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...
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...
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...
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...
Proposed low salaries drive SKMTH doctors away Contract uncertainty stalls critical hospital services Specialists warn of burnout risks, backlog grows The transition of Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital (SKMTH) from a private entity to a public hospital has ignited a storm of challenges that expose critical gaps in Botswana’s specialist healthcare services. This shift, heralded by government officials as a move toward expanded and improved care, has instead revealed a troubling reality of service...
Botswana prosecutors have intensified their efforts against former cabinet minister Lefoko Moagi, petitioning the court to seize approximately 150 cattle believed to be proceeds of corruption. The move underscores growing concerns about the misuse of public office at the highest levels of government.
The 1,500-kilometer Trans-Kalahari Railway and Port project (TKRP), Botswana’s largest Public-Private Partnership (PPP) venture, is rapidly advancing toward the final stages of due diligence. This ambitious joint venture between Botswana and Namibia aims to construct a railway and port, among other infrastructure. According to documents obtained by this publication, Botswana’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Noah Salakae, and his Namibian counterpart, Veikko Nekundi, recently approved extending the completion date of the feasibility study by two...
Sweeping tax reforms prominent in next week’s budget Top Earners to pay more tax; VAT, Corporate tax UP Botswana is on the cusp of a significant overhaul of its tax laws, with the Ministry of Finance poised to introduce sweeping reforms aimed at modernizing the country’s tax regime and boosting domestic revenue. These changes, expected to take center stage in Vice President and Finance Minister Ndaba Gaolathe’s upcoming 2026 Budget speech, reflect the government’s...
The Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC), in tandem with the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), announced the recovery of P32.3 million from Marcian Concepts (Pty) Ltd, a construction company embroiled in a scandal that has exposed glaring cracks in Botswana’s public procurement system. This sum was part of a tender contract awarded under questionable circumstances by the Selibe Phikwe Economic Diversification Unit (SPEDU) in May 2020. The tender, valued at over P230 million,...
This week marked the commencement of the 2026 legal year under the theme “Court as a Public Service.” Chief Justice Gaolapelwe Ketlogetswe, the judiciary’s foremost authority, delivered an address reflecting on the state of Botswana’s judiciary, evaluating court performance, and outlining strategic priorities for the coming year. Alongside the Chief Justice’s remarks, the Administration of Justice (AoJ) unveiled its 2025 Annual Report. The document, orchestrated by a committee chaired by Justice Godfrey Nthomiwa, Judge President...
