Kgotla

A kgotla (English pronunciation /ˈkoʊt.lə/[1] or /kˈɡɒt.lə/)[2] 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.

[3][4] The custom of allowing everyone their full say is carried over into meetings of all kinds, from discussing a bill to a staff briefing.

In both senses, the term is a loan word in Botswana English from Setswana, where it means court.

[6] In South African English, a lekgotla is a meeting called by government to discuss strategy planning.