Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

saw the beginning of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Lockdowns A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...

were implemented between March and May, and restrictions continued throughout the year. The previous year's

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

was disputed by the opposition, and several cases were filed to overturn the results. Tensions rose with South Africa in 2020 as Botswana sought the prosecution of

Bridgette Radebe Bridgette Radebe (née Motsepe) is a South African businesswoman of Tswana descent and the sister of South African businessman Patrice Motsepe and First Lady of South Africa Tshepo Motsepe. Career She was born on 26 February 1960.dying off in large numbers, as well as similar concerns about

vultures A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

. Armed conflicts with poachers continued throughout the year, including the killing of four men in November that caused protests in Namibia.

Incumbents

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Mokgweetsi Masisi Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi (; born 21 July 1961) is a Motswana politician who served as the fifth president of Botswana from 2018 to 2024. He served as the eighth vice president of Botswana from 12 November 2014 to 1 April 2018. He was ...

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

: Slumber Tsogwane * Speaker of the National Assembly:

Phandu Skelemani Phandu Tombola Chaka Skelemani (born 5 January 1945) ...

Chief Justice of Botswana The Government of Botswana often abbreviated as GOB, is the union government created by the constitution of Botswana having the executive, parliament, and the judiciary. The Seat of the Government is located in Gaborone, Botswana. The govern ...

Terence Rannowane Terence Rannowane is a Botswana judge who served as chief justice of Botswana from 2018 to 2025. He judicial career started in 1990, and he was appointed to the High Court of Botswana in 2008. Rannowane also served as chair of the National Parole ...

Ongoing

2019–2022 locust infestation Between June 2019 and February 2022, a major outbreak of desert locusts began developing, threatening food supplies in East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian subcontinent. The outbreak was the worst to hit Kenya in 70 years, and the w ...

* 2020–2022 Botswana elephant die offs * Attempts to overturn the 2019 Botswana general election *

COVID-19 pandemic in Botswana Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

White-backed vulture The white-backed vulture (''Gyps africanus'') is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is the most common vulture species in the continent of Africa. Description The white-ba ...

poisonings in Africa

Events

January

* January – Botswana receives a 1.4 billion pula loan from the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

to fund water supply improvements. * 8 January – The

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

rules that a bid to overturn the

2019 Botswana general election General elections were held in Botswana on 23 October 2019 to elect MPs and local government councillors. Despite a high profile split in the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in May 2019 when former President Ian Khama left the party and ...

may be heard. * 12–24 January – A hearing is held to investigate the derailment of a

Botswana Railways Botswana Railways (BR) is the national railway of Botswana. History Botswana Railways (BR) was established in 1987 when the government of Botswana bought out the Botswana-based sections of the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ). NRZ had b ...

passenger train the previous month. * 15 January –

Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier SAS, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ...

buys the Sewelô diamond. * 21 January – President Masisi speaks at a panel in

Davos Davos (, ; or ; ; Old ) is an Alpine resort town and municipality in the Prättigau/Davos Region in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of (). Davos is located on the river Landwasser, in the Rhaetian ...

during the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...

. * 29 January – The Court of Appeal dismisses a case to overturn the 2019 Botswana general election.

February

* February – ** Botswana rejects an application of Zimbabwean political refugees to stay after a High Commission on Refugees decision that Zimbabwe was safe for return. ** Finestar Diamonds opens a manufacturing factory in

Gaborone Gaborone ( , , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Botswana, largest city of Botswana, with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its metropolitan area is home to 534, ...

. ** Vice President Tsogwane speaks at the reopening of the Phakalane Convention Centre following renovations. * 7 February – Botswana auctions hunting licenses to hunt a total of 60 elephants. * 12 February – The Gaborone High Court dismisses a challenge against the 2019 election results by Mogalakwe Mogalakwe. * 16 February – Miguel da Costa is removed as coach of Jwaneng Galaxy F.C. * 18 February – The Gaborone High Court dismisses with costs a challenge against the 2019 election results by Entebetse Boitshwarelo.

March

* 16 March – The

Botswana Football Association The Botswana Football Association (BFA) is the governing body of association Football (soccer), football in Botswana, and controls the national football team. It is an affiliate of FIFA, Confederation of African Football, CAF and the Council of ...

suspends its league in response to COVID-19. * 20 March – All schools are closed due to worries of the spread of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. * 23 March – Botswana closes its borders following the first COVID-19 fatality in neighbouring Zimbabwe. * 25 March– A 78-year-old woman who was suspected of having COVID-19 died in Ramotswa. A few days after her death, the results came back positive making it the fourth case and first death of COVID-19 in the country. * 26 March – The government of Botswana establishes a COVID-19 relief fund. * 30 March – ** The first three cases of COVID-19 in the country are confirmed.

Health Minister A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare spending and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental heal ...

Lemogang Kwape Lemogang Kwape is a Botswana politician, who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2020. He was also MP for Kanye South. Ministerial roles * Minister of Health and Wellness (until 2020) * Minister of International Affairs and Cooper ...

says the three patients are in quarantine and had recently travelled to

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

and

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. ** President Masisi declares a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

April

* April – Botswana evacuates its

black rhinoceros The black rhinoceros (''Diceros bicornis''), also called the black rhino or the hooked-lip rhinoceros, is a species of rhinoceros native to East Africa, East and Southern Africa, including Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Moza ...

population from the

Okavango Delta The Okavango Delta or Okavango Grassland is a vast inland delta in Botswana formed where the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough at an elevation of in the central part of the endorheic basin of the Kalahari Desert. It is a UNESCO Wor ...

amid increased poaching and flooding. * 1 April –

Botswana Power Corporation Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) is a state-owned company for electrical power generation, transmission and distribution in Botswana. It was established in 1970 and is currently the only electricity supplier in the country. BPC represents Botswan ...

raises electricity tariffs by 22 percent. * 9 April – President Masisi and the entire Parliament of Botswana go into quarantine after the nurse testing them for COVID-19 is confirmed to have COVID-19. * 16 April – President Masisi pardons 149 prisoners to prevent

prison overcrowding Prison overcrowding is a social phenomenon occurring when the demand for space in a prison exceeds the capacity for Prisoner, prisoners. By country Egypt Amnesty International reported on 25 January 2021 the abuse of prisoners in Egypt not onl ...

during the COVID-19 pandemic. * 27 April – President Masisi extends the national lockdown from May 1 to May 7. * 30 April – The

Bank of Botswana The Bank of Botswana (BoB; ) is the central bank of Botswana. When Botswana gained independence from Britain in 1966, the country was part of the Common Monetary Area, Rand Monetary Area (RMA). In 1974 Botswana withdrew from the RMA, and the Ban ...

reduces interest rates and capital ratios in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

May

* 15 May – The

Confederation of African Football The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is the administrative and controlling body for association football, beach soccer, and futsal in Africa. It was established on 8 February 1957 at the ''Grand Hotel'' in Khartoum, Sudan. At the FIFA Co ...

determines that Botswana's failure to attend a 2020 U17 Women's World Cup match in Morocco due to COVID-19 was permissible. * 20 May – Botswana's COVID-19 lockdown ends.

June

* June – ** Fuel shortages caused by import delays and panic buying prompt Botswana to use its strategic fuel reserve. ** Botswana grants its first generation licenses to Independent Power Producers to authorise the construction of power plants. ** Botswana begins dehorning its rhinoceros population to discourage poaching. ** The Botswana government hires

AfriForum AfriForum is a South African non-governmental organisation which mainly focuses on the interests of Afrikaners, a subgroup of the country's white population. AfriForum has been described as a "white nationalist, alt-right, and Afrikaner nation ...

to prosecute

Bridgette Radebe Bridgette Radebe (née Motsepe) is a South African businesswoman of Tswana descent and the sister of South African businessman Patrice Motsepe and First Lady of South Africa Tshepo Motsepe. Career She was born on 26 February 1960. * 4 June – Bishop Frank Nubuasah delivers a written eulogy for

George Floyd George Perry Floyd Jr. (October 14, 1973 – May 25, 2020) was an African-American man who was murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest made after a store clerk suspected Floyd had used a counterfeit tw ...

, whom he had befriended in the 1990s. * 13 June – Gaborone returns to lockdown after reports of COVID-19 cases. * 15 June – Gaborone ends its lockdown after suspected COVID-19 cases are found to be negative.

July

* July – ** Botswana undergoes a fuel shortage due to COVID-19. ** Botswana holds a study in conjunction with the Harvard AIDS Initiative to test

cabotegravir Cabotegravir, sold under the brand name Vocabria among others, is an antiretroviral medication used for the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS. It is available in the form of tablets and as an intramuscular injection, as well as in an inject ...

injections to prevent

HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

. ** The African Chess Confederation appoints Mothokomedi Thabano, president of the Botswana Chess Federation, to be chairman of Continental Chess in Education Commission. * 24 July – Refilwe Mooki begins the Say No to Rape campaign in Botswana. * 25 July –

National Development Bank A national development bank is a development bank created by a country's government that provides financing for the purposes of economic development of the country. Africa * Botswana: National Development Bank of Botswana (NDB Botswana) * Ethiopia ...

CEO Lorato Morapedi announces the bank's shift to an agri-bank specialising in farm development. * 27 July – ** Parliament begins broadcasting its sessions live. ** The Botswana Tourism Organisation begins the Rediscover Botswana initiative to increase tourism.

August

* August – Tymon Katlholo is appointed as head of the

Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) is a Botswanan anti-corruption agency founded in 1994 by the government of Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana i ...

. * 20 August – A report by Omnia Strategy and Alaco condemns the government of Botswana for its charges against Bridgette Motsepe and

Ian Khama Seretse Khama Ian Khama() (born 27 February 1953) is a Motswana politician and former military officer who was the fourth President of the Republic of Botswana from 1 April 2008 to 1 April 2018. After serving as Commander of the Botswana Defenc ...

. * 26 August – President Masisi makes several changes to the Cabinet, including the removal of

Unity Dow Unity Dow ( Diswai; born 23 April 1959) is a Motswana lawyer, author, human rights activist and Member of Parliament for Kgatleng West since November 2024. She formerly served as a judge on the High Court of Botswana and in various Botswa ...

and Lemogang Kwape. * 30 August – The Trans-Okavango Charity Cycle begins.

September

* 11 September – Parliament rejects a motion to rearm wildlife officers following an increase in armed poaching. * 17 September – Botswana allows wives to legally own land independently of their husbands. * 19 September – Botswana becomes the 103rd country to ratify the

Kigali Amendment The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol is an international agreement to gradually reduce the consumption and production of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). It is a legally binding agreement designed to create rights and obligations in internati ...

to the

Montreal Protocol The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion. It was agreed on 16 ...

. * 22 September –

Minister of Basic Education The minister of basic education is the Minister (government), minister in the Cabinet of South Africa who has political responsibility for the Department of Basic Education. The portfolio includes both primary education, primary and secondary ed ...

Fidelis Molao announces an initiative to teach

Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language officially used in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes. * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa. * Swahili culture, the culture of the Swahili p ...

in schools.

October

* October – **

Choppies Choppies Enterprises Limited is a Botswana multinational supermarket retailer headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. The retailer initially sold only food-based goods (both fresh groceries and wholesale long-life foods) and other fast-moving cons ...

files a 653 million

rand The RAND Corporation, doing business as RAND, is an American nonprofit global policy think tank, research institute, and public sector consulting firm. RAND engages in research and development (R&D) in several fields and industries. Since the ...

($40 million) lawsuit against

PricewaterhouseCoopers PricewaterhouseCoopers, also known as PwC, is a multinational professional services network based in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is one of the Big Four accounting firms, alon ...

for failing to sign off the company's 2018 accounts. ** The Bank of Botswana lowers interest rates due to slow economic activity and low inflation. ** Construction begins on The Fields Mall. * 8 October – Construction is completed on the

Kazungula Bridge Kazungula Bridge is a road and rail bridge over the Zambezi, Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Botswana at the town of Kazungula. The and bridge, which has a longest span of , links the town of Kazungula in Zambia with Botswana ...

. * 14 October – The

Botswana Police Service The Botswana Police Service is the police service of Botswana and it is a part of Ministry of Defence and Security (Botswana), Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security. The force has 9,500 police officers. History Colonial era The service has its ...

establishes regulations for responding to

gender-related violence Gender-related violence or gender-based violence (GBV) refers to any kind of violence directed against people due to their gender or gender identification, culture may have a role to play, being lower in egalitarianism societies and higher, sexist ...

and launches a toll-free report number for gender-related violence reports. * 15 October – Ugandan politician Kipoi Tonny Nsubuga is arrested as an undocumented immigrant in Botswana. * 19 October – The Botswana Teaching Professionals Council is established by Minister of Basic Education Fidelis Molao. * 22 October – Director of the Road Safety and Transport Agency Bokhutlo Modukanele announces the introduction of the Intelligent Driver Testing System. * 26 October – The

Ntlo ya Dikgosi The ''Ntlo ya Dikgosi'' ( Tswana for "House of Chiefs") in Botswana is an advisory body to the country's parliament.constitutional A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

amendment that requires members of parliament to resign if they change party affiliation.

November

* November ** Botswana undergoes a gradual reopening of international travel. ** Botswana signs an agreement that allows it to purchase enough

COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Knowledge about the structure and fun ...

s for 20 percent of its population. ** A 998-carat diamond, one of the largest in the world, is discovered in Karowe diamond mine by

Lucara Diamond Lucara Diamond Corp. is a diamond exploration and mining company, founded in 2009 by two Canadian mining executives, Eira Thomas, Catherine McLeod-Seltzer, and Swedish-Canadian mining billionaire Lukas Lundin, operating in Southern Africa but es ...

. ** Mfolo Mfolo is suspended as CEO of the Botswana Football Association after the Botswana team is disqualified from the

2020 COSAFA Under-17 Championship The 2020 COSAFA Under-17 Championship is the 9th edition of the COSAFA U-17 Championship, a football tournament organized by the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) involving teams from Southern Africa for players aged 17 ...

. Manager Thabiso Kebotsamang is appointed as acting CEO. ** Botswana establishes 25 gender violence courts. * 5 November – The Botswana Defence Force shoots three Namibian men and one Zambian man on the

Chobe River The Cuando (or Kwando) is a river in south-central Africa flowing through Angola and Namibia's Caprivi Strip and into the Linyanti Swamp on the northern border of Botswana. Below the swamp, the river is called the Linyanti River and, farther east ...

as suspected poachers, prompting protests in Namibia. * 29 November – Botswana hosts the SADC Extraordinary Organ Troika Summit. * 30 November –

Petra Diamonds Petra Diamonds Ltd is a diamond mining group headquartered in Jersey. Petra own one of the world's most productive mines historically, the Premier Mine, Cullinan Diamond Mine is famed for having produced the Cullinan Diamond, world's largest rou ...

sells its Botswana assets, Sekaka Diamonds Exploration, to Botswana Diamonds.

December

* 11 December – Botswana begins an initiative to produce

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is nativ ...

plants.

Deaths

* 24 April – Kebadire Kalake, 72, Member of Parliament. * 27 May – Thuso Letlhoma, 48, radio personality. * 2 September – Serara Selelo-Mogwe, 93, academic. * 8 December –

Roseline Panzirah-Matshome Roseline may refer to: *Roseline Chepngetich (born 1997), Kenyan steeplechase runner *Roseline Delisle (1952–2003), Canadian ceramic artist *Roseline Éloissaint (born 1999), Haitian footballer *Roseline Filion (born 1987), retired Canadian dive ...

, 44, politician.

References

{{Year in Africa, 2020 2020s in Botswana Years of the 21st century in Botswana