Why we should all support Chombo
Lewanika Timothy | Wednesday November 26, 2025 08:13
Her appointment to lead the Ministry of Youth and Gender symbolises a long-awaited break from the older political order.
However, what should have been a moment of triumph has quickly become a ground for condemnation and criticism. Chombo’s tenure has drawn both praise and disapproval, celebrated by some as the face of a new generation, and dismissed by others as evidence of misplaced trust in youthful enthusiasm.
The debate around her performance has become larger than the minister in question herself. It is a discussion on whether Botswana is ready to let its youth lead, or whether the promise of inclusion ends the moment young leaders begin to act differently from the old.
Chombo’s appointment marked a generational shift in Botswana’s political landscape. For years, the Cabinet, as well as political positions, have been the privilege of male political veterans, especially those well-known in the corridors of power
First Chombo took over a ministry burdened by expectations but starved of any structural power, with programmes often underfunded and fragmented. The ministry has been one of the least funded in government expenditure budgets and often times it develops policies that remain shelved in the Government Enclave without much actionable items.
Detractors of Chombo argue that being young and relatable is not enough; that leadership, particularly in government, requires measurable outcomes, not optics. They point to persistent challenges facing Botswana’s youth: unemployment that hovers at 38%. What they forget is that little can be done with a low budget and a ministry that has no teeth to bite.
To their credit performance shouldn’t be suspended simply because a leader is young or represents change.
Still, this criticism exposes a deeper contradiction in Botswana’s political culture. The same society that demands youth participation is often the first to lose faith when young leaders make their first mistakes. The same elders who call for the young to show up, resist disruption when it arrives.
In this sense, Chombo is caught in an impossible bind, expected to prove the competence of her entire generation while still learning to navigate a system built by and for the old guard. No young leader can succeed under such conditions without collective patience and political space to grow.
Chombo’s tenure is not happening in isolation. It unfolds at a time when global democracies are wrestling with the same generational tension between experience and fresh energy, tradition and reinvention. Botswana, with its long record of stability, has often erred.
The cost globally has been seen in youth revolts, particularly online that some local political analysts think caused the change of guard between the BDP and the current government.
To support her is to say that we recognise the structural odds stacked against her; that a slow bureaucracy, tight fiscus, and a public accustomed to quick wins are not favourable odds to be handed. It is also to acknowledge that no young leader can succeed in an ecosystem that does not change with them. If her ministry is to thrive, it will need institutional muscle, policy coherence, and the political will of her seniors to let youth programmes flourish. Without these, even the most capable minister will be set up for failure.
Still, support cannot be unconditional. To stand behind Chombo should not mean shielding her from scrutiny or romanticising her youth. It should mean holding her accountable with fairness, measuring her progress with context, and judging her leadership on substance rather than perception. That balance between encouragement and critical oversight is what Botswana has often struggled to achieve.
In the end, the question of whether we should all support Chombo is really a question about ourselves. Do we want a future built by the same hands that built the past, or are we ready to let a new generation take the reins?