Rethink death penalty amidst rising GBV, urges Boko
Pini Bothoko | Wednesday July 9, 2025 12:39
Speaking at a kgotla meeting held in Tutume recently, Boko said that whilst Botswana has practiced capital punishment for years, crime levels – especially GBV – continue to escalate, suggesting that harsh penalties alone are not a solution.
“We need to approach this issue with a clear mind. Over the years, we have implemented the death penalty, but people continue to kill. We must ask ourselves if it is helping or if we need a different approach,” Boko conjured residents.
Boko, a human rights lawyer who has long opposed the death penalty, stressed that violence is deeply rooted in Botswana’s socialisation methods. He said many parents resort to physical punishment as a disciplinary method, unknowingly grooming children to believe violence is an acceptable way to resolve conflict.
“I have observed that many parents beat their children when they’ve done wrong instead of talking to them. What we are doing is training our children to be violent. That’s why when they grow up and enter relationships or marriages, they resort to violence when things go wrong because that is what they were taught at a young age,” he said.
He warned that whilst some citizens continue to call for harsher punishments, including the death penalty, evidence suggests this approach is ineffective. He cited stock theft as an example, noting that despite the enforcement of strict penalties, livestock theft remains widespread.
“Even with harsher sentences, people are still stealing livestock and killing each other. This tells us that punishment alone is not enough; we must address the root causes of violence and crime in our society,” said the President.
Botswana remains the only country in Southern Africa that still carries out executions, typically reserved for murder under aggravated circumstances. Whilst Boko has yet to sign any legislation to abolish the death penalty, his recent remarks have sparked a national debate.
Some citizens have reacted angrily, with many insisting that killers should be met with the same fate. Others have warned that Boko risks serving only one term if he moves to abolish capital punishment, especially given the country’s increasing murder rate.
As of January 2025, the number of inmates on death row in Botswana stood at 16. But the number was reduced to 14 when the January session of the Court of Appeal (CoA) overturned two death sentences in February. Unangoni Alton and Passmore Moyo escaped death by a whisker when the CoA bench sentenced the duo to 25 and 20 years imprisonment respectively. Two other death row inmates Ramotswiri Mokobela and Simba Mampori couldn't escape the executioner's noose as their appeals were dismissed. Now 14 inmates await Boko's signature. The inmates (all male) were condemned to death between 2021 and 2024.
As death row inmates await execution, the issue is shaping up to be a major test of Boko’s leadership and his commitment to human rights, as he attempts to balance public opinion with efforts to reform the justice system. Boko urged Batswana to shift away from a culture of violence and explore more constructive and rehabilitative ways of resolving conflict and addressing criminal behaviour. He said real change would require national introspection and a collective effort to instill values of empathy, dialogue, and nonviolence in the country’s future generations.