African Studies
Utafiti: Journal of African Perspectives
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The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) once again secured a sound victory in the eighth post-independence elections in October. Foreign affairs were marked by apparently growing tensions with neighbouring Zimbabwe. Notwithstanding relative macroeconomic stability, the economy remained heavily dependent on diamonds, and HIV/AIDS continued to pose a formidable challenge to the country's future.
Domestic politics was dominated by the political parties’ primary elections in preparation for the 2014 general election. The country sustained its proactive foreign policy guided by its core values of democracy, good governance, the rule of law and respect for human rights. A key economic development was the successful relocation of the centralised diamond sales from London to Botswana’s capital, Gaborone. Modest economic growth was recorded, despite an unstable global economic environment, although socio-economic disparities persisted.
The year was dominated by the general elections in October. As expected, the Botswana Democratic Party (bdp) maintained its dominance – albeit with a reduced popular vote. However, the two opposition parties, the Botswana Congress Party (bcp) and the Umbrella for Democratic Change (udc) – a coalition of the Botswana National Front (bnf), the Botswana Movement for Democracy (bmd) and the Botswana Peoples Party (bpp) – also mounted colourful campaigns. In addition, the Independent Electoral Commission (iec) registered the highest number ever of independent candidates – suggesting that the political party primary elections were not straightforward. The economic performance continued to show signs of recovery and stability. The country maintained its foreign policy, and there were no noticeable changes in socio-economic developments and disparities.
Compared with 2014, this was a quiet year on the domestic political scene. No major shift took place in the country’s foreign policy, which continued to be underpinned by the values of good governance, democracy and respect for human rights. The economy experienced a slump in the demand for diamonds, and as a result barely grew. In response, the government announced an Economic Stimulus Programme (esp), meant to boost economic growth, diversify the economy and generate employment. Longstanding socio-economic challenges continued to afflict the country’s development prospects.
The year was dominated by preparations for celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Botswana’s Independence on 30 September. This coincided with the launch of Vision 2036 as Vision 2016 drew to a close. Opposition coalition talks were also in motion. A vocal foreign policy continued, with open disparagement of countries that debased the ideals of democracy and human rights and good governance – much to the chagrin of most of its African peers and resulting in a degree of isolation. Socio-economic barriers and risks continued to pose challenges; the economy remained vulnerable to external oscillations and failed to realise broad-based growth.
The domestic political landscape remained stable throughout the year. This being the last full year of President Ian Khama’s presidency, his government maintained its priority areas – job creation, eliminating poverty, improving funding for education, eradicating mother-to-child transmission of hiv, and combating corruption. A major domestic development was the conclusion of opposition cooperation talks. The country’s foreign policy continued unchanged, and there were no major changes on the socio-economic front.
In accordance with the constitution, president Mokgweetsi Masisi automatically succeeded president Ian Khama following the latter’s retirement in March. There were no drastic measures or changes made in areas of priority following the transfer of leadership, save for emphasis in certain areas. Soon after Khama’s retirement, media reports suggested that there was a rift between him and President Masisi. Their rift developed into a public spat that tore the ruling party apart, with the two leaders openly disparaging each other. Masisi visited neighbouring countries to pledge his commitment to international relations. Domestically, he declared his commitment to tackling socioeconomic barriers, particularly youth unemployment.
The tension between President Mokgweetsi Masisi and former president Ian Khama remained unresolved. The uneasy relationship between the two leaders escalated as preparations for the 2019 general elections intensified, with Khama actively campaigning against his former party, the Botswana Democratic Party (bdp), with the aim of dislodging Masisi and his party, in support of his newly formed party, the Botswana Patriotic Front (bpf), and the opposition coalition Umbrella for Democratic Change (udc). Masisi and his party managed to ward off Khama’s intense opposition challenge and won elections but lost control of the Central District, where Khama is a paramount chief. Meanwhile, issues of corruption and money laundering continued. There was no shift in the country’s foreign policy or socioeconomic barriers.
This was an unprecedented year that was dominated by efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic through the use of a public state of emergency and associated regulations that centralised power around the presidency but without much success. Owing to Covid-19, the domestic economy almost came to a halt as the key revenue earners for the country, mainly minerals and tourism, were negatively affected to the extent that the economy shrank by 8.9%. Corruption, maladministration, and money laundering seemed to increase during the state of public emergency, as there was no accountability and transparency in government processes. Despite the challenge of Covid-19, the country sustained its foreign policy.
As in the previous year, the domestic scene was dominated by Covid-19 as it continued to paralyse the country’s socioeconomic development trajectory. Besides Covid-19, the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (diss), corruption, and the feud between President Mokgweetsi Masisi and former president Ian Khama continued to attract newspaper headlines. The country upheld its foreign policy, and its socioeconomic development trajectory was impacted by Covid-19.