Domestic Politics

As in previous voter registration exercises, the electoral authority did not succeed in registering the targeted number of voters, which may suggest that voter apathy had crept in. From 4 to 27 October, the Independent Electoral Commission conducted a general voter registration for the 2014 general election, registering 478,148 out of a possible 1,200,000 voters. The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) held its 35th Congress in Maun on 5–7 July, when the party’s central committee was elected. Particularly interesting was the contest for the position of party chairman between Minister of Education and Skills Development Pelonomi Venson Moitoi and Samson Guma Moyo MP, who had been the founding treasurer of the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD). Guma Moyo received 467 votes to Moitoi’s 402, having pledged to bring back into the BDP most of the members who had left for the BMD. Mpho Balopi and Malebogo Kruger were elected secretary general and deputy secretary general, respectively. Long-time party treasurer and businessman Satar Dada retained this position, with Thapelo Olopeng, one of President Ian Khama’s closest allies, as deputy treasurer. Surprisingly, Guma Moyo resigned as party chairman on 2 December following allegations that he had undermined Khama’s authority and succession plan with the assistance of foreign elements. He dismissed allegations that he was harbouring intentions of becoming the country’s vice president. Vice President Ponatshego Kedikilwe was appointed BDP chairman on 9 December.

The BDP primary elections were held on 9 and 30 November. The outcome was queried by a number of parliamentary and council hopefuls, in part because of issues relating to the electoral roll. A number of sitting MPs were defeated, including five senior ministers, three assistant ministers and the deputy speaker of the National Assembly. The senior ministers included Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Phandu Skelemani and Minister of Defence, Justice and Security Ndelu Seretse (Ian Khama’s cousin), who was considered a candidate for the vice presidency after October 2014. A number of BDP MPs who lost in the primaries indicated they might stand as independent candidates, citing irregularities in the organisation of party primaries. On 21 November, Khama suspended a BDP parliamentary aspirant, Chris Ntuba, for electoral fraud at the party office. The ‘Botswana Guardian’ reported on 6 December that Guma Moyo, Thapelo Olopeng and Mpho Balopi had manipulated “the voters roll in favour of some candidates ahead of party primary election” and linked this with Guma Moyo’s resignation.

A by-election took place in the Letlhakeng West constituency on 6 April following the death of its BDP MP, Assistant Minister Maxwell Motowane, and were won by the BDP’s Ngaka Ngaka. Another by-election was scheduled by the electoral authority for 23 November in Francistown West following the death of BDP MP Tshelang Masisi, but on 21 November the acting president, Ponatshego Kedikilwe, postponed the by-election to 25 January 2014 on public interest grounds. The opposition condemned this as abuse of office by the BDP, but a court dismissed their charges. The powerful BDP lawyer and chairman of the party’s electoral board, Parks Tafa, had earlier suggested that the president had the authority to cancel a by-election order and issue a fresh one so as to allow the BDP candidate to submit his name. In some quarters the postponement of the by-election was perceived as a clear example of government control of the electoral authority. Others felt that the BDP was using public institutions to resolve its internal problems.

Members of the opposition coalition party, the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) – the Botswana National Front (BNF), the BMD and the Botswana People’s Party (BPP) – also held their congresses. The BMD held its 2nd elective National Congress on 9–12 May in Maun and retained as president Gomolemo Motswaledi, an interim secretary general of the UDC. The BNF held its 16th National Congress on 13–16 July in Ghanzi. Duma Boko, an interim president of the UDC, was elected unopposed as BNF president. Boko declared at the congress that he had been offered P (pula) 40 m to become a member of the BDP, but the BDP rejected accusations of offering funds to possible members. The BNF also held its primary elections for constituencies allocated to it under the UDC, in preparation for the 2014 election. In May, the BPP held its elective congress in Themashangha. Interim UDC Chairman Motlatsi Molapisi retained the party presidency. The UDC allocated 27, 23 and 7 constituencies to the BNF, BMD and BPP, respectively, for the 2014 election. Meanwhile, the UDC suffered a setback in registering a logo that would combine the logos of the three members of the alliance because the use of the BNF logo was contested in court on the grounds that the BNF constitution bars it from joining another political party. The Botswana Congress Party (BCP) held its 6th elective congress on 13–16 July in Selibe-Phikwe; the party retained Dumelang Saleshando as party president and elected its first female national chairperson, Motsei Rapelana. It agreed on a controversial policy that gave priority to women, youth and people with disabilities as party candidates in the 2014 general election. The BCP primary elections were controversial in some constituencies and the BCP leader came under heavy criticism as some of his relatives were reported to be in business with members of the ruling party.

Corruption and maladministration remained a matter of public concern. The Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) had in August in excess of 10,000 cases under investigation. One of these implicated senior government officials in a multi-million e-government project intended to raise funds to buy Botswana Telecommunications Corporation when it was privatised. The DCEC also investigated a Ministry of Education printing and photocopying project worth more than P 60 m. The secretary general of the Botswana Red Cross Society was suspended following an investigation into allegations of corruption. The case of Assistant Minister of Finance and Development Planning Vincent Seretse and his co-accused was yet to be concluded by the court, although Seretse continued to serve as an assistant minister. Also under investigation was the Morupule B Power Project, costed at $ 970 m, which was expected to generate 600 MW of electricity to alleviate the power deficit. The contract had been awarded to the China National Electric Equipment Corporation but had not been completed as agreed in October 2012. Power outages for extended hours had a major impact on the economy. The director general of the DCEC announced on 13 June the completion of its investigations regarding the award of the contract for a glass manufacturing project to Chinese Shanghai Fengyue Glass Company by the Botswana Development Corporation. The project, which had cost government more than P 500 m, was abandoned. A parliamentary select committee of inquiry into issues of maladministration regarding the parastatal Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) delivered its report on 12 November, which proposed that certain contracts and issues relating to the BMC be investigated by the DCEC. On 13 February, the minister of agriculture shared with Parliament the findings of a task force that had probed the BMC, which alleged that “poor financial management and oversight, lack of control and disregard of accounting policies” were contributing to problems in the beef industry. The BMC had recorded a loss of P 290.9 m in 2012. The minister did not take responsibility, however, nor did the president relieve him of his position.

The DCEC suffered setbacks in some high profile cases. Louis Garvas Nchindo, son of the former managing director of Debswana Diamond Company, and Joseph Matome, a former Debswana senior executive convicted earlier for misappropriating funds, won their appeal on 1 February. Nchindo committed suicide while the case was being tried. In April, the high court acquitted Moemedi Dijeng, the managing director of the cleaning and waste management company, Daisy Loo, and four Gaborone City Council employees on charges related to a P 21 m tender. Reports in the private media maintained that public funds had been used to build an airstrip on private land belonging to President Khama in Mosu Village. The government responded that the airstrip was being built on public land next to Khama’s compound. The Office of the Ombudsman announced some preliminary investigations into the matter. The anti-corruption Act of 1994 was amended, and an anti-corruption policy was in preparation. Also related to corruption, the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act (Suspension and De-listing of Contractors Amendment Regulations) came into effect in March to address the challenge of non-performing contractors, and the Commonwealth Corruption Centre was opened on 27 February in Gaborone. At the launch, the director general of the DCEC declared that corruption as a major problem, although Botswana continued to rank as the least corrupt country in Africa.

Uneasy labour relations between the government and public sector unions, particularly the Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU), continued. In March, the Court of Appeal decided that the involvement of essential service workers in the 2011 public workers strike had been unlawful. In turn, BOFEPUSU issued a press statement on 14 March, questioning the independence of the judiciary and the appointment of some judges. This earned them a warning from the master and registrar of the High Court. On 20 March, the Court of Appeal also decided that the sacking of essential service workers was lawful, thus reversing a high court ruling. Subsequently, BOFEPUSU declared its support for parties and politicians that advocated workers’ interests. Botswana had attracted criticism from the ILO for violating workers’ rights.

Minority rights, especially in relation to the Basarwa/San, resurfaced. In January, Botswana pleaded with the UN Human Rights Council for assistance in protecting the rights of Basarwa, prison inmates, children and abused spouses. On 18 June, the high court decided in favour of the Basarwa of Ranyane settlement who were contesting their relocation by the government. Their British lawyer, Gordon Bennett, was declared a prohibited immigrant. In 2006, Bennett had successfully represented the Basarwa of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve when they challenged their relocation from the Reserve, but the government had only allowed the 189 litigants who had been party to the action to return. Basarwa who had not been applicants in the 2006 case took the government to court for the third time, but a high court judge dismissed their case in September. The leader of the BCP, Dumelang Saleshando, condemned the government’s “determination to destroy Basarwa way of life by assimilating them into mainstream Tswana society”, which he equated to “cultural genocide”. The British NGO Survival International called for a boycott of Botswana’s tourism industry. On 13 August, the minister of labour and home affairs stated that 406 foreigners had been declared prohibited immigrants over the past two years.

Foreign Policy

President Khama travelled frequently. He attended the 5th Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Japan on 30 May–2 June and the SADC Extraordinary Summit in Maputo (Mozambique) on 15 June. He visited South Sudan on 8–9 July and Lesotho on 17 July, attended the SADC summit in Lilongwe (Malawi) on 17–18 August and hosted the 4th SACU conference in Gaborone on 12 April, which discussed, among other things, the sharing of revenue. Khama participated in the first session of the Bi-National Commission between Botswana and South Africa on 18–21 November and attended celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Kenya’s independence on 12 December. Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Phandu Skelemani led a delegation to the 20th AU summit in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) on 21–28 January and attended the Africa-France Summit on Peace and Security in Paris (France) on 5–7 December. Vice President Ponatshego Kedikilwe attended the 21st AU Summit on the occasion of the organisation’s 50th anniversary on 25 May in Addis Ababa.

Several high-ranking visitors came to Botswana during the year. Malawi’s President Joyce Banda visited on 24–26 March, to cement bilateral relations. Botswana offered a $ 10 m loan and donated 150 cattle. Other visitors included Minister-President of the Government of Flanders/Belgium Kris Peeters (5 April); Canadian Governor General David Johnston (17–20 May); President Salva Kirr Mayardit of South Sudan (24–26 June); Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe (17 June); and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta (6 November).

Botswana and Kenya evaded a diplomatic row over charges of crimes against humanity brought against Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, by the ICC. Botswana had suggested that Kenyatta would not be allowed into the country if he failed to cooperate with the ICC, a decision it withdrew on 15 March, after it emerged that Kenyatta was cooperating with the ICC, and on 31 March President Khama sent a congratulatory message to Kenyatta on his election as president of Kenya. In April, Botswana hosted a workshop on the ratification of the Kampala amendments to the Rome Statute of the ICC. Botswana ratified the amended statute, and urged state parties to support the ICC. Botswana was the only country that rejected a proposal by Uganda at the AU summit in May that charges against Kenyatta be withdrawn. Interestingly, after Kenyatta’s visit in November, Botswana suggested an amendment to Article 63 of the Rome Statute, which was meant to protect African heads of state from facing trial at the ICC. The proposal, which was endorsed by the AU, was not supported by some international NGOs. In November, Botswana declared its intention of running for the presidency of the ICC’s Assembly of States Parties in 2015 amidst AU criticisms of the ICC, for being biased against Africans.

On 25 March, President Khama announced the suspension of ties with North Korea in protest at its “dangerous actions and threats against other countries”, and criticised it for conducting nuclear weapons tests – which had the potential to undermine peace and security. He also called on the UN to resolve the Syrian crisis, and intensify “efforts to end the suffering of the Syrian people at the hands of Assad’s discredited regime”. On 6 September, Botswana spoke in favour of regime change in Syria and criticised China and Russia for working against efforts to resolve the crisis. On 4 November, Botswana urged that the Assad regime be held accountable for its crimes.

Socioeconomic Developments

Modest economic growth was recorded despite a sluggish recovery in the global economy. GDP of 5.4% was projected. The diamond market showed signs of recovery, albeit still weak. A major achievement was the complete relocation of De Beers Diamond Trading Centre from London to Gaborone. The first sale by Diamond Trading Company Botswana (DTCB) was on 11 November. The Okavango Diamond Company, established to buy and sell up to 15% of Debswana’s diamonds, held its first sale in October and sold P 343 m worth of diamonds. The government also reported the sale of diamonds worth P 900 m in September by Boteti Mining Company. A further 11 diamond cutting and polishing companies were registered, bringing the total to 27 by November. According to government reports, the sector was employing 3,651 workers by August. DTCB put diamond sales for the year at $ 770 m, in line with the country’s local annual medium period target of $ 800 m.

The 2013/2014 budget demonstrated commitment to macro-economic stability. Revenues were put at P 44.02 bn and expenditure at P 43.23 bn, generating a surplus of P 779 m. The largest revenue sources were customs and excise at 31.1% (P 13.68 bn), minerals at 30.1% (P 13.25 bn) and non-mineral income tax at 20.4%. Foreign reserves amounted to P 67.6 bn by the end of December. Inflation was recorded at 5.8% and 4.1% in June and December, respectively, thus falling within the Bank of Botswana’s 3%–6% medium target. The country retained a sovereign credit ranking according to Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s, with both agencies predicting a stable outlook. The IMF 2013 Article IV discussions underscored “the need to improve public sector efficiency and speed up reforms to promote economic diversification”. The 2013/2014 World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report identified a poor work ethic as one of Botswana’s major challenges and ranked the country 74th out of 148, a slight improvement from 79th out of 144 in 2012. The World Bank Doing Business Index placed Botswana 65th out of 185 countries.

The minister of finance and development planning described poverty as a key development obstacle that negatively impacted on Botswana’s HDI status, which had improved from 0.587 in 2000 to 0.634 in 2011. Meanwhile, the government continued with its social safety net programmes for vulnerable groups, with 195,607 people supported at a cost of P 1.2 bn, according to a report on 4 November. It was further reported that a cabinet sub-committee for poverty eradication had registered about 15,000 recipients on the Poverty Eradication Programme. The Remote Area Development Programme recorded 1,055 recipients of poverty eradication projects by September, and 1,211 youth from remote areas registered with tertiary institutions through the Remote Area Development Programme’s Affirmative Action, whilst 360 secured formal employment. President Khama also reported that the number of people who survived on less than $ 1 a day had fallen from 23.4% to 6.4% of the population between 2002/3 and 2009/10. The national poverty rate still stood at 21%, however. The national unemployment rate was estimated at 17.8%, with the youth most affected as 35% of the population were aged between 20 and 40.

The other key developmental challenge was HIV/AIDS. Preliminary results of the fourth Botswana Aids Impact Survey released in November recorded a 16.9% national HIV prevalence, a slight drop from 17.6% in 2008. On 4 November, Khama declared a 95% anti-retroviral ‘uptake’, and mother to child transmission was said to be 2% or below. In addition, slightly more than 89,000 safe male circumcisions had been carried out by August, out of a target of 385,000. The budget allocation for HIV/AIDS was P 1.2 bn. As part of government’s commitment to contain HIV/AIDS, parliament ratified the revised National HIV and AIDS Policy in August. The policy reduced the age of consent for HIV testing from 21 to 16. An issue of concern, however, was that donor funding was waning.