ASC Subject Headings: Botswana; labour law; labour contracts; judgments; jurisprudence.
In July 2005 the Court of Appeal of Botswana delivered a judgment in a case where an employee employed on a fixed-term contract had been dismissed from employment prior to the expiry of the agreed duration. The employee had committed no act of breach, and the employer had advanced no reason for terminating the contract of employment. In the course of its judgment, the Court of Appeal made a finding that at common law, absent an express or implied term to the contrary, and provided due notice is given, a fixed-term contract of employment may be terminate before the expiry of the agreed time frame, without having to provide a valid reason. That finding has since been accepted and applied by the High Court of Botswana as binding judicial precedent. This article interrogates that finding, and argues that at common law, a fixed-term contract of employment may not be lawfully terminated prematurely in the absence of a valid reason. Notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]
274 Chabrol, Fanny
Soigner les siens : citoyenneté et imagination nationale au Botswana au temps du sida / Fanny Chabrol - In: Politique africaine: (2014), no. 136, p. 157-177.
ASC Subject Headings: Botswana; public health; AIDS; social welfare; government policy.
Le Botswana a tôt acquis une réputation de pays modèle, voire de miracle, en Afrique pour sa croissance économique et sa stabilité démocratique. Ce pays a été touché de plein fouet par l'épidémie de sida. Sa réponse face à la tragédie sanitaire est examinée non point en tant qu'illustration de son exceptionnalité, mais selon la forme qu'elle donne à une citoyenneté qui n'est pas uniquement biologique mais qui incorpore une dimension sociale et politique, à caractère national, parfois même nationaliste. L'article décrit les caractéristiques d'un État bienfaisant qui, tout à la fois, prend soin de sa population de citoyens nationaux et réaffirme l'importance d'une nationalisation de la santé publique. Les mécanismes de souveraineté sont alors en jeu : la manière dont la communauté produite par l'accès aux médicaments recoupe les contours de la communauté nationale et, plus généralement, comment la question de l'étranger se trouve au cœur des politiques publiques au Botswana. Notes, réf., rés. en français en en anglais. [Résumé extrait de la revue]
275 Ifezue, Godsglory O.
Understanding chieftainship in Botswana : the status and powers of chiefs in present day Botswana / Godsglory O. Ifezue - In: Journal of African Law: (2015), vol. 59, no. 2, p. 271-293.
SOUTHERN AFRICA - BOTSWANA
This article seeks to provide a critical analysis and understanding of the institution of chieftainship in Botswana. It looks at the institution of chieftainship starting from before colonization, right through colonization to the present day, post-colonization. It will be observed that interference with the institution started from colonization and continues to the present day. Consequently, the article weaves a discussion of the justification for such interference through an analysis of the status and powers of chiefs during colonization and their status post-colonization. The chiefs' reaction to the encroachment is also covered, for the chiefs were not simply passive and co-operative while their powers were being taken away. Notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]
276 Jonas, Obonye
The participation of the "amicus curiae" institution in human rights litigation in Botswana and South Africa : a tale of two jurisdictions / Obonye Jonas - In: Journal of African Law:
(2015), vol. 59, no. 2, p. 329-354.
ASC Subject Headings: South Africa; Botswana; courts; legal procedure; human rights; lawsuits.
It has become a standard feature of litigation for amici to appear before courts, acting as the vindicator of rights for the politically powerless and marginalized. Their appearance has thus contributed to the promotion and protection of human rights before municipal courts and international tribunals. They have done this through the submission of briefs that seek to broaden perspectives of cases and by advancing innovative legal and factual viewpoints, thus assisting the courts in reaching appropriate conclusions. In Botswana, amicus curiae participation is still at a nascent stage. This is largely due to inflexible rules of standing and the general lack of knowledge of the potential usefulness of the institution by the judiciary. This article argues that, to enhance amicus participation in litigation, thereby enhancing the epistemological quality of its public law jurisprudence, Botswana must pay close attention to the practices and experiences of South Africa where amicus participation has resulted in the phenomenal growth of constitutional jurisprudence. Notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]
277 Kebonang, Zein
Towards a tipping point : the Botswana Competition Act and the "Nemo Judex" rule / Zein Kebonang - In: Journal of African Law: (2015), vol. 59, no. 1, p. 178-191.
ASC Subject Headings: Botswana; competition law; separation of powers.
While the Botswana Competition Act creates a hierarchical relationship between the Competition Commission and the Competition Authority, it also confers on the Competition Commission judicial powers over competition cases involving the Competition Authority and/or third parties. Although the Competition Authority's decisions have not yet been tested before either the Competition Commission or the High Court, this article argues that the institutional structure underpinning the Competition Authority is not sound, as it opens
SOUTHERN AFRICA - BOTSWANA
the Competition Commission to potential attacks of bias and other constitutional challenges. This article therefore makes a case for the creation of two separate bodies: one concerned purely with adjudicating competition cases and the other with administrative oversight of the Competition Authority. Notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]
LESOTHO
278 Neele, Adriaan C.
The reception of Edwards's 'A history of the work of redemption' in nineteenth-century Basutoland / Adriaan C. Neele - In: Journal of Religion in Africa: (2015), vol. 45, no. 1, p. 68-93.
ASC Subject Headings: Lesotho; missions; religious education; manuscripts; 1800-1899.
A recently discovered manuscript by the French missionary Adolph Mabille (1836-1894) in the Morija Archives, Lesotho, remedies the lack of attention of 'A history of the work of redemption' (HWR hereafter), by Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in the nineteenth century. This manuscript found its way from colonial America to Africa through French missionary endeavors in religious educational training (Paris) and teaching (Basutoland). Edwards's original aim, and the subsequent publication of 'Outlines of a body of divinity', converged in nineteenth-century France, where the HWR was translated in the context of 'Le Réveil' and taught in the course of systematic theology at the Paris Evangelical Mission Society Mission house, exemplified by Mabille's 'Dogmatique'. Moreover, the appropriation of Edwards's HWR in the combined context of missions and religious education was extended in Basutoland, as seen in the 'Katekisma'. The outline of the catechism may be due to Mabille's classical training and acquaintance with 'universal chronology' and Scripture, but it also reflected his intimate knowledge of Edwards's work. The reception of Edwards's exposition of redemptive history in the catechism of Basutoland thus resonates in part with Mabille's 'Dogmatique' - a text transmission of Edwards's 'Histoire'. The transmission of this text remained the same in structure, was shortened in content and modified over time, but continued as intended by Edwards: to show "a work that God is carrying on from the fall of man to the end of the world". Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]
NAMIBIA
279 Jones, David Crawford
Wielding the 'epokolo' : corporal punishment and traditional authority in colonial Ovamboland / David Crawford Jones - In: The Journal of African History: (2015), vol. 56, no. 2, p. 301-320.