Prominent attorney and political leader Biggie Ganda Butale has taken the Attorney General to the High Court, challenging the legality of a 2026 administrative order that removed the “unnatural offences” laws from the nation’s statute books without a final vote in Parliament. The dispute concerns Statutory Instrument No. 41 of 2026, issued by the Law Revision Commissioner; a role held by the Attorney General. Butale argues that the instrument effectively deleted paragraphs (a) and (c)...

The long-awaited trial of four suspects accused of the brutal 2022 murder of Kopong schoolteacher Barulaganye Aston is finally scheduled to begin in the High Court.  The trial will start on August 9 before Justice Oteng Motlhala, putting an end to years of delays and procedural hurdles that kept the case stuck in lower courts. The accused are Oageng Moagi Letsholo, Leufty Gaolemogwe Kosie, Outlwile Aston, and Kebaleboge Ntsebe. They all face charges related to...

Starting August 1, 2026, patients using private healthcare services in Botswana will begin paying Value Added Tax (VAT) on medical treatments. This shift follows a major announcement from the Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS) about comprehensive tax reforms. Acting BURS Commissioner Segametse Radibe-Michael explained that the introduction of VAT on private healthcare is part of wider changes under the Income Tax, VAT, and Tax Administration Acts. She emphasized that these measures aim to expand Botswana’s...

Once hailed as a model of clean governance, Botswana is now facing a troubling slide in its battle against corruption. The latest Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) for 2026 places Botswana sixth in Africa with a score of 57.8. While the ranking remains relatively high, the country’s score has dropped by 8.6 points over the past decade, pushing it down three spots in the overall standings. Anti-corruption is one of four sub-categories under the...

More than six months after the government announced that charges against Bakgatla Ba Kgafela Paramount Chief Kgafela Kgafela II had been dropped, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Kgosietsile Ngakaagae, says the matter is still legally unresolved. He stressed that the case must go through the courts before it can be formally withdrawn.

Francistown High Court in Botswana has acquitted and discharged two men previously charged with a brutal murder and multiple counts of rape dating back to 2012. The case exposed significant failures in the state’s handling of violent crime. After 14 years of legal proceedings, the matter concluded with an acquittal, underscoring the prosecution’s inability to present sufficient evidence and revealing systemic shortcomings. Justice Keborapele Bashi Moesi, who presided over the case, ruled on June 24,...

Senior executives at the Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) have alleged that their recent summary dismissal was a calculated move by Acting General Manager Selinah Busang to dismantle the corporation’s governance and clear the path for irregular procurement activities.

A recent Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing National Risk Assessment has exposed significant vulnerabilities within Botswana’s commercial banking sector, revealing how tax evaders, corrupt insiders, and money launderers are exploiting a financial system holding over P107.3 billion in deposits.

A courtroom confrontation unfolded this week as lawyers for former minister Lefoko Moagi challenged the state’s lead investigator on the grounds of the corruption charges filed against him.

Kgafela Kgafela II, Paramount Chief of the Bakgatla ba Kgafela, has called on members of his tribe in Botswana to raise R2.5 million to support his ongoing legal fight over the Bakgatla ba Kgafela chieftaincy in South Africa. The self-exiled chief is challenging the authority of Kgosi Nyalala Pilane in an appeal before South Africa’s Constitutional Court. In correspondence presented to the tribe this week, Kgafela seeks formal recognition as the rightful leader of the...