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...

Botswana’s long-standing reputation as one of Africa’s most respected policing institutions for human rights and governance is under renewed scrutiny following a petition concerning the death of 13-year-old Retshepile “Tshepi” Tshedu from Sehithwa. The petition, submitted to Parliament on Thursday in the presence of Vice President Ndaba Gaolathe and lawmakers, accuses authorities of failing to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the child’s death, initially reported as a suicide by hanging on May 17, 2025. Subsequent...

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...

Barely a year into his tenure as chairman of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Karabo Gare finds himself at the center of growing internal turmoil within the party. His leadership, which began with high hopes to restore the party’s prominence, is now being tested by deepening factional divides that threaten to unravel the BDP’s fragile unity. Once the dominant political force in Botswana for decades, the BDP is still grappling with the severe consequences of...

The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran, brokered just days ago, now teeters on the edge of collapse. What began as a tentative two-week pause in hostilities has been overshadowed by a dramatic escalation in Lebanon, where Israel unleashed its fiercest wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah targets since the conflict erupted last month. As hundreds of Lebanese civilians have been killed and entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble, the broader Middle East finds itself...

Three separate intelligence reports from top maritime industry firms have uncovered a troubling trend: blacklisted supertankers in the oil and gas sectors are increasingly flying Botswana’s flag.  Investigations by Lloyd’s List Intelligence, TankerTrackers Inc, and Windward all point to a sudden surge in sanctions-busting tankers adopting the flags of Botswana and a handful of other countries. Lloyd’s List Intelligence, a respected maritime data and analytics provider, found a sharp rise in tankers flying Botswana’s flag...

Mpho Balopi, the president of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), is currently navigating a turbulent political storm as internal tensions within the party escalate sharply. This unrest has been fueled by reports suggesting that Balopi may soon face legal proceedings tied to a corruption investigation. Sources close to the party’s central committee have disclosed that a significant faction within the BDP is urging Balopi to temporarily step aside from his leadership role. This call for...

An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) at the Ramatlabama Artificial Insemination and Training Centre has raised fresh alarm in Botswana’s livestock sector, after 34 bulls tested positive at this crucial breeding facility. The infected animals are part of a group of 65 bulls used for semen collection, placing national herd improvement programs at considerable risk. The outbreak was confirmed by Odireleng Thololwane, Foot and Mouth Disease Coordinator, who described the situation as contained but requiring...

With less than three years remaining before Botswana’s 2029 general elections, the political scene is already buzzing with activity as parties jockey for position. The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which suffered a significant setback when it lost power in the 2024 elections, is reportedly exploring various strategic options to reclaim its influence. One of the most intriguing developments is the possibility of the BDP forging an alliance with the Alliance for Progressives (AP), a move...

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...