Boko warms up Botswana, SA relations after years of strain

Lewanika Timothy | Monday May 5, 2025 06:00

South Africa is Botswana’s largest trading partner, accounting for over 50% of Botswana’s imports. Despite this heavy reliance on South Africa, Botswana’s former president Mokgweetsi Masisi took endless jabs at South Africa, rattling the giant.

South Africa, which has been labelled endlessly as a sleeping giant by many analysts, has been slow to respond and flex its muscle until now with President Boko fast tracking the process of reconciling the two countries.

Boko recently undertook a working trip to Pretoria to engage with his counterpart, President Cyril Ramaphosa, in what he called a trade mission to “strengthen and foster stronger relations”.

After years of tensions under former president Masisi, Boko’s visit set a warmer tone. Already, the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) government has begun making trade-offs to please Pretoria, predominantly marked by reversing the trade ban and lifting visa restrictions on some South African nationals.

The rough diplomatic patch between Botswana and South Africa was spelt by low state visits between Pretoria and Gaborone under Masisi outside of the Bi-National Commissions. State visits, which are the bedrock of continued diplomacy, signal calm waters of bilateral relations and affirm parties’ continued support for each other’s political and economic aspirations. In 2021, three years into the ascent of power by Masisi, he had undertaken only one state visit to South Africa. Some may argue that diplomatic trips are an unfair diplomacy yardstick, but with the benefit of hindsight, the infrequency of bilateral interactions beyond the Bi-National Commissions could be read as a sign of a cooling relationship.

Analysts had said that the paucity of state visits between Ramaphosa and Masisi could also be put down to the fact that the South African leader generally does not engage bilaterally with his African peers. Ramaphosa has instead preferred to position his country as Africa’s representative on the global stage, engaging at the international level in organisations such as BRICS and as a guest to the Group of Seven.

Continentally, Ramaphosa clearly prefers engaging with blocs such as SADC rather than bilaterally, a preference perhaps, cemented by his time as African Union chairperson. Geopolitical issues have not made things any easier for the two leaders. South Africa has increasingly aligned with the global Eastern bloc of Russia and China due to its alliances in BRICS. Botswana, meanwhile, has maintained its leanings towards the West, particularly the United States, which is the major consumer of the country’s diamonds.

And so, rather than looking east to South Africa, Masisi instead increased his interactions with the leaders of Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, as seen in the near countless number of meetings in recent years. These trips were not just ‘gentlemen’ meetings; they were strategic meetings forging stronger economic and political ties at the regional level, that either by design or inadvertently lessen the shadow SA has traditionally cast over Botswana.

Diplomatic steers were steered in 2022 when Masisi’s government had banned a wide range of South African fruits and vegetables—ostensibly to protect local growers which severely hurt and angered the Cape exporters. Faced with domestic shortages, the UDC-led government has reversed the changes calling the ban “bad economics”.

A commentary from the South African producers association noted that with the ban being lifted, “trade between the two countries will open and relations will improve”. Economists in South Africa agree the ban backfired: as food-policy experts noted that starting with an outright embargo “was really ineffective” – “you don’t start with a ban and hope to start a new supply chain from the ground,” she said – and it was “always going to lead to a situation like this”. Now both governments say they will work to reintegrate border commerce, from fresh produce to cattle and other goods, under the shared understanding that thriving markets benefit consumers on both sides.

Southern African farmers faced similar scenes of unsettled supply when Botswana in 2022 halted many South African vegetable imports, a policy since reversed. The thaw on trade was only part of the reset.

Another thorn in the flesh that strained relations was the long-running legal standoff known as the “P100 billion butterfly case”. Gaborone’s fraud probe accused former President Ian Khama and others of embezzling vast sums from the Bank of Botswana, alleging the funds flowed through South African banks. When Botswana’s prosecutors asked for South African legal assistance, Pretoria was slow to respond.

In 2021, a South African court was forced to order the justice minister to engage after Botswana complained its request “was allegedly ignored”. At the time, SA officials insisted they were in “constant communication” with Gaborone and emphasised the countries’ “historical relationship,” but the row left a sense of distrust. With Boko in office, both sides appear willing to let that quarrel fade. Ramaphosa made no public mention of the “butterfly” probe during the visit, and aides suggest Pretoria will honour future requests through normal diplomatic channels rather than becoming entangled in the high-profile investigation. Analysts say SA likely sees little value in prodding Botswana’s politically charged case, and Botswana seems content to refocus on economic cooperation.

A final irritant under Masisi was the fate of ex-president Khama himself. After fleeing charges from Botswana, Khama settled in South Africa, prompting Masisi to brand him a “fugitive.” South Africa was slow to engage on these issues and chose to kick the can further down the road.

Boko’s remarks recently during a joint press conference with Rampahosa that it was time to strengthen relations with South Africa, signaling that relations had weakened to some extent given the standing diplomatic issues under the past administration.