Lawsuit seeks to overturn the Medicines Bill of 2025

  On February 17, 2026, a formal statutory notice was served on the government, signaling the launch of a constitutional challenge against the Medicines and Related Substances Act (MRSA) and the recently enacted Medicines and Related Substances Bill of 2025. The notice, issued by Victor Shabani acting both personally and as a trustee for The Eternal Foundation, targets the Attorney General, the Ministry of Health, and the Botswana Medicines Regulatory Authority (BoMRA). At the heart...

3,195 lives lost to dangerous driving in 10 years

685 were prosecuted, 519 were convicted, while 166 were acquitted Over the past decade, 3,195 lives have been tragically lost to dangerous driving, a grim toll that continues to haunt countless families still caught in the uncertainty of the legal process. Government data reveals that 574 cases of causing death by dangerous driving remain pending trial, underscoring a troubling gap between reported incidents and judicial resolution. Despite the staggering number of fatalities, the courts have...

DIS Officers want Magosi, DIS Board of Inquiry jailed 

Suspended Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (DIS) officers, led by Principal Intelligence Officer Paul Setlhabi, have launched a legal challenge seeking a 90-day jail term for Director General Peter Fana Magosi and 14 other members of the DIS Board of Inquiry. The officers accuse them of contempt of court for repeatedly defying judicial orders.  

Why P16 million in COVID-19 drugs went to waste

The Ministry of Health has confirmed the destruction of nearly two million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, including over half a million expired units, with a total value exceeding P16 million. This disclosure comes amid parliamentary inquiries into vaccine safety and administration practices in Botswana. Responding to questions from Leepetswe Lesedi, Member of Parliament for Serowe South, Assistant Minister of Health Lawrence Ookeditse provided detailed clarifications. He noted that the destroyed vaccines; 1,917,101 doses in total,...

The Overlooked Crisis in Botswana’s Child Care Centres 

  In Botswana, thousands of children are deprived of parental care, with the majority having lost their guardians to the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS, according to SOS Children’s Villages. Despite the government’s committed efforts to combat the epidemic, human suffering remains widespread, with nearly one in four adults aged 15 to 49 living with the virus. The economic repercussions are profound, as the disease predominantly strikes adults in their most productive years, leaving countless children...

Botswana’s GBV Case Backlog Deepens as Specialized Courts Falter

The 2025 Administration of Justice (AOJ) annual report paints a stark picture of a justice system mired in paralysis, with Gender-Based Violence (GBV) cases bearing the brunt of chronic resource shortages. Despite the introduction of specialized dockets intended to streamline these cases, the disposal rate for GBV matters has slipped to 44.88%, down from 46.08% in 2023. Notably, the report omits the breakdown of disposal rates and pending cases by individual magisterial stations; a detail...

The deepening emotional crisis among children of divorce 

Salia Mokobo, a pseudonym adopted to safeguard his professional reputation, shared a poignant account of how his parents’ divorce shattered his childhood and continues to reverberate through his adult life. Born in January 1993 as the youngest of four siblings, Mokobo was barely a year old when his mother filed for divorce in 1994. He later learned that the dissolution of their marriage stemmed from his father’s struggle with alcoholism and the ensuing physical and...

The stark reality within Botswana’s juvenile justice system

A former BPS Warder speaks out: The Prison environment breeds recidivism Behind the formidable gates of Moshupa Boys’ Prison, a poignant question lingers in the air: are these young lives being genuinely rehabilitated, or merely concealed from society’s view? As of December 2025, 191 boys found themselves confined within these walls. Among them, 91 had been convicted, while 98 remained in a judicial limbo, awaiting their turn in court, a daunting threshold at the outset...

A fight over Motsamai’s name ensues

  Manual Workers Union against his appointment as PSBC Secretary Legal missives exchanged between Motshwarakgole, Motsamai A fierce dispute has erupted within Botswana’s labor movement and public service sector over the appointment of Andrew D’Bois Motsamai as Secretary of the Public Service Bargaining Council (PSBC), igniting legal battles, accusations of defamation, and fractures among longstanding union leaders. What began as a routine voting process to fill key PSBC leadership roles has spiraled into a contest...

UDC MPs rule out party affiliation

  David Tshere rules out joining any of UDC affiliate parties Minister Onneetse Ramogapi says they joined UDC directly Coalition’s constitution allows for individual direct membership Observers say UDC direct members avoiding primary elections The political landscape of Botswana has been shaken in recent years by a dramatic shift that ended the Botswana Democratic Party’s (BDP) ironclad grip on power, a reign that lasted nearly six decades since independence in 1966. The emergence of the...