Botswana Power Corporation’s (BPC) 2026/27 tariff review is shaping up to be the most contentious and financially significant adjustment in recent years.
BREAKING NEWS
When the 2006 Hollywood film Blood Diamond threatened to cast a dark shadow over Botswana’s diamond industry, it was not the usual corporate or marketing machinery that quelled the storm but the quiet, strategic leadership of former President Festus Mogae.
Former President Mokgweetsi Masisi has openly warned his longtime adversary, Acting Kgosi Oscar Mosielele of the Bakgatla Ba Ga Mmanaana, that he is more than prepared to retaliate amid their ongoing low-key battle over tangled interests.
In a week when the nation is mourning the loss of an epitome of good governance and prudent financial management, the late Dr. Festus Mogae, the country was shaken as the Standing Committee on Statutory Bodies and State Enterprises heard troubling revelations of corruption, financial mismanagement, and leadership failures within some of the country’s key parastatals.
A national forensic audit released this week has laid bare a troubling collapse in Botswana’s anti-corruption defenses, pointing directly to weak oversight and ineffective enforcement as the root causes behind entrenched institutional corruption. The report singles out three key agencies, the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crimes (DCEC), the Ethics and Integrity Directorate (EID), and the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS), as the very institutions that should have been the nation’s frontline shield against...
The World Bank Group has issued a stark and urgent warning that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is triggering one of the most significant shocks to global commodity markets in recent memory. This turmoil is not just a regional issue; its ripple effects are being felt worldwide, particularly in emerging markets like Botswana. Prices for essential commodities such as energy, fertilizers, and metals are soaring, driven by supply disruptions and geopolitical uncertainty. These...
In a striking judgment that challenges a common legal assumption in Botswana, High Court Judge Dr. Zeinub Kebonang took a firm stand against the widespread notion that alcohol consumption automatically softens criminal responsibility. His ruling, which sentenced Tapologo Makwatse to death for the 2015 murder of his girlfriend, Dipuo Ramalepa, rejects the idea that intoxication can serve as a defense without clear scientific or expert support. Judge Kebonang was explicit in dismissing the accused’s claims...
Biggie Ganda Butale, former minister, legislator, and president of the Botswana Republican Party (BRP), has delivered a clear message: the government has exceeded its authority, and he is prepared to challenge it in court to uphold constitutional limits. Before Attorney General Dick Bayford sits a legal notice from Butale, who intends to contest the administrative removal of specific sections of the Penal Code, namely Section 164. Butale brings this notice in his personal capacity as...
The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) is nearing the final stages of a comprehensive constitutional review, part of its wider reform agenda. Kentse Rammidi, the party’s Secretary General, confirmed that the process is advanced and expected to be completed soon, with plans to present the revisions to party members before the end of the year. Since taking the helm after the Maun special congress, BDP President Mpho Balopi has emerged as a leading advocate for constitutional...
The alliance between the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) and the public sector labor movement, particularly the Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions (BOFEPUSO), has sharply deteriorated in recent months, revealing deepening fractures in what was once a strategic political partnership.