c) Mechanisms for redress against any improper or unreasonable administrative
decisions;
d) Customer satisfaction surveys; and
e) Engagement of the public by government officials through the print and
electronic media. In addition, there are engagements by the President, the cabinet
and members of parliament as well as area councillors through annual public
service day and Pitso (National Consultative Forum) where feedback from the
public is solicited.
f) Publishing in the newspapers, the direct office numbers for all cabinet members
(ministers) in order for the public to be able to engage directly with them.
ARTICLE 14
RIGHT TO PROPERTY
The Right to Property is protected under Section 8 of the Constitution. During the
period under review, the Government adopted measures aimed at implementing the
provisions of Article 14 of the African Charter.
A. The Married Persons Act (2014)
The Abolition of Marital Power Act removed the restrictions / marital power that
was placed on the legal capacity of a wife and enabled wives to acquire property
and have meaningful participation on joint property which was otherwise
administered by their spouses without their consent.
The Married Persons Property Act completes that legal framework in that it allows
parties to a marriage to change their marital proprietary regime. In terms of this
Act, the parties can freely elect whether to continue being married in or out of
community or change their proprietary regime as they deem appropriate for their
circumstances, in so far as they operate within the precincts of the Act.
B. The New Botswana Land Policy
Botswana adopted a New Land Policy in 2013 whose overall objectives are to:
a) Protect and promote the land rights of all land holders;
b) Ensure that all eligible citizens have the opportunity to access and use the
land;
c) Encourage citizens’ retention of rights to land;
d) Promote equity in access to land and natural resources;
e) Improve land management system and ensure that it is predictable,
transparent, reliable, consistent and timeous;
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