Officials in Botswana have denied allegations of a plot to harm or kill former president Ian Khama, the latest in a series of claims and disputes that date back to 2018 and the rise of current President Mokgweetsi Masisi. “There is no threat by the state on Dr. Khama’s life,”…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
President Mokgweetsi Masisi has been declared winner following this week’s elections in Botswana, with his Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) claiming the necessary seats in parliament to secure his next five-year term. The country’s chief justice, Terrence Rannowane, made the announcement Friday morning after verifying that the BDP had met the…
The polls are set to open in Botswana early Wednesday but not without controversy that’s already emerged over the country’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and the transparency of the vote. The IEC defended itself on Tuesday over two media accounts reporting that the opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change party, led…
Botswana’s President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, seeking to maintain his position in an election year, is campaigning in the southern African nation with an invitation for opposition leaders who have left the ruling though splintered Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) to return. Masisi, speaking in Gaborone alongside a candidate for the October…
Botswana has lifted its ban on elephant hunting, in a controversial decision announced Thursday by environment and wildlife minister Kitso Mokaila. The ruling follows a year-long process in Botswana to evaluate the ban, which was put in place five years ago by former president Ian Khama. He was succeeded in…
Mokgweetsi Masisi, the current president of Botswana, will be the candidate of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) as the country moves toward elections later this year. His nomination followed the withdrawal of Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, who stepped out of the process on Friday with a last-minute statement that said she…
Botswana’s minister for local government and rural development was removed from her position Wednesday, one day after announcing that she intended to challenge President Mokgweetsi Masisi for leadership of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). “Yesterday I informed, in writing to the BDP and His Excellency the President, that I…
Botswana’s new president is now sworn into office following Sunday inauguration ceremonies in Gaborone, and he promises to continue the legacy of the outgoing Ian Khama in developing the country into one of Africa’s most stable and progressive nations. “It is because of the peace and tranquility that our leaders…
It wouldn’t be the first time that the Government of Botswana and its outgoing President Ian Khama pressed for change in a neighboring African country. Khama provoked Robert Mugabe, the ossified former leader of Zimbabwe, on more than one occasion by publicly calling on him to step down and accused…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
President Ian Khama is completing a farewell tour of Botswana as he prepares to leave office at the end of March – and he’s been using the opportunity to criticize other African leaders for their failure to step down in keeping with their constitutions and the will of the people….
President of Botswana Ian Khama is preparing to leave office after 10 years, and he’s launched a farewell tour in which he plans to visit communities in all 57 of the nation’s constituencies. Khama began his tour this week in Moshupa-Manyana, and on Saturday planned to visit Tsabong. He has…
Emmerson Mnangagwa was inaugurated as president Friday in Zimbabwe, before packed crowds at the National Sports Stadium in Harare. Mnangagwa replaces the 93-year-old Robert Mugabe, whose resignation after 37 years in power was forced by a political crisis within his Zanu PF party and backed by the nation’s military last…
President of Botswana Ian Khama delivered his final State of the Nation address Monday, as he prepares for the end of his term and the transition to Vice President Mokgweetsi E. K. Masisi’s tenure. In the address, Khama reiterated “Botswana’s strong support for the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is the…
Comoros has become a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), following the formal acceptance of the nation’s application during the SADC summit that ended Sunday in South Africa. It joins the island nations of Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles in attaining its SADC membership. Comoros, led by President Azali…
This weekend’s South African Development Community summit in Pretoria began Friday evening with the six Double Troika nations meeting to discuss political and security issues. The six countries – Tanzania, Angola, Mozambique, Swaziland and Botswana, as well as host South Africa – planned to discuss the situation in Democratic Republic…