BackIt is with great sadness that the I.O.I. informs its members that Mr. Ofentse Moatlhodi Lepodise, Ombudsman for the Republic of Botswana, passed away on 18 October 2011. Mr. Lepodise was currently serving his second four-year term of office.
Born on 21 September 1959, the late Mr. Lepodise devoted more than two decades of his professional career to the public service and the national Ombudsman institution. He joined the Office of the Ombudsman in September 1998 as a Chief Administrator, was later promoted to the post of Chief Legal Investigator, then Director Management & Legal Services before being appointed to the highest position of Ombudsman in August 2006. Prior to joining the Office of the Ombudsman Mr. Ofentse Lepodise served as State Counsel at the Attorney General’s Chambers.
Throughout his professional career within the Ombudsman institution the late Mr. Lepodise was an active member of the international Ombudsman community aiming at fostering international cooperation on the promotion of good governance and protection of human rights. It was only in September 2011 that the I.O.I. welcomed the Ombudsman institution of Botswana back as a member of the I.O.I. following an initiative by the late Mr. Lepodise.
