In a move that threatens to upend Botswana’s agricultural landscape, two of the country’s largest beef feedlot operators have filed an urgent High Court application against the government. J S Beef and Primefast, which together account for nearly 30 percent of Botswana’s coveted European Union beef quota, charge that recent decisions by veterinary authorities have been reckless and shortsighted, pushing the industry toward collapse. The legal challenge, lodged in Gaborone’s High Court, names the Director...

A panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Judge President Tebogo Tau alongside Issac Lesetedi and retired South African Constitutional Court Judge Edwin Cameron, has mandated the immediate repayment of millions of Pula misappropriated from the National Petroleum Fund (NPF), which the court described as a critical national asset. The dispute revolves around a government claim seeking the return of P42 million, accusing Bakang Seretse and his asset management firm, Khulaco (Pty) Ltd, of...

A P70.9 million public infrastructure project, meant to deliver life-sustaining water and sanitation to Morwa West, has instead vanished into a legal black hole; described by the Court of Appeal (CoA) as a mirage that may never be realized. 

The Gambling Authority of Botswana finds itself in the midst of a serious governance crisis after revelations that its Acting CEO, now confirmed CEO, launched an unauthorized and malicious campaign aimed at damaging the reputation of his predecessor. In a legal notice dated July 23, 2026, attorneys representing former CEO Emolemo Peter Kesitilwe demanded P400,000 in damages, accusing Acting CEO Moruntshi Kemorwale of orchestrating a character assassination that has compromised Kesitilwe’s international reputation. The conflict...

The Village Magistrate’s Court this week acquitted Kabo Moremong, the sole remaining suspect in the high-profile 2022 robbery at Sefalana Cash and Carry, involving P649,863.75 in stolen cash. The verdict marks a dramatic and unexpected end to a legal saga born from one of the most violent and tragic cash-in-transit heists in recent memory. Presiding over the case, the magistrate ruled that the State had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Moremong had...

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.