• to serve as an overall "guardian'' of the nation by ensuring that all public funds are used for intended authorised purposes through the public accounts committee, as well as authorised raising of national revenue through taxation, loans etc.

• for serving as a medium for representing and articulating the will, aspirations and needs of the people as a whole.

• its role of ensuring that the country's customary and cultural heritage is preserved and blended in the laws of Botswana through national representation by the chiefs in the house of chiefs.

• Developing and implementing long and short term Office of Clerk of National Assembly administrative policies and strategies both developmental and operational based on constitutional provisions, national laws, principal, policies and development plans.

• Developing and enforcing parliamentary procedures, rules and regulations, conduct of parliamentary business including that of the house of chiefs and of self -conduct of members.

• Ensuring at all times efficient and effective provision of the full range of secretariat, secretarial, editorial and publications support services of parliament to all its committees and house of chiefs.

• Ensuring at all times efficient and effective provision of the full range of Research, Information, Library, Archives and Language translation and interpretation services for Parliament, all its committees, the house of chiefs and their respective members.

• Ensuring at all times efficient and effective provision of the full range of Ceremonial, Protocol and public relations services to Parliament, the House of Chiefs and all other concerned.

• Ensuring at all times efficient and effective provision of the full range of support services to the Parliament, House of chiefs and their members.

• Ensuring at all times efficient and effective management and administration of all Human and material resources of parliament and the house of chiefs, in order to ensure that Parliament, all its committees and the House of Chiefs run and operate efficiently and smoothly at all times and at the highest level possible.

• Eight ex-official members who are the chiefs from eight tribes

• Four elected members, and these are elected every five years or when a vacancy occurs. They are elected from amongst themselves from the four districts namely, North East, Chobe, Kgalagadi and Ghanzi.

• Three specially elected members are elected by both the ex-officio and the elected members in the House of Chiefs. Unlike the 12 members, the specially elected members should have proficiency in English as a requirement

Local councils, rural and urban, have been elected since 1969 simultaneously with national parliamentary elections. The power of local councils is limited by the right of central government to nominate ex officio voting members, and by central government appointment of supervisory district commissioners and planning staff. Local government retains responsibility for the maintenance of local services such as primary education. Its greatest power lies in land allocation.

The period since the 1970s has seen increasing privatization of traditional communal land into residential and agricultural plots, and livestock ranching areas, which are being fenced with security of individual leasehold tenure.