Also known as: CoA · Court of Appeal in Gaborone
Court of Appeal — highest appellate court issuing rulings on criminal convictions, civil disputes, and administrative decisions across Botswana's legal system.
News reports
Order a long-term news report on Court of Appeal
Every mention in the Botswanan press over the period you choose, compiled as a PDF or Word document.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
Weekend Post
… Court of Appeal Justice Leatile Dambe, the first Motswana woman to serve on Botswana’s highest court, will retire at the end of July upon reaching the mandatory judicial retirement age of 70. …
End of an Era: Appeal Judge Leatile Dambe retiresMmegi
… In February 2025 on behalf of its frustrated members at Mupane Gold Mine, the Union initiated liquidation proceedings at the country’s sole gold mine and after a lengthy battle amongst rival bidders, are finally nearing closure.The Court of Appeal (CoA) last week ruled in favour …
Mineworkers’ relief as Mupane dust settlesWeekend Post
The Court of Appeal is scheduled to hear an appeal on June 19, 2026, brought by First National Bank Botswana (FNBB) and two others challenging a High Court ruling that halted the sale of properties linked to businessman Samson Guma Moyo. …
Guma Moyo property dispute returns to courtMmegi
… Since the landmark 2019 High Court ruling decriminalising consensual same sex acts, upheld by the Court of Appeal in 2021 and followed by the formal repeal of colonial-era penal code provisions, the country has made notable strides, yet societal attitudes often lag, with media co …
Media practitioners urged to humanise LGBTQI+ storiesWeekend Post
The Court of Appeal (CoA) has overturned a High Court ruling that had halted the multi-million-dollar sale of Mupane Gold Mining’s assets, paving the way for the transaction to proceed. …
Court of Appeal clears way for controversial sale of Mupane MineBotswana Sunday Standard
Sunday Standard Court ruling revives hopes for Mupane miners’ payouts Hundreds of former Mupane Gold Mine workers moved a step closer to recovering unpaid salaries and benefits after the Court of Appeal cleared the way for the sale of the mine’s assets, overturning a High Court r …
Court ruling revives hopes for Mupane miners’ payoutsWeekend Post
… On Monday, May 11, 2026, the law firm Jeremiah Tladi & Co responded to the Attorney General with a blistering claim that the Ministry of Water and Human Settlement is in criminal contempt of both the High Court and the Court of Appeal. …
Gov’t accused of fabricating defense in P1.5 Billion water tender disputeMmegi
On 27 March 2026, the Court of Appeal (CoA) brought down the curtain on a long-running dispute over one of the country’s largest water-supply tenders. …
Ncojane P1.5 billion water tender blocked despite CoA approvalWeekend Post
… urvey of our case law reveals a popular belief that alcohol impairs criminal responsibility, especially in murder cases, and is therefore to be treated as an extenuating factor,” Kebonang observed. “The extreme uniformity of this belief, both at the High Court and Court of Appeal …
Intoxication Is No Excuse, Rules Judge KebonangIn an interview at her home near Gaborone, prominent activist Dow reflects on her involvement in the legal case that made her name known internationally, her decision to contest for BCP vice president, and her tendency to step into every space where she believes she can contribute, saying "I am unable not to get involved if I believe I have an opinion or something to contribute."
22 October 2026 · Mmegi →
In an interview at her home near Gaborone, prominent activist Dow reflects on her involvement in the legal case that made her name known internationally, her decision to contest for BCP vice president, and her tendency to step into every space where she believes she can contribute, saying "I am unable not to get involved if I believe I have an opinion or something to contribute."
22 October 2026 · Mmegi →
President Duma Boko swore in Justice Professor Tachilisa Balule to the High Court and Justice Tshegofatso Mogomotsi to the Court of Appeal, urging both to minimise errors in their decisions and recognise the weight their rulings carry for litigants, families, and society.
5 October 2026 · Daily News Botswana →
A mother has approached court seeking the jailing of her ex-husband over years of unpaid child maintenance and his repeated defiance of court orders, including a Court of Appeal order to pay P340,500 in arrears. The ex-husband is fighting a warrant of civil imprisonment through an application for stay of execution.
28 September 2026 · Mmegi →
Nearly nine years after the death of nine-year-old Metlha Sibanda, former Civil Aviation Authority aircraft marshal Motlatsi Khoto will challenge his murder conviction and death sentence before the Court of Appeal on October 2, 2026. Khoto was convicted by Francistown High Court in April 2022 in connection with the child's death; he was acquitted of rape.
21 September 2026 · Weekend Post →
Bakang Seretse has requested that Court of Appeal Judge President Tebogo Tau and Justice of Appeal Isaac Lesetedi recuse themselves from a pending appeal involving disputed interest exceeding P50 million, arguing that critical remarks they made in a previous ruling about him undermine their impartiality in the current matter.
31 August 2026 · Weekend Post →
The Court of Appeal has ordered the Ngwato Land Board to pay a Palapye farmer P655,407.29 in outstanding compensation for his farm expropriated for the Morupule Coal Mine expansion, ending a long legal dispute over land acquisition and affirming that public bodies must act in good faith and honor contractual commitments.
24 August 2026 · Weekend Post →
Botswana's government told Parliament this week that allowing Pitseng Gaoberekwe to be buried in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve last December had set a precedent, framing the decision as "administrative mercy" and an act of restorative justice toward the San people. The government defended the move despite questions about whether it undermined court rulings or violated constitutional separation of powers.
24 August 2026 · Weekend Post →
Government has appealed a High Court ruling that awarded the Basubiya Paramount Chief the E2 salary scale, arguing that succession under the Bogosi Act does not automatically confer the higher remuneration.
19 August 2026 · The Botswana Gazette →
The Court of Appeal has ordered the Botswana Police Service to reinstate Superintendent Christopher Molobe to his former rank, ending a ten-year legal battle. The ruling, issued on July 31, 2026, found that police officials made irrational decisions and serious legal errors in disciplinary proceedings stemming from allegations of theft involving money held as evidence at Ghanzi Police Station.
18 August 2026 · Weekend Post →
The Attorney General has formally approached the High Court seeking directions on how to proceed in a case challenging the administrative removal of sodomy laws. Biggie Ganda Butale, an attorney and President of the Botswana Republican Party, argues that the Attorney General overstepped his legal authority when issuing Statutory Instrument No. 41 of 2026, which removed provisions criminalizing "unnatural offences," despite courts having declared them unconstitutional in 2019 and 2021.
18 August 2026 · Weekend Post →
Businessman Bakang Seretse, who is fighting a P42m judgement, has lodged a complaint with the Judicial Services Commission accusing Justice Edwin Cameron of prejudging him and compromising judicial impartiality.
16 August 2026 · Botswana Sunday Standard →
The Court of Appeal rejected fraud findings against Bakang Seretse and his company Khulaco, despite using unusually strong language, though the court upheld an order for Seretse to repay P42 million.
10 August 2026 · Botswana Sunday Standard →
The Court of Appeal dismissed construction company Black Cad Investments' bid to revive a long-running government infrastructure tender, ruling that procurement authorities acted lawfully when they cancelled the project for water and sanitation infrastructure in Morwa West, Kgatleng after years of disputes and investigations.
10 August 2026 · Botswana Sunday Standard →
A P70.9 million public infrastructure project intended to deliver water and sanitation to Morwa West has disappeared into legal limbo, with the Court of Appeal describing it as a mirage that may never be realized.
10 August 2026 · Weekend Post →
The Court of Appeal has overturned interim orders that froze Pro-Serve Consulting Botswana's project funds and halted the Modipane-Mabalane Road Project, finding serious procedural and disclosure failures in how Tau Grading invoked the orders.
7 August 2026 · The Botswana Gazette →
Botswana's Court of Appeal overturned a High Court decision and granted summary judgment in favour of Government for P42 million against Mr Seretse and Khulaco, a company that received the amount as a transactional services fee from a P250 million transfer from the National Petroleum Fund in 2017. The court found that Mr Seretse, through his involvement in multiple entities, had failed to disclose his interests and that the respondents provided no credible defence to allegations of breached fiduciary duties.
3 August 2026 · Daily News Botswana →
The Court of Appeal has overturned a High Court order that had frozen funds linked to the Modipane-Mabalane Road project and restricted Pro-Serve from managing aspects of the contract, ruling that Tau Grading & Building Construction failed to satisfy legal requirements for an anti-dissipation order. The dispute arose after Pro-Serve terminated its agreement with Tau Grading on the government-backed road project.
31 July 2026 · Weekend Post →
Prominent attorney Biggie Ganda Butale has taken the Attorney General to the High Court, challenging the legality of a 2026 administrative order that removed the "unnatural offences" laws from Botswana's statute books without a final vote in Parliament. Butale argues the Statutory Instrument No. 41 of 2026 bypassed parliamentary authority, contending that only Parliament has the power to repeal laws under Section 86 of the Constitution.
27 July 2026 · Weekend Post →
The Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2025, adopted by the National Assembly to establish a Constitutional Court, now awaits a referendum before presidential assent. Debate focuses on whether the timing is appropriate given the country's economic situation, with proponents arguing a dedicated court protects democratic governance and human rights by ensuring constitutional questions are properly determined.
27 July 2026 · Weekend Post →
The Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education awarded a P654.4 million contract for an integrated STEAM e-learning, coding and robotics programme to Emeritus Training Academy Botswana through direct procurement, receiving the financial evaluation, adjudicating it, and approving the award all on 25 June 2026.
21 July 2026 · Botswana Sunday Standard →
Court of Appeal Justice Leatile Dambe, the first Motswana woman to serve on Botswana's highest court, will retire at the end of July upon reaching the mandatory judicial retirement age of 70.
13 July 2026 · Weekend Post →
The Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the Nova Africa consortium and liquidator Kopanang Thekiso over rival bidder Ulsan Botswana in the Mupane Gold Mine liquidation proceedings, which the Botswana Mineworkers Union initiated in February 2025 on behalf of frustrated members.
10 June 2026 · Mmegi →
The Court of Appeal will hear an appeal on June 19, 2026, brought by First National Bank Botswana and two others challenging a High Court ruling that halted the sale of properties linked to businessman Samson Guma Moyo in an effort by FNBB to recover debts related to United Refineries Botswana Holdings. The central legal issue is whether a creditor may proceed against sureties or guarantors while the principal debtor company remains under judicial management.
9 June 2026 · Weekend Post →
A workshop in Botswana trained media practitioners and journalists on covering LGBTQI+ issues responsibly. The training comes after the country's 2019 High Court ruling decriminalising consensual same-sex acts and subsequent Court of Appeal upheaval, as media coverage is recognised as capable of either challenging or perpetuating stereotypes.
5 June 2026 · Mmegi →
Botswana's Court of Appeal has set aside a High Court interim interdict, allowing the liquidation and sale of Mupane Gold Mining's assets to proceed. The Nova Africa Resources/Aone Commodities DMCC Joint Venture's bid of USD 21.5 million upfront was recommended by the liquidator and endorsed by creditors over Ulsan Botswana's USD 500,000 upfront offer.
2 June 2026 · Weekend Post →
The Court of Appeal has overturned a High Court ruling that temporarily halted the sale of Mupane Gold Mine assets, moving hundreds of former workers closer to recovering unpaid salaries and benefits.
1 June 2026 · Botswana Sunday Standard →
Tawana JV's legal team has accused senior government officials of orchestrating a sham suspension of the Ncojane Water Supply Works procurement process to sidestep binding court orders. A March Court of Appeal ruling upholding the contract award to Tawana JV has been met with a suspension letter from the Ministry of Water and Human Settlement, which Tawana JV's lawyers describe as contempt of court and "illogical."
20 May 2026 · Weekend Post →
The Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal by Chinese construction firms and confirmed a P1.5 billion Ncojane Water Supply Works contract for a 100% citizen-owned bidder, Tawana Joint Venture, to serve villages in Charleshill and Kgalagadi North Constituencies. Over six weeks later, the contract remains unsigned and three state bodies appear resistant to complying with the Court's order.
15 May 2026 · Mmegi →
High Court Judge Dr. Zeinub Kebonang sentenced Tapologo Makwatse to death for the 2015 murder of his girlfriend Dipuo Ramalepa, rejecting the defendant's claims of drunkenness and ruling that voluntary drinking should be treated as an aggravating factor rather than a reason for leniency. The judgment challenges what the judge described as a legal trend in Botswana where courts accept vague terms like "under the influence" to reduce culpability without expert testimony.
12 May 2026 · Weekend Post →