The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is set to announce within the next month whether former President Ian Khama will be permitted to pursue a private prosecution against individuals linked to the now-defunct Butterfly case. This development comes after the collapse of the state’s original claim, which alleged that P100 billion had been looted from the Bank of Botswana. Despite a lack of evidence backing those accusations, the legal battle presses on as Khama seeks...

The Botswana government is under increasing public scrutiny following recent leadership appointments to the newly created Botswana Sovereign Wealth Fund (BSWF). Established to oversee state-owned enterprises and promote economic diversification, the fund’s executive structure has ignited a vigorous debate over national representation and governance. Two parliamentary questions addressed the Fund’s operations. Taolo Lucas, the member of parliament for Bobirwa, queried Minister of State President Moeti Mohwasa, who also oversees defence and security, to provide a...

The Ncojane Water Supply tender began as an infrastructure initiative aimed at delivering water to villages in the Kgalagadi Ghanzi South and Kgalagadi North districts. With a budget exceeding P1.5 billion, it stood as one of the previous government’s largest expenditure commitments. Yet, the process soon became mired in controversy, which the Public Procurement Tribunal later characterized as a debacle fueled by the actions of the Ministry’s Accounting Officer. A Court of Appeal panel, comprising...

Legal Aid Botswana (LAB) has made a major stride in tackling its civil case backlog, nearly doubling its success rate in registering longstanding legal matters. This progress reflects the agency’s firm commitment to the principle that justice delayed is justice denied. The revelation comes from LAB’s recently published annual report for 2024/25, which shows the agency overcame operational challenges, including staff attrition, to raise its overall legal representation success rate to an impressive 87.02 percent...

A breeding ground for exploitation of foreign nationals Zimbabwean domestic workers recruited as surrogate mothers Surrogacy remains a largely unfamiliar and complex topic for the average Motswana. Yet, according to the Oxford Constitutional Law website, surrogacy is defined as an arrangement whereby a woman (the surrogate) consents to carry a pregnancy and deliver a child on behalf of another individual or couple (the intended or commissioning parents). Unlike neighboring South Africa, Botswana lacks any statutory...

On March 27, 2026, the Court of Appeal (CoA) overturned a High Court ruling and reinstated a 15-year prison sentence for Rivers Kakana, convicted of multiple rapes during a harrowing three-day ordeal in 2013. The case revolves around the assaults on Segametsi Dochi in 2013. According to reports, Dochi visited Kakana’s home on 7th March 2013, to collect a debt he owed her. Instead of repaying her, Kakana lured her into the bush, where he...

The Botswana government has not taken an official position on homosexuality, Minister of Labor and Home Affairs Pius Mokgware confirmed this week. He made the statement while responding to Serowe South MP Leepetswe Lesedi’s inquiry about whether the government plans to legalize same-sex marriages in the near future; requests for statistics on the number of homosexuals, heterosexuals, bisexuals, transgender, and asexual individuals in Botswana; and efforts underway to raise public awareness and acceptance of the...

The Minister of State for the Presidency, Defense, and Security, Moeti Mohwasa, disclosed to parliament this week that the ministry is engaged in consultations with the three former presidents to reassess their benefits packages. Mohwasa explained that the former presidents have submitted both monetary and non-monetary proposals aimed at enhancing their welfare, which the ministry is currently evaluating. “Some of the non-monetary submissions can be addressed administratively, while the monetary proposals will depend on the...

Botswana’s prison service currently manages 22 facilities, including a center for illegal immigrants, with an official capacity of 4,337 inmates. This information was disclosed this week in Parliament by Nelson Ramaotwana, the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, during his committee of supply presentation for the Botswana Prison Service (BPS). As of March 18, 2026, the prison population stood at 4,457, including two children accompanying their mothers, Mr. Ramaotwana revealed. This number exceeds the authorized...

Over the past decade, Botswana has reported more than 6,000 cases of missing persons, with 426 individuals still unaccounted for. The year 2021 saw a spike in cases, with 45 people remaining missing. Authorities have confirmed that 334 reported missing persons were found deceased; 178 from natural causes, 97 by suicide, and 54 murdered. Although six victims were discovered with body parts missing, often linked culturally to ritual killings, forensic examinations revealed these injuries occurred...