Botswana: Land of the foreigner

Tourist arriving
Tourist arriving

Whose country is it any way? Batswana are a tiny minority in their own country and for over 15 years now, a trend has developed in which foreigners out number the locals by one to two.

The number of visitors to Botswana has over the years surpassed the country’s population. The visitors, mostly on short stay, come from over ten countries in the Americas, over 21 European countries, and from all over Africa and Asia. Botswana has become a beehive of activities for the millions of foreign nationals criss-crossing the land.

These figures do not include border jumpers, that is illegal immigrants, who arrive in Botswana from as far as Asia, and neighbouring African countries. One can just imagine the shocking statistics if illegal immigrants were also accounted for. Today, an estimated 2.5 million foreigners are recorded in Botswana in a year, if the latest statistics analysis from Statistics Botswana is anything to go by. This figure has been consistent since 2012 at least, according to the latest statistics analysis released on Friday. In fact, if the laws and policies of the country were to be designed according to the opinions of the majority, they would favour foreigners who make the majority of Botswana residents either as tourists, visitors, in transit and on business.

Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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