Ubuntu as Reflected in the Kgotla System of the Government in Botswana

Abstract

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.