Rehabilitating Botswana’s At-Risk Boys When the education system falters in nurturing latent potential, the streets too often become an unwelcome refuge. In Botswana, a quiet crisis has been unfolding beneath the surface of the nation’s steady progress: boys are increasingly abandoning school and slipping into cycles of criminality. This pattern is not just a statistic but a warning signal, revealing fractures in social support, education policy, and economic opportunity that, left unattended, threaten to undermine...

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...

The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has thrown down the gauntlet, accusing the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) of taking a combative and aggressive stance in Parliament. This growing hostility, they warn, risks throwing a wrench into the delicate machinery needed for opposition parties to unite on key national issues. Mabuse Pule, Member of Parliament for Kgatleng East and leader of the BDP’s minority in Parliament, told WeekendPost that the BCP’s confrontational behavior threatens to derail any...

The standoff over the future of Tlokweng, a historic Batlokwa tribal land just outside Botswana’s capital, Gaborone, has erupted into a fierce battle over identity, land rights, and the meaning of progress. Government plans to declare Tlokweng a township, part of a national spatial strategy aimed at accommodating rapid urban migration and economic expansion, have been met with unyielding resistance from Batlokwa leadership and residents alike. For the Batlokwa, this move threatens not only the...

Botswana risks entering its 2029 general election under the same electoral system long criticized by opposition parties, after government officials indicated that the sweeping reforms pledged during the 2024 campaign could be delayed until a broader constitutional review is completed. The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), which rose to power on a platform of overhauling the electoral framework, had proposed phasing out the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) system, introducing public funding for political parties, and ensuring that...

Peter Magosi, the Director of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS), has publicly pushed back against lawmakers following parliamentary discussions centered on his recent marriage to a fellow officer. The debate, which many see as unusually personal for a legislative setting, has drawn significant attention and stirred controversy. Magosi expressed his disappointment, emphasizing that the focus should remain on national priorities rather than his private affairs. “I was disappointed and hurt that Members of...

As the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) prepares for its much-anticipated congress this July, political activity is heating up, with key endorsements already shaping the race for the party’s vice presidency. Dr. Kesitegile Gobotswang, former Vice President and a long-standing BCP stalwart representing Tswapong South in Parliament, has thrown his weight behind Dr. Unity Dow, the Member of Parliament for Kgatleng West. Signaling the seriousness of her campaign, Gobotswang has also taken on the role of...