Block 8 Customary Court

Block 8 Customary Court is a customary court at 35726 Mothobele in Block 8, a residential area of Gaborone, Botswana. The Government of Botswana's service guidance describes what customary courts do. They try civil and criminal cases that fall within the court's warrant, where the accused or defendant agrees to be tried there. Civil complaints are reported directly to the court, where they are registered and a hearing date is set; criminal matters are reported to the Botswana Police, who decide which court has jurisdiction. Customary courts also divide property, including matrimonial property: the applicant takes the complaint, or a High Court order, to the court clerk, who issues summons and sets a hearing. Applicants need a valid Omang or passport, and expatriates a residence permit. Customary courts are constituted under the Customary Courts Act and apply customary law, which operates in Botswana alongside a general law derived from Roman-Dutch and English law. The government refers to them as tribal courts, or dikgotla; a kgotla is also the public meeting and traditional law court of a Botswana village, usually headed by the chief or headman. Gaborone became the capital of the Bechuanaland Protectorate in 1965, the year before Botswana's independence, and had 246,325 residents at the 2022 census, about a tenth of the national population. The government's guidance gives 07:30 to 16:30, Monday to Friday, except public holidays, as the hours for contacting customary courts; this court's own sitting days have not been published, so anyone with a matter should confirm before attending.

35726 Mothobele, Gaborone, Botswana
Gaborone

24°36′37″S 25°54′38″E