The chapter illustrates the application of Ubuntu to governance through a democratic system called “Kgotla.” The chapter places and defines Ubuntu as a unique African philosophy and worldview. The author explains how it is utilized in the Kgotla system of Botswana. The chapter describes how the African way of life embodied in Ubuntu at the Kgotla is based on collectiveness or communalism, cooperation, and joint resolution of conflicts and restorative justice among the villagers. The chapter reports that Kgotla system has now been incorporated as a business model in industry using the traditional knowledge of Ubuntu.
TopIntroduction
Botswana has an interesting application of the concept of Ubuntu to governance through an indigenous democratic system called “Kgotla”. Ubuntu is a Nguni (Zulu) word and in Setswana it is Botho. It is a concept that describes a person who has a well-rounded personality or character, who is courteous, self-disciplined, and well mannered. According to Mandla (2009) in the concept of Ubuntu there exists a common link to others through their interactions with other fellow humans leading to the discovery of their own human qualities.
The concept of Ubuntu is an example of a social contract of mutual respect, responsibility and accountability. With botho, members of society have towards each other as defined in the process of earning respect by first giving it to others. In this process people and groups gain empowerment by empowering others (Botho & Vision, 2016).
In Botswana or Lesotho they would say, “Motho ke motho ka Batho” while the Zulus from South Africa would say “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu” and in Zambia the Leya also say “Muntu muntu kambokabantunyina” which means that a person is a person through others! In other words, we affirm our humanity when we acknowledge it in others.
In South Africa, the proverb tallies with Bishop Desmond Tutu’s view of Ubuntu. He asserts that Ubuntu means “I am human because I belong.” He further defines this African humanist philosophy as follows:
A person is a person through other persons. None of us comes into the world fully formed. We would not know how to think, or walk, or speak, or behave as human beings unless we learned it from other human beings. We need other beings in order to be human. (Tutu 2004:25)
Mbiti (2008:106) also reinforces the view that in Africa humanity means, “I am because we are: and since we are, therefore I am.” Ulvestad (2012) also asserts that the community is usually based on family focusing on humanness, caring, sharing respect and compassion. This is at the heart of the Ubuntu philosophy.
The Kgotla System
The Kgotla system is a platform for regular discussions, consultations and exchange of ideas on major community or national issues among citizens. It promotes and embraces the idea that everyone is entitled to his opinion (“Mua lebe ubua la gagwe”). The open forum encourages tolerance and freedom of expression among people who might have different views. The system further advocates the idea that “ntwa kgolo ke ya molomo” (no fight should result in fistfights; the fiercest of fights is verbal). Hence, through Kgotla local communities are able to request audiences with their traditional leaders, their representatives in Parliament, and even their President if they feel they have something to get off their chests (Morapedi in Botswana Notes and Records: 2018: vol. 50). As Kgotla is a vehicle for resolving disputes among its local communities it handles both civil and minor criminal cases (https://www.gov.bw) (Crowder: 1988: pp. XIV).