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 ...

continued to address 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 ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, including the discovery of the COVID-19 variant Omicron BA.4 and BA.5, with COVID-19 restrictions being relaxed in October. Continued disputes took place regarding the Botswana–Namibia border, though an

open border An open border is a border that enables Freedom of movement, free movement of people and often of goods between jurisdictions with no restrictions on movement and is lacking a border control. A border may be an open border due to intentional leg ...

was established in September. The rivalry between President

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 ...

and his predecessor

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 ...

escalated in 2022, accelerated by firearms charges against Khama and a warrant for his arrest. The government also saw controversy for its support of bills that would grant it additional

espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information ( intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ...

powers and regulate journalists.

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 ...

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

* 2020–2022 Botswana elephant die offs *

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 ...

* COVID-19 vaccination in Botswana

Events

January

* 3–12 January – President Masisi goes into isolation after testing positive for asymptomatic

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 ...

. * 11 January – South African singer

Makhadzi Ndivhudzannyi Ralivhona (born 30 June 1996), known by her stage name Makhadzi, is a South African singer, songwriter and dancer. Born and raised in Ha-Mashamba, Limpopo, her career began at the age of 12 as dancer prior to pursuing a music caree ...

announces a one-woman show in Botswana with proceeds going to the country, prompting controversy in her home province of

Limpopo Limpopo () is the northernmost Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a ...

. * 12 January – Botswana Diamonds reports that

kimberlite Kimberlite is an igneous rock and a rare variant of peridotite. It is most commonly known as the main host matrix for diamonds. It is named after the town of Kimberley, Northern Cape, Kimberley in South Africa, where the discovery of an 83.5-Car ...

found in its South African Thorny River project exceeds expectations, causing its stock to rise by 19%. * 18 January – The government of Botswana begins distributing COVID-19 booster vaccines. * 20 January – Members of the

Botswana Defence Force The Botswana Defence Force (BDF, ) is the military of Botswana. The main component of the BDF is the Botswana Ground Force; there is also an air wing and a riverine patrol contingent attached to the ground forces, with 10 Panther airboats and 2 ...

are absolved of the killings of Namibian citizens on the Botswana–Namibia border, further challenging relations between the two countries. * 24 January ** President Masisi meets with representatives of the

LGBT community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ people, LGBTQ individuals united by LGBTQ culture, a common culture and LGBTQ movements, social movements. These Community, comm ...

to express his intention to enforce the decriminalisation of homosexuality. ** The

High Court of Botswana The High Court of Botswana is a Superior court, superior court of law in Botswana. It is based in Gaborone with branches in Lobatse, Francistown, and Maun, Botswana, Maun. It operates above the Magistrates' Courts of Botswana, but below the Court ...

upholds the exclusive license of Fresh Standard to cultivate

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...

, ruling that it was improperly withdrawn.

February

* 1 February ** The

Parliament of Botswana The Parliament of Botswana consists of the President and the National Assembly. In contrast to other parliamentary systems, the Parliament elects the President directly (instead of having both a ceremonial President and a Prime Minister who ...

unanimously approves the Virtual Assets Bill to regulate

cryptocurrency A cryptocurrency (colloquially crypto) is a digital currency designed to work through a computer network that is not reliant on any central authority, such as a government or bank, to uphold or maintain it. Individual coin ownership record ...

. ** Vast Resources pulls out of a deal to purchase Ghaghoo diamond mine from

Gem Diamonds Gem Diamonds is a British-based global diamond mining business. It is headquartered in London and is listed on the London Stock Exchange. In 2017, the company generated a profit of $20.8 million. History The business was founded by Clifford Elph ...

. * 4 February – The government amends a pending

bill to prohibit the tapping of private conversations amid controversy. * 14 February – Botswana introduces a

vaccine mandate A vaccination policy is a health policy adopted in order to prevent the spread of infectious disease. These policies are generally put into place by state or local governments, but may also be set by private facilities, such as workplaces or sc ...

for all travellers to the country. The mandate will be repealed the following month. * 23 February – A shootout occurs in Gaborone when 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 ...

engages a gang of armoured car robbers, killing nine of the 11 assailants.

March

* 21 March –

Tshekedi Khama II Tshekedi Stanford Khama (born 9 June 1958) is a Motswana politician. He was MP for Serowe West from 2008 to 21 April 2023. He was automatically disqualified from the National Assembly after missing two consecutive sessions because of his self-i ...

and Anthony Khama, brothers of former president

, are arrested by the Directorate of Intelligence Service, intensifying the rivalry between former President Khama and incumbent President Masisi. Keabetswe Makgophe, Commissioner of the

, is also arrested.

April

* April ** A

trophy hunter Trophy hunting is a form of hunting for sport in which parts of the hunted wild animals are kept and displayed as trophies. The animal being targeted, known as the "game", is typically a mature male specimen from a popular species of collectable ...

kills one of Botswana's largest elephants. ** A court refuses a request to let a deceased man be buried in the

Central Kalahari Game Reserve Central Kalahari Game Reserve is an extensive list of national parks of Botswana, national park in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana. Established in 1961 it covers an area of (larger than the Netherlands, and almost 10% of Botswana's total land are ...

. His body will be held in the funeral parlour indefinitely as the dispute continues. * 4 April – Botho Bayendi is appointed CEO of the

Botswana National Olympic Committee The Botswana National Olympic Committee (IOC code: BOT) is the National Olympic Committee representing Botswana. It is also the body responsible for Botswana's representation at the Commonwealth Games. The Botswana National Olympic Committee (BN ...

. * 10 April –

Umbrella for Democratic Change The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) is a centre-left politics, centre-left to Left-wing politics, left-wing Electoral alliance, alliance of political parties in Botswana. Since the 2024 Botswana general election, the UDC has been the governi ...

opposition candidate Mankie Sekete wins a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

for the Bophirima ward. * 11 April – The COVID-19 variant Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 is discovered in Botswana. * 16 April – An internet hoax leads to the false belief that Botswana had its first ever snowfall. * 20 April – The Botswana Media Freedom Committee is formed. * 21 April – Former President Khama is summoned before court for illegal position of firearms.

May

* 16 May – Botswana's state oil company declares its intention to build a $2.5 billion coal power plant. * 21 May – Two people are killed in an accident at a copper and silver mine.

June

* 1 June – Andrew Motsomi is appointed managing director of

Debswana Debswana Diamond Company Limited, or simply Debswana, is a mining company located in Botswana, and is the world's leading producer of diamonds by value. Debswana operates four diamond mines in the eastern and central parts of Botswana, as well ...

. * 24 June – The Botswana National Olympic Committee launches the Sport for Life youth sports program.

July

* July ** Virologist Madisa Mine announces that Botswana has met the

Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS; , ONUSIDA) is the main advocate for accelerated, comprehensive and coordinated global action on the HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus t ...

95-95-95 goals at the 24th

International AIDS Conference The International AIDS Society (IAS) is the world's largest association of HIV/AIDS professionals, with 11,600 members from over 170 countries , including clinicians, people living with HIV, service providers, policy makers and others. It aims to ...

. ** Botswana Diamonds begins drilling at the Thorny River project. * 12 July – Runner

Nijel Amos Nijel Carlos Amilfitano Amos (born 15 March 1994) is a Botswana Middle-distance running, middle-distance runner who competes in the 800 metres. He won the silver medal at the Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics, 2012 London Olympics, which was ...

is suspended from world championship events after a drug test returns positive.

August

* August ** Caprivi Concerned Group brings President Masisi and Defence Chief Placid Segokgo to the

International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and International court, international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute ...

regarding the killings of four Namibian men on the Botswana–Namibia border. ** Botswana halts beef exports amid an outbreak of

foot-and-mouth disease Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) or hoof-and-mouth disease (HMD) is an infectious disease, infectious and sometimes fatal virus (biology), viral disease that primarily affects even-toed ungulates, including domestic and wild Bovidae, bovids. The vir ...

. * 3 August – Botswana's

value-added tax A value-added tax (VAT or goods and services tax (GST), general consumption tax (GCT)) is a consumption tax that is levied on the value added at each stage of a product's production and distribution. VAT is similar to, and is often compared wi ...

is temporarily decreased from 14% to 12%.

September

* September – Parliament authorises the creation of a statutory media board to regulate journalists. * 9 September – The Botswana–Namibia border becomes an

October

* October – Botswana and Namibia come to an agreement on the

extradition In an extradition, one Jurisdiction (area), jurisdiction delivers a person Suspect, accused or Conviction, convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, into the custody of the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforc ...

of prisoners. * 18 October – Botswana removes its COVID-19 restrictions for international travellers. * 24–26 October – The 2022 African Tourism Leadership Forum is held 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, ...

. * 31 October – Tsodilo Resources files a lawsuit against the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Green Technology, and Energy Security in a dispute over license renewal.

November

* 3 November – The main generation unit of the

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 ...

fails, prompting national energy supply cuts. * 4 November – President Masisi receives Saudi adviser Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Qattan in Gaborone. * 11 November –

Orange S.A. Orange S.A. (; formerly , stylised as france telecom) is a French multinational telecommunications corporation founded in 1988 and headquartered in Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris. ''Orange'' has been the corporation's main brand for mobile, ...

launches a 5G network in Botswana, the first such network in Africa. * 29 November – The first combat death of a Botswana soldier in the

Insurgency in Cabo Delgado The insurgency in Cabo Delgado is an ongoing Islamism, Islamist insurgency in Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique, mainly fought between militant Islamism, Islamists and Jihadism, jihadists attempting to establish an Islamic state in the region, a ...

occurs.

December

* December – An

arrest warrant An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by a judge or magistrate on behalf of the state which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual or the search and seizure of an individual's property. Canada Arrest warrants are issued by a jud ...

for illegal position of firearms is issued against former President Ian Khama and other former government officials.

Deaths

* 16 January – Kathleen Nono Kgafela, 79, Bakgatla queen mother. * 19 January – Polino Baleja, drummer; heart failure. * February – Kgosi Maburu, 33, musician; complications from brain surgery. * 4 March – Tumelo Mafoko, 44, musician. * May – Jaqueline Tebogo Khama, 72, daughter of President

Seretse Khama Sir Seretse Goitsebeng Maphiri Khama, GCB, KBE (1 July 1921 – 13 July 1980) was a Motswana politician who served as the first President of Botswana, a post he held from 1966 to his death in 1980. Born into an influential royal famil ...

and sister of President

. * 2 May – Reuben Ketlhoilwe, 60, Moselepula ward councillor; illness.

References

{{Year in Africa , 2022 2020s in Botswana Years of the 21st century in Botswana