Ndaba Nkosinathi Gaolathe (born 5 September 1972) is a Motswana economist and politician, currently serving as

Vice-President of Botswana The vice-president of Botswana is the second-highest executive official in the Government of Botswana. The vice-president is appointed by the president among elected members of the National Assembly. The vice-president is the constitutional su ...

and Minister of Finance since 7 November 2024, under

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 ...

Duma Boko Duma Gideon Boko (born 31 December 1969) is a Motswana politician and lawyer who is currently serving as the sixth President of Botswana since 1 November 2024 and as leader of the Umbrella for Democratic Change since 2012. He served as Leader of ...

. Gaolathe is the leader of the Alliance for Progressives, one of the parties within the ruling coalition

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 ...

(UDC). He is also an elected member of the

National Assembly of Botswana The National Assembly is the sole Legislature, legislative body of Botswana's unicameral Parliament of Botswana, Parliament, of which consists of the President of Botswana, President and the National Assembly. The House passes laws, provides Min ...

for the Gaborone Bonnington South constituency since the 2024 elections, a position he previously held from 2014 to 2019.

Biography

Gaolathe was born in September 1972 in Gaborone, the son of Baledzi Gaolathe, who served as Botswana's minister of finance from 1999 to 2009 under presidents

Festus Mogae Festus Gontebanye Mogae (born 21 August 1939) is a Motswana politician and economist who served as the third President of Botswana from 1998 to 2008. He succeeded Quett Masire as President in 1998 and was re-elected in October 2004. After ten ...

and Ian Khama. He attended Lesedi Primary School and Gaborone Secondary School before studying economics at

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

in the

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, followed by an

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in finance at the

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of the

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, completing his studies in 1997. Originally a member of the

Botswana Democratic Party The Botswana Democratic Party (Abbreviation, abbr. BDP, colloquially known as Domkrag) is a centre-right politics, centre-right political party in Botswana. From the country's 1965 Bechuanaland general election, inaugural election in 1965 until th ...

(BDP), which had governed since independence in 1966, Gaolathe left the party during Ian Khama's presidency, joining the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), founded by Gomolemo Motswaledi. Gaolathe became a prominent leader within the BMD and played a key role in incorporating the party into the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) alliance, alongside the

Botswana National Front The Botswana National Front (BNF) is a social democratic political party in Botswana. It was the main opposition party in Botswana from the 1969 elections until the 2024 elections. It is the largest component of the governing Umbrella for Demo ...

(BNF) and the

Botswana People's Party The Botswana People's Party (BPP), originally the Bechuanaland People's Party, is a political party in Botswana formed in December 1960 during the colonial era. As a result of disappointment with the Legislative Council, under the leadership of ...

(BPP), two other opposition parties to the BDP. Following the sudden death of Motswaledi in a car accident in 2014, Gaolathe succeeded him as party leader and ran as the running mate to Duma Boko (leader of the BNF and UDC) in that 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 ...

, where the UDC placed second. Gaolathe was elected as a member of parliament for Gaborone Bonnington South. In July 2017, amid an internal conflict within the BMD, Gaolathe left the UDC and was expelled from the party, subsequently founding the Alliance for Progressives, a socially liberal party he has led since. Gaolathe ran as the AP's presidential candidate in the 2019 general election, placing third with 5.12% of the popular vote but losing his parliamentary seat. Gaolathe initiated talks to form an alliance with the Botswana Congress Party (BCP), led by Dumelang Saleshando, ahead of the 2024 elections. After these talks failed, the AP decided to rejoin the UDC, and Gaolathe resumed his role as the coalition's second-in-command, essentially becoming Boko's de facto running mate in the elections. Following the UDC's decisive victory, which marked the BDP's first-ever defeat and Boko’s ascent to the presidency, Gaolathe, who regained his parliamentary seat, was seen as the most likely candidate for the vice president position in Boko's cabinet. On November 4, days after taking office, Boko confirmed Gaolathe as his vice president.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaolathe, Nadaba 1971 births Living people Members of the National Assembly (Botswana) Wharton School alumni University of Pennsylvania alumni People from Gaborone Vice-presidents of Botswana 21st-century Botswana politicians