Category: Sunday Standard

In Botswana, growing old rarely means entering a care home. It means staying put in a family yard, often without running water, steady food, or reliable help. A new national study, Family Caregiving of Older Persons in Botswana, paints a stark picture of an elder-care system that exists almost entirely out of sight and largely without state support. In the absence of subsidised residential care, families – mostly women – shoulder the burden alone.

‘Caregivers have to do more with less support,’ the authors write, warning that family-based elder care is ‘increasingly fragile’ as resources dry up and kin networks thin. Based on in-depth interviews with 80 older people and their caregivers across four communities, the report concludes that Botswana’s care system rests almost entirely on unpaid family labour, mostly carried by women, in conditions of severe scarcity.

There is no state-subsidised residential care in Botswana. Nearly all older people are cared for at home, often by an adult daughter who has returned after divorce, unemployment or bereavement. In many households, that daughter is the only dependable caregiver left.

‘As a daughter, it was automatic that I must be the one taking care of her,’ one woman told researchers. ‘I consider this my home; she is my parent’.

But love does not pay for water, food or transport. Nearly half of older-person households reported eating fewer meals than they needed, while many lacked running water or proper sanitation. Caregiving often means hauling water, managing incontinence without supplies, and walking long distances to clinics.

The Old Age Pension, long a pillar of Botswana’s social protection system, offers some relief. But even after a recent increase, it remains insufficient for households juggling food insecurity, medical costs and multigenerational unemployment. Access to disability grants and home-based care services remains strikingly low, the report found.

The emotional toll is just as severe. Caregivers described exhaustion, isolation and unresolved grief linked to decades of AIDS-related deaths. ‘Families are no longer united,’ one caregiver said bluntly. ‘They can come to check up, but they don’t take care of her in any way’.

The report was authored by Professor Elena Moore of the University of Cape Town, alongside Dolly Mogomotsi Ntseane and Gwen Lesetedi of the University of Botswana, with Vayda Megannon and Zeenat Samodien, also affiliated with the University of Cape Town’s Family Caregiving Programme for Older Persons in Southern Africa.

The report recommends government to ‘Review access and eligibility for the disability grant,’ since only 7% of older persons currently receive the disability cash. It also states that there is need to ‘Improve food security in older-person households’ and for the government to ‘expand existing food assistance programmes and review the destitute food coupon system to ensure it reaches all eligible older persons.’ The researchers also urge ‘government departments, working with the Department of Water Affairs,’ to introduce ‘water subsidies or targeted relief for older-person households, prioritising those with limited income or caregiving responsibilities.’

As Botswana finalises a long-awaited Older Persons Act, the report poses a stark question: can the country continue to rely on family care alone in the face of rising food insecurity, water shortages and economic strain? Without stronger state support, the authors warn, the system may soon collapse, behind the walls of family yards where care has long been assumed, but never guaranteed.

For decades, if you thought of De Beers in southern Africa, you likely pictured the glitter of diamonds and the depth of its mines. But beneath the surface of this industrial giant lies a quieter, yet equally profound, evolution.

Long gone are the days when the company’s contribution to education ended at the gate of the mine, focused solely on training workers for the daily shift.

Today, De Beers has undergone a radical transformation, digging deep into the fabric of society to unearth something far more valuable than gemstones: human potential.

By shifting from basic workplace training to strategic, multi-billion Pula partnerships, the diamond titan is no longer just extracting resources from the earth; it is investing in the minds that will shape the continent’s future. Is this the new face of sustainable mining, or simply a smart investment in tomorrow’s talent pool?

Cecil Rhodes’ consolidation of diamond mines in South Africa into De Beers Consolidated Mines in 1888 created enormous wealth and fundamentally altered the political economy of Southern Africa. This period laid the groundwork for future educational links, though not through direct corporate action by De Beers itself.

The most significant education legacy from this era is the Rhodes scholarship, which is funded by the will of Rhodes, who made his fortune through De Beers. It provides funding for students from various countries, including former British colonies, the U.S. and Germany, to attend Oxford University. Initially, the Rhodes scholarships were intended for white male students to create future imperial leaders.

It is noteworthy that the scholarship is a personal philanthropic act by Rhodes, separate from De Beers’ corporate activities.

In recent decades, De Beers has become extensively involved in education through structured Corporate Social Investment (CSI) programmes, often in partnership with governments and other organisations. This represents a shift from indirect legacy to direct action.

Its efforts have focussed primarily on Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, addressing infrastructure, teacher development and entrepreneurship leadership

This strategic change is epitomised in the 2025 comprehensive Botswana government/De Beers framework that is designed to build Botswana’s long-term leadership and economic capacity.

It is worth noting that De Beers’ joint venture, Debswana, has a long history of offering scholarships for study in countries like the UK, Canada, and Australia, often in partnership with organisations like the British Council.

Historically, De Beers’ support for high-achieving Batswana students has evolved over decades – from early scholarships in the 1980s to the comprehensive talent programmes formalised in their latest 2025 agreement with the Botswana government.

Over the past decades, De Beers’ role in education in Southern Africa has evolved significantly from basic workplace training to strategic, multi-million Pula partnerships. Its efforts have focussed primarily on Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, addressing infrastructure, teacher development and entrepreneurial leadership.

In Botswana, for over 40 years (from the 1980s), De Beers Botswana Mining Company has been facilitating international education for sponsored students, initially through ‘Entry clearance’ for students admitted to U,K., Canadian and Australian universities.

In the following decade, starting from 2000 the company’s focus was on building robust partnerships and creating a pipeline for future talent through a global non-profit Diamond Empowerment Fund that it established in 2007 to support education in diamond communities.

By 2015, the fund contributed $122,500 to Botswana’s ‘Top Achievers Program’ (TAP). TAP is government initiative started in 2010 to help youth access higher education.

The Debswana joint venture launched a prestigious scholarship – Debswana Scholars Fund in 2014. It sponsors top students for A-Level at Maru-A-Pula, followed by sponsored degrees at UK Russel Group universities, with a guaranteed job at Debswana upon return.

However, the three diamond-producing countries of Botswana, Namibia and South Africa have been benefiting from De Beers’ direct and strategic component of its modern corporate citizenship, focusing on industry-specific skills, university partnerships, and community-based school improvement.

In Botswana, De Beers’s joint venture signed its first university Memorandum of Understanding (MoU with Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) in 2017 to develop critical skills in engineering and science, complementing the revived Debswana Scholarship Programme.

Under the new Sales Agreement between Government of Botswana and De Beers Group a comprehensive suite of initiatives was launched, including the Post-Graduate Sponsorship Programme (MSc/PhD) at local universities and the International Graduate Development Programme (IGDP).

In October 2025, the first cohort of high-achieving graduates commenced a two-year international placement across De Beers’ global operations to gain world-class leadership experience. This programme will now run every two years

Similarly the company is in collaboration with higher education institutions in South Africa, specifically with the University of the Free State (UFS) and the University of Johannesburg (UJ). Under the partnership with the UFS’s geology department that came into effect in 2018, the company provide diamond-indicator mineral samples and allow honour students to use their advanced analytical facilities in Johannesburg for research projects. In that same year, 2018, the company launched a primary and secondary schools initiative with focus on foundational skills like reading, writing and numeracy.

In Namibia, the company has partnered with the University of Namibia (UNAM)), particularly its southern campus in Keetmanshoop with special emphasis on full sponsorship (tuition, books and accommodation) for students from marginalised community, mostly girls.

The diamond giant has extensive initiatives in strategic investment in entrepreneurship and leadership, with special emphasis on foundational and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.

The partnership with Stanford University in the United States plays that critical role in what has come to be known as Stanford Seed Transformation Programme. The seed programmes are operational in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.

In 2018, a US$3-million investment funded the Stanford Seed Transformation Programme (for established business owners) and the Stanford Go-to-Market boot camp (for entrepreneurs), hosted at the Botswana Innovation Hub.

Since its commencement, the seed programme has trained more than 46 local business leaders generating P285 million in additional revenue and creating 670+ jobs in Botswana alone. A success story is Kwenantle Farms, which expanded from 120 to 1,800 hectares with mentorship from Silicon Valley experts.

Women and Youth Focus programmes like Tokafala, which created more than 12,000 jobs (50% women-led) and EntreprenHER (3,000+ women trained) provide financial literacy and networking. Career workshops in Maun also equip youth with CV and interview skills.

De Beers’ support for grassroots education and conservation awareness culminated in the establishment of Nkashi Knowledge Centres, whichopened in 2025 in collaboration with National Geographic. These hubs in the Okavango Delta offer ICT training, financial literacy, and conservation education, serving remote communities.

The Debswana STEM Girls Program has engaged over 2,000 girls, encouraging them to pursue careers in science and engineering.

Likewise, in Namibia, De Beers’ impact on education demonstrates a strategic pivot from traditional classroom support towards directly building a diversified national economy. Through Namdeb, its 50/50 joint venture with the Namibian government, the company is focusing on creating high-level technical expertise and fostering entrepreneurial growth to prepare the country for a future beyond diamonds.

Under the Stanford Seed programme, Namibian firms have been supported in scaling their operations. As of late 2025, the initiative had helped generate a combined N$351 in revenue and N$83 million in capital while creating 238 new jobs. Participants receive world-class mentorship, gaining access to a global network of over 10,000 business leaders.

Stanford is also involved with the WomEng Southern Africa Fellowship that provides training for female university students in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa who are pursuing engineering and technology degrees, strengthening their employability and leadership skills.

The WomEng Fellowship in Namibia, which is jointly sponsored by Stanford/Debmarine/Namdeb, has trained 1,500 girls since 2019 in Khomas, Kharas and Omaheke regions with plans to cover all 14 regions. These workshops connect high school girls with female engineers to inspire future careers.

The De Beers STEM education in South Africa focuses on supporting learners from the school level up to university, with a strong emphasis on empowering young women.

From 2019 to 2021 more than 2,200 students at university-level were reached via GirlEng and Fellowship programmes. At the secondary school level, a new start-of-the-art science laboratory was constructed under the STEM programme at Renaissance Secondary School in Musina (Limpopo). In the Free State, the company supported 26 high schools through provision of 75 laptops to top achievers and funded educator salaries.

The company has set an ambitious goal to engage 10,000 girls and women in STEM by 2030.

Evidently, De Beers’ work in Southern Africa’s education sector has moved far beyond traditional corporate charity. Through its partnership with the governments and global institutions, it is now a key driver of economic diversification and high skills development. The impact is evident in direct job creation, entrepreneurial growth, and systemic curriculum reform.

Research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine indicates that 34% of elite athletes experience significant mental health challenges. These struggles can take many forms, including chronic stress, eating disorders, severe burnout, and debilitating symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Over the past few years, high profile athletes have opened up about their struggles with mental health. Notable among these are Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, Ilia Malinin, Hayden Hurst, just to mention but a few. The list cuts across different sporting codes and ethnicities.

Another study by Simon M Rice and others, states that ‘elite athletes experience a unique range of stressors that may potentially increase their vulnerability to mental ill-health.’ Their findings suggested that ‘elite athletes experience a broadly comparable risk of high-prevalence mental disorders (i.e. anxiety, depression) relative to the general population.’

While research and studies show athletes are susceptible to mental health struggles, in Botswana, very little or nothing seems to be done to address this challenge. With this in view, Sunday Standard Sports reached out to several national sporting codes to see how much they are helping athletes cope.

Unfortunately, almost all national sporting codes approached did not want to wade into the subject. The only sporting code which responded, Botswana Boxing Association (BoBA), indicated it was trying to address the matter, though it does not have enough capacity to fully address the challenge.

Public Relations Officer (PRO) Kabelo Seleka disclosed that, at this point in time, the association lacks a dedicated full-time sports psychologist who is formally attached to their various training and development programs.

He however says BoBA has a Medical and Anti-Doping Commission embedded within its organizational framework. This commission addresses broader issues related to athlete welfare. It is responsible not only for ensuring compliance with anti-doping regulations, but also for promoting mental health awareness and facilitating necessary referrals to support services for athletes in need.

‘We recognize the need to strengthen this area further. BoBA is actively exploring partnerships with qualified psychologists and mental health professionals to provide more structured access to psychological support for our athletes. We acknowledge that mental health is a critical pillar of athlete performance, wellbeing, and long-term career sustainability.’

‘Boxing is an intense, high-pressure sport that exposes athletes to physical strain, performance anxiety, weight management stress, injuries, and uncertainty around careers and livelihoods. As such, we view mental wellness not as a luxury, but as a performance necessity,’ the BoBA PRO says.

Seleka further elaborated that mental health discussions are currently integrated into selected BoBA training camps. During these periods, the association brings in specialists and experts to speak to athletes. These discussions focus on coping with pressure, confidence building, resilience, injury recovery, discipline, and life beyond boxing.

BoBA’s interventions do not end there. The association is also working behind the scenes on broader awareness initiatives. Following the success of their Drugs and Alcohol Abuse Awareness Tournament, they are now planning a Mental Health Awareness Tournament. They seek to use boxing as a platform to spark national conversations around mental wellness, especially among young people and athletes.

‘Mental wellness is now being embedded into our strategic development agenda, and we are committed to building a more comprehensive, structured athlete welfare framework that places mental health at the center of performance and personal development,’ the BoBA PRO says.

Commenting on the issue, sports psychologist Kagiso Tlhabano- David says ‘athletes around the world-regionally and locally-like the general population, strive daily to manage general stressors, along with the added demands that come with being an athlete.’ ‘They are people first, then they are athletes. But the society sees them as just athletes, as performers.’

‘I cannot speak to athletes’ mental state because that cannot be assumed. Yet, as someone who pays attention to sport, with even more attention on issues related to athletes wellbeing, it is clear that the demands of sport and life and the constant need and expectation to be at their optimum can take a toll on even the ‘strongest’ of individuals.’

‘An individual athlete’s mental health can vary depending on such factors as time of the season (off season, early, mid and towards the end depending of the season), performance (current or previous), injury and nature thereof, personal issues and so forth. There are many factors at play, perhaps more on the athletes’ plate than ours. Perhaps considering all the above we can have a sense that athletes too are at risk to of having mental health challenges or setbacks,’ Tlhabano-David says.

ýShe points out that athletes are trained to be tough, to withstand the pressure, and to bounce back. With this being the case, Tlhabano- David noted that they too can view themselves as such with no room for not being ok.

‘They can acknowledge not being physical fit following injury or off season. But what is usually missing is the education about mental health, and that it is ok to acknowledge to oneself and their support system when they are not emotionally or mentally at their optimum.’

‘When such education is there and athletes see themselves as not just athletes but as people first, it would help them open up for help. If we also see them not just as athletes, but as people first, people who feel and go through challenges like all of us, it would ease the pressure off them and more and more athletes may not feel the need to pretend to be ok.’

‘It is encouraging that more and many top athletes on the international stage are opening up about their mental health challenges. Hopefully this will ultimately normalize talking about mental wellbeing and mental health challenges. That said, there are other reasons such as not having access to support services, and the cost of professional services.’

When it comes to performance pressure affecting athlete’s mental wellbeing, Tlhabano- David points out that managing pressure is a mental skill that top performers have mastered. Besides ability and physical fitness, they bring managing pressure and thriving under it to their game on the day.

‘Performance pressure does not necessarily lead to mental health issues. But mental health challenges can make managing pressure quite difficult even for those who have mastered the skill,’ she says. ý

On paper, Botswana enjoys privileged access to the American market under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a cornerstone of Washington’s trade policy toward sub-Saharan Africa. In practice, officials here say, the pathway is narrower than it appears.

Chief Negotiator at Botswana’s ministry of Trade and Entrepreneurship, Phazha Butale, argues that while the zero-tariff policy under AGOA may be low, the regulatory terrain is anything but. ‘There are hidden rules and processes that producers, businesspeople, exporters – and by extension Africa – must comply with,’ he said, noting that complying with them imposes a significant financial burden.

As an example, for Botswana’s horticulture producers, that terrain includes complex pesticide residue limits and detailed labelling requirements that echo European consumer expectations. For large agribusinesses in Europe, such systems are routine.

Under AGOA’s rules of origin, a specified share of a product’s inputs must be sourced domestically. Butale said ‘the rules of origin’ require that a certain proportion of inputs, in some cases up to 60 percent, be sourced locally. ‘There are other requirements for standards,’ says Butale, adding that ‘You have to meet the standards of the US regulations’ whether the export is pharmaceuticals, fresh produce or manufactured goods.

For years, the European Union (E.U) has imposed stringent standards on imports, requiring traceability systems, veterinary controls and disease-free zones that are costly to maintain. Botswana, one of Africa’s most established beef exporters, has invested heavily to comply. It built an elaborate cattle identification system and upgraded facilities at the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC). Yet exports have been periodically suspended when outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease were detected in parts of the country, even when those outbreaks were geographically distant from export zones.

In 2011 and again in 2015, the EU temporarily banned beef imports from Botswana after such outbreaks, citing biosecurity concerns. The suspensions hit rural farmers hardest, reducing slaughter volumes and export revenues. While European regulators described the measures as necessary to protect animal health within the bloc, officials in Gaborone argued that the blanket restrictions did not always reflect the realities on the ground.

Butale indicated that the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) is ‘actively working with people in the North-West to try and improve their productive capacity to be able to meet these quality criteria of the US market.’ Yet the burden of proof often falls disproportionately on exporters from countries such as Botswana. Butale said Botswana is working with the Botswana Bureau of Standards in order to ‘reach a point where we standardise so that the standards applicable in Botswana are also the same standards applicable in the US, Europe and in China so that there is a level playing field.’

The European Union’s rules are not unique. In the United States, the Food Safety Modernisation Act expanded requirements for foreign suppliers, obliging exporters to demonstrate compliance with preventive controls and hazard analysis standards. For Botswana, navigating these frameworks can mean hiring consultants, upgrading cold chains and absorbing delays at ports, costs that can erode already thin margins.

Trade economists describe these measures as ‘non-tariff barriers.’ Unlike tariffs, which are transparent taxes on imports, regulatory standards are often justified on health, safety or environmental grounds. In many cases, they reflect legitimate public concerns. European consumers expect strict oversight of food safety; American lawmakers are under pressure to prevent contamination and disease.

Critics argue that while Western standards may be scientifically defensible, they can function as de facto trade barriers when applied rigidly. A temporary suspension can shutter abattoirs and ripple through rural economies in countries such as Botswana.

With the clock ticking on the preferential trade pact that has anchored much of its access to the American market, Botswana is mounting a late-stage drive to expand beef exports to the United States under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA, which is set to expire in December 2026.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed legislation extending the trade program for eligible African nations through December 31, 2026, restoring benefits retroactively to September 30, 2025, when the agreement briefly lapsed. For Botswana, whose textile industry has largely withered after once serving as its principal AGOA export, the extension represents both opportunity and reckoning.

Adding beef to the American export market would mark a strategic pivot for a country long reliant on diamonds and preferential access that it now concedes it failed to fully exploit.

Phazha Butale, chief negotiator in the ministry of Trade and Entrepreneurship, said the country sees itself as ‘the premium most beef destination in the whole world.’ He pointed to neighbouring Namibia as a recent example of what is possible. ‘As recent as last year (2025) Namibia got clearance to export beef [to the U.S]. So we will be looking at how they were able to meet the requirements so that we can replicate,’ he says.

His comments reflect a broader sense of urgency within government ranks. ‘We haven’t made optimal use of the US market, especially outside of diamonds. We really should have done more by now but there are hindrances to why that is the case,’ he says. The recent AGOA extension, he adds, is an opportunity but a fleeting one. ‘The window is short to utilise the AGOA extension,’ he says, questioning ‘how much can we do between now and the end of year that we haven’t managed to accomplish in the last 10 or 15 years?’

Enacted in 2000, the African Growth and Opportunity Act grants eligible sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the American market for thousands of products. While apparel and textiles have dominated AGOA success stories in countries like Kenya and Ethiopia, Botswana is now positioning beef as its next strategic export.

The country’s beef sector, built on decades of disease control protocols and traceability systems, has traditionally served European markets. But shifting global demand and uncertainty about what comes after AGOA have prompted policymakers in Gaborone to reconsider their export map.

Butale said he would prefer a more durable framework. ‘We would have a replacement of AGOA through reciprocal trade agreement between SACU, Botswana being part of SACU, and the United States. That way we will have certainty and we will negotiate the kind of standards that we will be able to meet to send exports to the United States.’

He added, ‘The challenge with AGOA is its unilateral.’

Trade specialists caution that tariff-free access is only the first hurdle. Exporters must meet rigorous U.S. Department of Agriculture standards, navigate complex sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, and build supply chains capable of delivering consistent volumes to a highly competitive market.

Butale indicated that the standards are stringent but they are working on meeting them.

With less than a year remaining before AGOA’s scheduled expiration, the country faces a compressed timeline to translate ambition into export-ready shipments. Whether Botswana can transform its self-described premium beef into a foothold in American supermarkets may determine if the final chapter of AGOA becomes a missed opportunity or a turning point.

The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) government has reportedly made only limited headway on its sweeping election promises as it achieved just 13 percent progress in its first year in office.

This is according to a study by the Southern African based Sivio Institute which is a non-governmental (NGO) organisation focusing on governance across Africa titled ‘Settling In Amid Fiscal Challenges: An Assessment of the Government of Botswana’s First Year in Office.’ The study paints a stark picture of a government grappling with economic headwinds and struggling to translate campaign pledges into tangible results.

According to the study, the UDC manifesto contained 171 promises. Of these, only 23 promises representing 13 percent are currently ‘In Progress,’ while none have been fully implemented or broken. The overwhelming majority, 148 promises, remain at the ‘Not Commenced’ stage. ‘In the past 12 months, 25 actions have been recorded,’ the study states adding that ‘after a year in office, the Government of Botswana has made 13% progress towards fulfilling the promises made in the election manifesto.’

The Economy sector recorded the highest number of actions, with 10 initiatives underway, followed by Social Services with seven. Social Services, which accounts for the largest share of promises at 62 or 36 percent of the total manifesto has seen minimal progress. Only six promises in the sector are currently in progress, while 56 have not commenced, translating to a score of just 12 percent. The study says one of the flagship promises was to increase the old age pension from P830 to P1,800. The government has partially fulfilled this by raising the pension to P1,400 at the start of the 2025/2026 financial year and pledged to increase it further ‘as the economy recovers,’ according to the report. Housing was another major pledge, with the UDC promising to build 100,000 houses over five years. The government launched the Bonno Housing Scheme in March 2025, targeting 61,000 houses across all constituencies.

However, the report notes that ‘almost 30,000 of these housing units will come from a collaboration with the Botswana Housing Corporation and the private sector.’ The government also introduced free sanitary pads for schoolgirls at a cost of P69 million and announced a P300 allowance for new mothers, although the latter has since been deferred to the 2026/2027 financial year.

The study shows that some promises remain untouched, including increasing tertiary student allowances to P2,500 which is a delay that has sparked discontent among students and ‘almost culminated in a demonstration.’ Meanwhile, government attempts to ease living costs have been mixed. A 30 percent cut in electricity tariffs for domestic users was announced in March 2025, but President Duma Boko later warned that increases could follow because subsidies were becoming unaffordable.’Overall, 55 out of the 62 promises under Social Services remain at the ‘Not Commenced’ stage,’ the report states.Touching on the economy, the report says out of 57 economic promises, only 10 are in progress, giving the sector a score of just 9 percent.

The report attributes much of the sluggish progress to Botswana’s deteriorating economic outlook, driven largely by a collapse in diamond sales.’The sale of diamonds by De Beers also remains low, having fallen by almost 50% by the end of 2024 and still showing no signs of recovery in 2025,’ the study notes, adding that this has significantly weakened foreign reserves. President Boko had pledged to fast-track a new diamond deal with De Beers, but the report says ‘there has been very little information on the deal, and the public remains largely uninformed.’ The government has, however, taken steps to cancel more than 80 percent of infrastructure projects under the controversial Development Manager Model citing ‘mismanagement and financial irregularities.’ In line with its promises, the government also established a Sovereign Wealth Fund, injecting P76 million into its initial capital, and introduced progressive taxation, reducing the burden on low-income earners while increasing taxes on high earners.

Despite these measures, unemployment continues to rise, the study says, with the government pointing to projects such as the Khoemacau Mine and the Bonno Housing Scheme as future job creators aligned with its pledge to create 500,000 jobs over five years.

Still, the study states that, ‘The bulk of the promises (47 out of 57 promises) remain as ‘Not Commenced’.’

With regard to governance reforms which is another cornerstone of the UDC campaign, the study suggests that they have seen even less progress. Out of 43 governance promises, only three are in progress, resulting in an assessment score of just 3 percent. Among the symbolic actions highlighted was the decision to allow the burial of San community member Pitseng Gaoberekwe in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, fulfilling a long-standing demand denied by the previous administration.

At the burial, President Boko ‘reiterated the promise of his party to ensure justice and protect human rights for all, especially the marginalised groups.’ The study says the government has also pledged to base public appointments strictly on merit and has made several key appointments, including to the Court of Appeal and the leadership of the Botswana Defence Force.

However, the study shows, major structural reforms including drafting a new constitution, overhauling the intelligence services and addressing wage inequalities have yet to begin.

Corruption accounted for just six promises in the manifesto. Three are now in progress, while three have not commenced yielding a 22 percent score. The report highlights the trial and sentencing of a former Permanent Secretary to the President as a notable example of the government’s pledge to ensure fair trials in corruption cases.

‘International best practice today places the fight against corruption as one of the key areas of good governance,’ the report states, while noting ‘very little progress, especially in empowering the Directorate of Corruption and Economic Crimes.’

Climate change ranked lowest in priority with only three promises made. Of these, one is in progress, giving a 17 percent progress score. One key step was the passage of the Forest and Range Resources Act in August 2025, aimed at strengthening environmental protection.

UDC Executive Secretary Dr Patrick Molutsi had not responded to Sunday Standard queries at the time of going to press.

A decision by Dinah Marathe, the Commissioner of Botswana police Service, to launch a forensic probe into a controversial police welfare fund is shaking one of law enforcement’s most entrenched cultures: the so-called Blue Wall of Silence.

In a move widely seen as unprecedented, Marathe has commissioned R4 Forensics, led by Robert Masitara, to scrutinize the half-billion Pula BPS Welfare Scheme. The investigation follows years of mounting pressure from serving and retired officers who have demanded transparency around the fund’s management.

For many within the ranks, the decision signals a dramatic shift from the historical tendency of police institutions worldwide to shield internal misconduct, a practice commonly kwon as the ‘Blue Code.’

‘I was pleasantly surprised when I was called for an interview by R4 Forensics. I never in my life thought any of our commissioners could be brave enough to launch the investigation’, said a retired officer who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing fear of retaliation and the long-standing culture discouraging officers from speaking out.

Masitara would neither confirm nor deny the investigation.

Calls for an independent audit intensified after a 2020 controversy in which P10 million donated by police to the national Covid-19 Relief Fund was allegedly deducted from officers’ savings without their consent. The incident deepened distrust among rank-and0file officers and fueled suspicions about governance within the welfare scheme, formally known as the BOS Savings Fund and Loan Guarantee Scheme.

By the time Marathe took office in 2024, becoming Botswana’s first female police commissioner, she inherited not only the unresolved dispute but also an institution facing broader scrutiny over accountability.

Her appointment coincided with findings published in the 2024 African Security Review, which warned that Botswana lacked independent mechanisms to hold police accountable. The study noted that the Internal Affairs Branch struggled with both capacity and perceived impartiality, pointing out that only about half of 105 misconduct cases recorded between 2019 and 2023 had been finalised by early 2023.

The concerns echoed earlier criticism from a 2021 report by Al Jazeera and the Legal Resources Centre, which linked persistent police impunity to the absence of an independent investigative body and weak human rights structures.

Since assuming office, Marathe has repeatedly signaled a reformist agenda. During his visits to police districts in Francistown and Mahalapye in August 2025, she warned officers that misconduct and corruption would erode public trust and pledged to steer the service towards a human-rights centered model aligned with the current government’s priorities.

The welfare scheme probe now appears to be the clearest test yet of that pledge, and of how far institutional culture can shift.

Globally, police corruption and internal cover-ups remain persistent challenges, often attributed to tight-knit occupational solidarity that discourages whistle-blowing.

Leading Global Organizations: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Amnesty International; Human Rights Watch (HRW); Transparency International (TI) have all reported that police corruption and, by extension, the tendency to cover up misconduct, is a worldwide issue rather than isolated to specific regions. It is often described as an outgrowth of group camaraderie that encourages closing ranks to protect officers. By ordering an external forensic investigation, Marathe is positioning the Botswana Police Service as a rare outlier willing to confront that norm head-on.

Whether the inquiry will lead to prosecutions, structural reforms or simply deeper institutional tensions remains uncertain. What is clear, however, is that the investigation has punctured a long-standing silence and placed the future credibility of Botswana’s policing family in the public eye.

Another week, another State-Owned Entity (SOE) at the centre of a corporate governance storm. Leadership changes across Botswana’s SOEs have begun to resemble a game of musical chairs, a comparison now frequently voiced by an increasingly frustrated public. Every time an SOE makes headlines for the wrong reasons be it financial distress, executive misconduct, or service delivery breakdowns, the spotlight almost instinctively falls on management. Investigations are launched, executives are scrutinised, the CEO is questioned and, in some cases, suspended. Yet beyond the noise of the scandal and the headlines lies a crucial question that requires serious interrogation but rarely receives equal attention. Where was the Board?

When organisational challenges become the norm, it is necessary to examine not only the operational decisions but also the strength of oversight. Corporate governance failures within Botswana’s SOEs are often treated as isolated crises when they in fact point to a deeper issue of Board effectiveness.

Unlike private entities, SOEs are custodians of national assets. They are entrusted with the duty to manage these strategic national assets, deliver essential public services and operate using public resources which can ultimately impact citizens and the national fiscus. Their Boards carry a dual responsibility of commercial oversight and public accountability which makes their effectiveness more than just a technical governance issue but a matter of national interest.

Central to the mandate of an SOE’s Board is its role as steward of the organisation. This entails setting strategic direction, supervising executive management, safeguarding assets, and ensuring that emerging risks are identified and addressed before they escalate into public crises. It is for this very reason that they should be held to a higher standard of accountability than their counterparts within the private sector. Holding the Board to a higher standard of accountability is not intended to be punitive but to reflect the weight of their mandate.

In the context of SOEs, board effectiveness cannot be separated from national accountability. The Board is the layer of governance entrusted with ensuring accountability and transparency. Their oversight entails questioning assumptions, interrogating strategic decisions, and ensuring management actions are consistent with ethical, legal and financial standards. The Board’s oversight demands independence of thought and the willingness to challenge, particularly when decisions carry fiscal and reputation risk. It is important for the Board to be able to balance its independence with oversight as this will allow it to challenge management without conflict of interest which then creates room for objective judgement.

Should the corporate governance debate continue to centre exclusively on management, systemic vulnerabilities will remain largely unchecked. Executives will change and investigations will be launched, but the structural safeguards intended to prevent failure will still be compromised.

Board effectiveness also depends on balance. A well-constituted Board combines executive management insight with objectivity from the non-executive directors. Executives should bring institutional knowledge and operational context, while non-executive directors provide the external perspective and independent scrutiny. It is this balance that enables the Board to interrogate management proposals thoroughly while still offering strategic guidance.

In 2025, the Botswana Accountancy Oversight Authority (BAOA) released its Financial Reporting Monitoring and Corporate Governance Report for the 2024 review period. The report, which assesses governance disclosures and practices across Public Interest Entities (PIEs), offered a snapshot of the state of corporate governance, within that group, in Botswana. According to the report, a total of 40 corporate governance reviews were conducted in 2024, consisting of 24 first-time reviews and 16 re-reviews. None (0%) of the 24 entities reviewed for the first time met the corporate governance requirements which was a decline from 21% in 2023. The report further states that of the 15 significant entities reviewed, only 2 achieved full compliance while among the 6 public bodies assessed, compliance was also achieved by just 2.

The report also highlights major gaps in board performance, with 40% of deficiencies linked to Boards and Directors, 12.6% to Audit Committees, and 12% to Internal Audit. Independence of non-executive directors and chairpersons was often compromised, and Board composition frequently fell short of best practice.

This does not necessarily mean that the Boards reviewed were negligent but shows that the practice of governance needs strengthening. The pattern emerging should therefore prompt an honest reflection on how oversight functions are being executed at the top.

While the Board carries the formal responsibility of overseeing executive management, another equally important question that often arises is – ‘who checks the checker?’ Boards, too, are not immune to governance challenges and it is becoming increasingly evident that oversight can drift if not exercised with discipline and ethical clarity. Boards may lose focus, become overly aligned with management, or neglect the very mandate they were appointed to uphold, and when that happens, they too find themselves under scrutiny.

The governance architecture does not end at the boardroom table. It extends upwards to the shareholder, and in the case of SOEs, to the responsible Minister acting on behalf of the state. This layer of oversight exists to ensure that Boards discharge their duties within legal, ethical and strategic boundaries. Effective governance therefore requires a functioning chain of accountability. Executive management must answer to the Board. The Board must answer to the shareholder. The shareholder, represented by the Minister, must exercise responsible stewardship without undermining operational independence. If at any point, the link in that chain of authority weakens, the entire structure becomes vulnerable.

Checks and balances are crucial to safeguarding against the concentration of power. A well-designed governance system includes clear performance monitoring, transparent reporting, periodic evaluations and defined escalation mechanisms at every level. These ‘fail-safe’ triggers ensure that underperformance or misconduct are identified early and corrected before they escalate into organisational risk.

The appointment of SOE Boards has, at times, attracted public debate on whether factors other than expertise and competence influence selection decisions. Where appointments are perceived to align with prevailing political interests, the implications extend beyond reputation and may affect the integrity of the governance structure itself.

This reality underscores the importance of institutional checks and balances. Parliamentary oversight, including scrutiny from opposition leadership, plays a vital role in ensuring that Ministers responsible for SOEs exercise their shareholder authority within clear ethical and legal boundaries. This form of oversight is less about politics and more about ensuring transparency, accountability and the responsible stewardship of public assets.

When Boards fail to exercise disciplined, independent, and informed supervision, risks go unchecked, strategic drift takes hold, and public resources are left exposed. Governance frameworks may exist on paper, but without effective oversight, they risk becoming symbolic rather than functional. If Botswana is to break the cycle of governance lapses in SOEs, it is imperative to strengthen Board accountability. The question is no longer just what went wrong with executives, but how the Boards entrusted with national assets carried out their oversight mandate.

The Industrial Court has ruled that employers must disclose the salaries of senior managers to junior staff during salary negotiations, in a decision expected to influence collective bargaining practice across the country.

In a judgement delivered last week and raising the bar for fair bargaining in Botswana,

the court ordered the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA Fund) to disclose its management salary structure, ruling that its refusal to release the information amounted to bargaining in bad faith.

In a judgment delivered recently, Maun Industrial Court Judge Sampa Kaisara directed the MVA Fund to provide the Botswana Public Employees Union (BOPEU) with salary details covering management Bands 1 to 4 within 14 days of a renewed request subject to confidentiality safeguards.

‘The Respondent’s failure to disclose information on pay structure covering Bands 1 to 4 constitutes bargaining in bad faith,’ ruled Kaisara.

The dispute arose during a review of the MVA Fund’s organisational structure and job evaluation exercise where BOPEU argued that it could not meaningfully participate in negotiations without access to the full salary structure including senior management pay.

BOPEU maintained that the information was essential to ensure fairness, transparency and reasonableness across the organisation.

‘The disclosure of the information will allow the union to make considerations on the impact of its submissions, determine reasonability and guard against causing any conflict or distortion of the remuneration structure,’ the union argued.

However, the MVA Fund had refused to release the information arguing that management employees fall outside the union’s bargaining unit and that their salary details were confidential.

The Fund insisted that there was ‘no specific clause in the Collective Labour Agreement that compelled the Respondent to disclose the management salary structure.’

But the court rejected this argument as it found that management salary information was directly relevant to the ongoing salary review and collective bargaining process.

‘The nature of information sought is linked to the present exercise on review of Respondent’s job evaluation and remuneration structure,’ Kaisara said.

‘The information will be crucial to gauge Respondent’s financial ability to afford the union’s wage proposals,’ the judge added.

The court emphasised that disclosure of relevant information is a fundamental part of negotiating in good faith.

‘Disclosure of information is a critical component of bargaining in good faith. Employers are under a duty to disclose relevant information to enable effective collective bargaining,’ the judgment stated.

The court further found that withholding the information would harm the union’s ability to negotiate effectively.

‘In the absence of the information, the union will be constrained to carry out a more effective and meaningful bargaining,’ Kaisara said.

The judge also dismissed concerns that disclosure would violate management privacy, noting that the information related to salary bands and pay structures rather than personal employee data.

‘It is rather information on the identified management structure mostly on salary bands and recommended pay. Hence, no substantial harm is likely to be occasioned by its disclosure,’ the court ruled.

However, the court ordered that safeguards be put in place to protect confidentiality, including limiting access to specific union officials and requiring discretion.

Despite the ruling, the legal battle is far from over.

The MVA Fund has since filed an appeal with the Court of Appeal in Gaborone, arguing that the Industrial Court erred in law and fact.

In its appeal papers, the Fund argued that management employees ‘do not form part of the bargaining unit’ and that their consent was not obtained before ordering disclosure of their salary information.

People who create products that we need and are willing to pay for must be allowed, as much as possible, to keep the fruits of their labour. These people must not be punished through taxation. We have to acknowledge that society becomes prosperous if we let the entrepreneurs or makers keep the proceeds of their labour. That also incentivises them to improve their products and offerings, and to innovate even more.

And a typical example is the United States of America. Because tax as a proportion of national income is manageable compared with Europe, America has a lot of innovation and creativity that you do not find in other jurisdictions.

This then brings us to taxation and its role in economic growth. We saw in the recently presented budget that there is a move to increase taxes. The nation is poised for a rise in corporate tax, personal income tax, and, obviously, capital gains tax. However, we cannot raise our taxes and still enjoy growth and prosperity. So the truth of the matter is that we cannot have both. It just doesn’t happen that way.

This then compels us to look critically at whether we see taxation as a way out of our economic downturn. And clearly it is not. The way out is to lower our taxes and also reduce public expenditure, especially the bloated public service.

Taxation, on the other hand, should be used to fund essential infrastructure that cannot be provided by the private sector. In other words, it must fund goods, which we all enjoy without necessarily having to pay for them individually.

That being the case, taxation must not be used to promote so-called fairness or equality. That should not be its purpose. The moment taxation is used to finance fairness or equality, it becomes a political weapon against successful, rich, or hard-working people. And politicians then use it to beat up high-income earners and even call them pejorative names.

The thing about taxation is that people should be allowed to keep as much money as possible in their pockets. Instead of giving it to the government in the form of taxation, individuals can be counted on to spend their money, not only wisely but efficiently too than the government.

And the more money the government takes from people, the less they have to save and invest. Without savings to invest, the economy suffers from a loss of productivity. We know, of course, that the government claims it needs taxes to invest. But much of what the government calls investment is really wasteful spending.

This is why the government needs to take as little money as possible from the people. This is why the government needs to ensure that tax rates are lowered and that people have enough money to invest.

High tax rates also lead to capital flight and brain drain. As more high-income earners feel that a greater share of their income is taken away, they look for low-tax destinations. This also has a serious impact on investment and capital formation. A flight of skills is also not in the interests of Botswana or any other country that keeps raising its taxes.

This is why high-income earners engage in aggressive tax planning, involving lawyers, trust counsellors, and accountants, leading to an industry that would be unnecessary were it not for the high tax environment.

Taxation should also not be punitive because businesses create the goods and services we need. That’s the first thing they do for us. So all this talk about businesses having to give back is unhelpful. Taxation should also not be used to kill innovation by seeming to punish the makers.

To use Botswana as a low-tax destination compared to our regional neighbours as a justification for raising taxes is to miss the point. Our competition in the region is not the high-tax locations. We have to compare ourselves to the best. And it is Mauritius.