Kgotla

{{Short description|Traditional community council in southern Africa}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

File:Kgotla_(Gathering_place)_at_the_Domboshaba_ruins_(Domboshaba_cultural_festival_2017).jpg

A kgotla (English pronunciation {{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|oʊ|t|.|l|ə}}{{Cite web|title=How to pronounce kgotla|url=https://www.synonyms.com/pronounce/kgotla|website=www.synonyms.com|language=en|access-date=2020-05-30}} or {{IPAc-en|k|ˈ|g|ɒ|t|.|l|ə}}){{OED|kgotla}} is a public meeting, community council, or traditional law court of a Botswana village and in rural Lesotho and South Africa. It is usually headed by the village chief or headman, and community decisions are always arrived at by consensus. Headmen usually work as the advisers to the chief. No one may interrupt while another is having their say. Because of this tradition, Botswana claims to be one of the world's oldest democracies.{{Cite web|title=Africa's Top 5 most politically-stable countries|url=https://www.inonafrica.com/2018/02/08/africas-top-5-politically-stable-countries/|last=Admin|date=2018-02-08|website=IOA|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-05-30}}{{Cite book|title=Why Nations Fail|last1=Acemoglu|first1=Daron|last2=Robinson|first2=James|publisher=Profile Books|year=2012|isbn=978-1-84668-429-6|location=London|pages=407}}

The custom of allowing everyone their full say is carried over into meetings of all kinds, from discussing a bill to a staff briefing.{{Cite web|title=The Botswana Kgotla System: A mechanism for Traditional Conflict Resolution in modern Botswana. Case study of the Kanye Kgotla|last=Piwane|first=Moumakwa|date=| s2cid=151037404 }}

Kgotla can also refer to the place where such meetings are held. This can range from a few chairs under a shade canopy to a permanent ground with covered seating. In both senses, the term is a loan word in Botswana English from Setswana, where it means court.{{Cite web|title=kgotla - definition of kgotla in A Dictionary of South African English - DSAE|url=https://dsae.co.za/entry/kgotla/e03762|website=dsae.co.za|access-date=2020-05-30}}

In South African English, a lekgotla is a meeting called by government to discuss strategy planning. The term is still a loan word from Setswana, again meaning court.{{Cite web|title=Lekgotla definition and meaning {{!}} Collins English Dictionary|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/lekgotla|website=www.collinsdictionary.com|language=en|access-date=2020-05-30}}{{Cite web|title=LEKGOTLA (noun) definition and synonyms {{!}} Macmillan Dictionary|url=https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/lekgotla|website=www.macmillandictionary.com|language=en|access-date=2020-05-30}} Usually there are men who stay at the Kgotla mostly during the day. These men are usually sent to go and call law defaulters.