the BDF, he promised, with resources permitting, to modernise and strengthen their defense capability. General Mophuting, for his part, said the occasion represented the culmination of a deliberate and sustained reform journey anchored in the enactment of the BDF Act of 2018, which repealed and re-enacted the 1977 Act.
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“As we move into the implementation phase, we do so mindful that the credibility of this military justice system will ultimately be measured by its fair, consistent and impartial application,” he said. He said they valued the continued engagement, guidance and oversight of the judiciary and the legal fraternity as essential partners in sustaining legality, public confidence and institutional integrity.
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