Court rejects bid to jail gov’t officials for contempt

Justice Tapiwa Kganyago upheld a preliminary objection raised by the respondents and found that the consortium had failed to comply with Section 7 of the State Proceedings Act before seeking contempt orders against government officials. The applicants are G4 Civils (Pty) Ltd, Landmark Projects (Pty) Ltd, and Asphalt Botswana (Pty) Ltd, jointly constituting Tawana Joint Venture.

The respondents are the Accounting Officer in the Ministry of Water and Human Settlements, Deputy Permanent Secretaries Boikhutso Botlhole and Nchidzi Mmolawa, and the Attorney General. ‘The strongest bond of human sympathy outside the family relation should be one uniting working people of all nations and tongues and kindreds’.- Abraham LincolnUntil then, the Council’s operations remain suspended, delaying critical decisions affecting thousands of public sector employees.The current standoff is between the Manual Workers Union on one side and the Six Cooperating Trade Unions, namely BONU, BOPEU, BTU, BDU, BOSETU and…