Augustine Ntshomane Makgonatsotlhe, who was appointed by the President as the new Ombudsman this week, is a distinguished legal practitioner and public servant who has extensive experience in the field of human rights. Prior to his latest appointment, he has served, since 2007, as the Secretary for Defence, Justice and Security in the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security, where he has been responsible for ensuring that Botswana complies with her treaty obligations especially the reporting and domestication of human rights conventions, treaties and protocols under various human rights treaty bodies. He has also overseen Botswana's participation in the United Nations Human Rights Council and been in charge of our Refugee programme. As Secretary for Defence, Justice and Security, Makgonatsotlhe has been further responsible for policy formulation and development of legislation. His duties have further included the coordination and participation of the ministry in meetings of various international and domestic bodies such as Inter-States Defence and Security Cooperation (ISDSC) of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union, Commonwealth and United Nations, as well as bilateral joint commissions of defence, justice and security with neighbouring states and the High Level Consultative Council (HLCC). From 2005 to 2007 he served…