Sattotal now works in Botswana
Country 53. It arrives with the pula, 14% VAT and no postal code field, because Botswana does not use them. But what really matters is what its consumer law asks of a repair shop — in force since 2019, and hardly anyone talks about it.
Botswana can now be selected as your organisation country, bringing Sattotal to 53 countries. Choosing it switches the tax (VAT at 14%), the currency (pula, P), the tax identifier label (TIN) and the legislation cited on the documents your customer signs. The address form also stops asking for a postal code: Botswana has none.
The Consumer Protection Act, 2018 has been in force since 2 December 2019 and it is demanding. Every new or re-conditioned part you install during a repair is warranted for three months, and so is the labour. And if you repair and the same fault recurs within those three months, the customer is entitled to a replacement or a refund: a second repair is not enough.
What Botswana law asks of a repair shop
Three months on parts and labour
Section 17(1) requires a warranty on every new or re-conditioned part installed during a repair, and on the labour to install it, for three months from the date of installation — or longer if you say so in writing. It is void if the customer subjects the part to misuse or abuse, and it does not cover ordinary wear and tear.
If the fault returns, another repair will not do
Section 16(4) is stricter than it looks: if you repaired returned goods and the same problem recurs within three months, the customer can demand a replacement or a refund. Having the original job card, the parts fitted and the intake photos to hand is what turns that into a decision rather than an argument.
Six months to return goods
Section 16(2) allows goods that fail to meet the required standards to be returned within six months of delivery, without penalty and at the supplier’s risk and expense. The supplier must then repair, replace or refund (section 16(3)).
Two more things worth knowing. There is no statutory estimate: the Act prescribes no pre-authorisation procedure, so the quote approved by email is a commitment you make — and that is exactly why it is the only evidence if a disagreement follows. And an uncollected device can be held until payment, because Botswana applies Roman-Dutch common law as South Africa does, but it cannot be sold.