Gaborone lawyer Dick Bayford has confirmed that they were awarded a P4,819,1120 default judgment by Lobatse High Court Master and Registrar Godfrey Nthomiwa against the Attorney General on behalf of the Ministry of Local Government and Kgosi Kgari Sechele.
This followed after the AG had failed to show any interest by filling answering affidavits in the matter, which former Bakwena Deputy Chief Keineetse Sebele had sued government for P4,819,1120 for damages on allegations that he was unfairly dismissed from his office as deputy paramount chief of Bakwena.
Asked why they did not file the necessary answering affidavits, the Acting Deputy Attorney General Morulaganyi Chamme said that the delay was caused by not having been given instructions by the concerned Ministry of Local Government.
“Filling was delayed by not having received instructions from the Ministry of Local Government,” he said.
On the way forward he said that they were going to pursue instructions vigorously and then “fight it out”.
The suit, prepared by Dick Bayford on behalf of Sebele, states that under the first employment as the deputy paramount chief of Bakwena, Sebele was employed on permanent and pensionable basis and would have ordinarily have served in that capacity until he reaches 80 years.
At the time of his dismissal, he was aged 61 years and that an amount of P 4, 819, 1120 would have accrued to Sebele as emoluments and benefits when vacating office.
The suit states that the current employment is of a specified period, the minimum being 24 months and, at the expiry of this period, an amount of P457, 248, would have accrued to Sebele.
Sebele , the suit states, is entitled to damages to the above mentioned sum of P4,819,112 being representative of what Sebele would have earned under the first employment less the total prospective earnings under the second employment plus 10 percent interest.
