They could have put the ruling BDP to the sword, but they preferred to do what they know best - scoring political own goals. Much against expectation the BDP managed to improve their popular vote in the 2009 general election when their internal strife could have been exploited.

Without lumping everybody together, it has to be said, the biggest clown in the opposition circus is the Botswana National Front (BNF). Although they marginally retain their status as the official Opposition they have emerged from the 2009 election battered and without teeth and their tail tucked away between their shaky hind political legs. With their serial goofer of a president they committed political blunders that led to the party's humiliation in the election.  Heavyweights such as Akanyang Magama, Nehemiah Modubule, Robert Molefhabangwe and many others were elbowed out. The result is that BNF lost its foothold in Gaborone constituencies.

The indefatigable Modubule went to tear political history books to become the only man to have won a parliamentary constituency as an Independent.

While the BNF seems to be in the intensive care unit (ICU),the Botswama Congress Party (BCP) appears to be in a political geyser. The BCP together with Botswana Alliance Movement (BAM) registered significant wins in Selebi-Phikwe, Okavango, Chobe and Ngami.

Obituary writers are hovering around the North East based Botswana Peoples Party (BPP) unless Whyte Marobela pulls them out of the downward spiral.

General election- a smooth but Turbulent affair
The general election was without doubt the excitement of the year. Seeing political parties going head to head is an exciting duel. There is drama, banter and sometimes outright comical stuff coming from our politicians. The process starts with political parties' primary contests, which themselves are not short of drama.

This year President Ian Khama made polling day a public holiday and for the first time polling was on a Friday.

Even opposition parties generally admit that elections in Botswana are free from violence and rabid interference. It is fairness that tends to be mired into controversy. There was anxiety when election officials could not vote earlier due to late printing of voting materials. This was subsequently surmounted.

Although the election went on without an incident, there have been complaints that the process is extremely slow and many said it is a put off.

The election results have a way of causing an introspective look into the system. Seeing the disparity parliamentary representation and the numbers that parties gained there is now renewed talk of a fairer system than First-Past-the-Post which favours the victorious party. There is even a spirited talk of direct election of the President, may be this will die with 2009.

Khama
President Khama has made news in 2009 in more ways than one. Other than his Kgotla camp fires, pressing of flesh walk-abouts and hogging the television limelight to himself, he became a political lightening rod on many other fronts. He stirred the Hornet Nest when he pushed for an Alcohol levy, amid court threats and huge public furore, he bulldozed his way through the maze and got his way. Alcohol levy is now a fact of life.

Next he aimed for his political adversaries within the BDP, he wanted ministers not to stand for party office, he was marinated, fried, and grilled for this. He changed tack and became a women's empowerment reincarnate and the BDP battle of Kanye was set in motion.

The Kwelagobe-faction, popularly known as Barata-Phathi buried Khma's A-Team at the Kanye BDP congress. Being the soldier that he is Khama pursued his political enemies even in their time of comfort in the BDP central committee. He threw political canisters at them to cause rancour until he subdued them. 

After the courts validated them in the constitutional challenge brought by Motswaledi, he went for the last decimating act. Several Kwelagobe's men resigned from the Central Committee, thus making Khama the undisputed commander of the BDP.

Internationally, Khama continues to receive accolades for his principled stance against  rulers in Zimbabwe, Sudan and Madagascar.

Obama
He was elected the first black president of the world's most powerful nation in November 2008 but was inaugurated into the Oval Office this year, President Obama continues to trail-blaze. His fight against terrorism has seen the surging of troops in Pakistan and more troops are expected in Afhaganstan to drive away the Taliban and to win the peace. He has of course come under criticism for his envisaged health policies, plan to get back the American economy on track, delay in closing Guatanamo Bay prison, scaling down and ultimate pulling of Iraq, resolution of the Middle East crisis and active commitment to the climate changes challenges.

Although gradually President Obama is making noticeable policy shift, he is still seen as a beacon of hope. His Nobel Peace Prize came too early, but it was still celebrated around the world.

Economic Recession
The world was hit by an economic meltdown. In an inter-dependent world economy, the ripple effects were felt all over. We were not immune from these effects. Our economic mainstay, diamonds, was affected. Diamonds were not bought and we saw our mines close down just to keep down the costs.

As a result, the country is operating on an economic deficit and has had to borrow from international organisations to get some projects under way. Statistics indicate that there is some little recovery and there is hope for the future. Many projects have had to be shelved.

Botswana's courts were in 2009 subjected to a lot of scrutiny than ever before. High profile cases of public interest came before our case. Expectations were high. Given the constitutional nature of the Motswaledi case the stakes were high and many did not even shy away from expressing their opinion even on an institution that had been treated as sacred and beyond the scrutiny of ordinary members.

The Motswaledi case was concluded, but left a bitter taste in many people's mouths.But this was not the only case, there have been many other cases that have been dragging with no end in sight.

The long meandering case of Louis Nchindo and others, is one such case, which promises to spring into action, but for some reason cannot go beyond the many technical hitches.

There have been many such disappointments.The adultery charges that have been brought against Vice president Mompati Merafhe had been withdrawn at the doorstep of court. Nobody knows whether the allegations were going to stick or not. Merafhe could possibly be the first Vice President to have faced such personal indictment.

There is also the 21st Century case, which saw big shots trading accusations in court.The wrangle involves Lawrence Lekalake and Charles Tibone against other giants such as Former President Festus Mogae and Chief Justice Julian Nganunu.

The case first entered the court roll mid-2008 and the trial dates are yet to be set. The case commands both national and international interest because of the prominent figures such as former president Mogae and his former cabinet minister who is also in the current cabinet, Charles Tibone and their business associates.

The public will have to wait a little bit longer for the out come of the case as trial dates are not likely to be set until the end of April next year.

The High Court ruling that overturned the sentence and the conviction of two prominent figures at the government enclave also had people talking. May 15, marked the Elvidge Mhlauli, the former permanent secretary in the then Ministry of Local Government, Lands and Housing was set free when his conviction was overturned. He was convicted by the Village Magistrate Court for corruption and abuse of office, but was acquitted of the charges after High Court judge Justice Key Dingake reversed a lower court's decision.Mhlauli was sentenced to seven years behind bars.

However, he appealed the case and won. Another case that had tongues wagging was that which involved the Executive Chairman of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB) who was convicted on a single count of corruption by the Village Magistrates Court early this year. Lobatse High Court judge Justice Singh Walia set aside his conviction and its jail term for corruption. The court found that the state had failed to prove Anmando Lionjanga's defence false beyond reasonable doubt. Both decisions seek to show the disparates between the High Court standards and those at the Magistrate courts. Is the high court lenient, while the lower courts strident?

Police helicopters and combating of crime
The arrival of two police helicopters in March, and another one later in August has enhanced police patrols in 2009, but crime still remains high, statistics show.

The helicopters have been used in many police operations to complement ground teams to make arrests of wanted suspects and illegal immigrants. Fitted with hi-tech equipment, the helicopters record data from the ground in the form of video and send it to the headquarters. They can also detect hidden weapons and the number of passengers in any vehicle they are targeting. The contribution made by one aircraft is equivalent to 10 officers and an operation that could take up to three hours will only take 30 minutes to accomplish, the police say.

The helicopters can be operated both during the day and night and even in bad weather.They also have a searchlight that can burn the grass if the helicopter hovers to a very lower altitude.

Police merger
The merger between Botswana Police Service and Local Police that was effected this year has reversed police achievements a bit. It has left customary courts with no officers to immediately attend to matters that are being reported. In the past, a local police officer could be called to resolve a minor family conflict anytime of the day, but because they have all been taken to police stations, that is no longer possible. Recently there was an outcry that the merger has resulted in farmers going through hell before they can sell their cattle either to the Botswana Meat Commission or butcheries because the police do not have a stock unit to render such services.

The Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Dikgakgamatso Seretse, recently admitted in Parliament that there were inconveniences caused by the merger and that they were working day and night to make sure that service delivery is returned to the people.

He also revealed that they have requested the Commissioner of Police to allow his officers to carry out some of the assignments they used to do while at local police. They include registration of livestock, service of civil and criminal summons, and hoisting of the National Flag.

The local police were also assigned to administer corporal punishment, but it has since been returned to the Tribal Administration. Others include collection of fines and compensation, and seizure of property in lieu of unpaid fines and compensation.

Tragedy of the Year
When a serial killer went on a rampage in Kanye Village killing at least five women aged between 15 and 30 years. A suspect was arrested and he was found dead in police custody. During his hunt, the suspect allegedly posed for pictures with Botswana Democratic Party supporters at the party congress in Kanye.

Transport
Transport industry has seen a major shake up during the past year with a notable one being the cessation of the passenger train.  On April 1 this year, the government announced the termination of the passenger train services the move that sparked a national outcry most notably from people who relied on the inexpensive service mainly between Francistown and Gaborone route.

Termination of the trains meant that the only mode of transport that is available for the poor is public buses, which of course cost much more than what Botswana Railways has been offering over the years.

The question of fares is not the only issue, as there is also the issue of crowding. The train accommodated many people on a single trip, but with the halting of the passenger train service travellers have been forced to resort to buses thereby creating congestion at bus ranks, particularly along the railway from Lobatse to Francistown.

The difficulties a traveller encounters during public holidays show how underdeveloped our public transport system is.  In Botswana commuters often queue for buses, which are not even there.

For people who have relied on trains, it was shocking to learn that the trains are in a poor state of disrepair that tragedy could strike any time. All this time they have been made to believe that the train transport was the safest mode of transport.

It was said that the trains have not been repaired in over 15 years thereby, putting poor passengers' lives at risk. One is left to wonder why BR has been running trains that are not safe for so long? The reasons advanced for the termination of the service is that it is so expensive, it costs the railway company over P30 million a year, or P2.5 million a month.

Francistown councillors also criticised government's decision to terminate the passenger service trains. They maintained that the move would impact badly on Batswana.

Councillor Sam Masunga of Itekeng ward said the train service was benefitted poor people who could not afford other means of transport such as air and road.

He said terminating the passenger train would not only affect passengers but will also lead to the retrenchment of people who were working in the coaches.

He suggested that while the train has gone for overhaul, BR could hire coaches from neighbouring countries. Councillor Tabengwa Tabengwa of Ikageleng ward condemned BR and the government for failing to come up with an alternative that would cater to train passengers. He noted that there was going to be an influx of passengers that buses would not be able to accommodate.

Tabengwa also criticised the government for the move,  'failing to regulate and monitor public transport fares'.

Air Transport
The re-launching of Kenya Airways in Botswana early this year has been seen as a boost to the tourism sector. The code-sharing arrangement with Kenya Airways started operating in Gaborone on September 4. Officials from Kenya Airways and Air Botswana said the partnership is a win-win deal that will see Botswana benefiting from the superior Kenya Airways network.

"The code-share will encourage tourist traffic and intra-Africa business travel, and will help establish Sir Seretse Khama International Airport as an attractive alternative to Johannesburg as a regional aviation hub," Air Botswana said in a statement.

Kenya Airways has three weekly flights to Gaborone on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.The Tuesday and Friday flights is daytime, while the Saturday one is at night, arriving back in Nairobi at 6.30am on Sunday.

Botswana air transport industry received a major boost when the African continent's biggest airline, South African Airways, began to fly the Gaborone- Johannesburg route earlier this year. The Gaborone - Johannesburg route, was previously operated by South African Express and it is expected to provide international scheduled air services on a competitive basis. The airliner is expected to boost Air Botswana with airbuses, which the latter have been lacking for some times.

Swine flu
When an outbreak of a new disease was announced, no one thought it would hit us here.Swine Flu, as it is popularly known originated from Mexico and went on like wildfire to spread to other parts of the world. In Botswana, the first incidence of influenza A (H1N1) 2009 was reported in July 2009. A man in Gaborone was confirmed to be infected and was hospitalised in isolation in a local hospital while receiving medication.

The Ministry of Health took the fight against the disease like a warrior would do and worked well on prevention, control and mitigation strategies to deal with it. The Public Health department under its director, Sheenaz El-Halabi put a lot of effort in the preparation of its national preparedness plan. 

El-Halabi later said that all district public health departments and hospitals were informed to reactivate their epidemic preparedness, and response committees were provided with technical support from the national level. Isolation health facilities were identified in most districts to control the spread of the influenza.  Some specimen from patients who were suspected to be infected were sent to South Africa since the ministry did not have its own laboratory equipments. 

On the other hand, locally-based pharmaceutical companies indicated their readiness to rollout Tamiflu, a medication that is used to treat Swine Flu.  It was a multi-pronged war against the disease. To date 33 cases have been confirmed whereas there are 400 pending results from South Africa.  

A(H1N1) influenza is spread through an infected person shaking hands with an uninfected person, through sneezing and coughing of patients without covering their mouths and noses. Symptoms of this flu are fever, sore throat, cough, stuffy nose, chills, headache, body aches and fatigue. A majority of the cases were reported to be mild and self limiting, meaning that some people could get infected and recover without knowing that they were infected.

Patients were advised to stay home to rest their bodies, but to seek medical help if they did not get well.  Only seriously ill patients were given Tamiflu to recover. It was advised that people who are infected avoid contact with the rest to prevent the spread of the disease.

Though the ministry handled the pandemic well, it had challenges that hampered its preparedness and response levels.  There was lack of laboratory equipment to do in-country-testing and personal protective equipment for health workers.   There was also high demand for antiviral drugs and vaccines.   

The testing of specimen was carried out at a National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) in South Africa.  However, the institute was unable to timely process specimens due to the large number of laboratory requests from within the country and from other neighbouring countries. 

World Health Organisation (WHO) in conjunction with the Unites States of America donated personal protective equipment to the ministry to be used to manage the influenza and other serious fatal and highly contagious diseases.  Botswana was the 15th African country to be hit by the pandemic. 

Kalafatis, extra-judicial killings and law enforcement
On the night of Wednesday May 13th 2009, in the Extension 12 surburb of Gaborone, security agents blocked a car from behind, walked out and pumped bullets into a Gaborone man named John Kalafatis.

At that stage JK as he was affectionately known was just an anonymous person on the national stage. However events that followed and the debate that ensued have all conspired to make Kalafatis' name synonymous with extra-judicial killings generally attributed to security agents and other law enforcement officers.

The Kalafatis case did not just engage public attention for the mere fact that a citizen was killed but rather it was also the nature of the shooting that made it such a captivating story and event. But the event further became a talking point when reports started to implicate law enforcement agencies among them the BDF and Military Intelligence.

Further information sought to link the killing with the highest office in the land and the resulting melee raised the question of extra-judicial killings, (The first time the phrase was used widely), the nature of law enforcement agencies and inter-institutional relations them, the use and possible abuse of executive power. All these occupied centrestage for the major part of this year.

If there is any incident that has brought to public attention the crisis in law enforcement practice regarding handling suspects it is the Kalafatis incident. Security agents continue to be involved in shootings, however, the issue has come to the centre of public attention. The Kalafatis case remains unsolved and thus set to captivate the public in the future.