A call to action in Botswana’s HIV response

Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Tuesday December 9, 2025 09:46

 

From the basics: Botswana has come a long way since the first efforts against HIV, but some groups feel left behind

On World AIDS Day, Botswana's civil society organisations gathered to commemorate the day under the theme 'Take the Rights Path: My Health, My Right!'. The event provided an opportunity for civil society to meet with the new government administration, led by Vice President and Minister of Finance, Ndaba Gaolathe, who emphasised the critical role of civil society in the HIV response.

However, despite the encouraging words, civil society leaders are sounding the alarm that the current system is not working.

'The system that shifted the state's responsibility for fulfilling the right to health remains the same,' said Dumiso Gatsha, founder of Success Capital. 'The practices, ways of working, inefficiencies, and inequity remain the same.'

Gatsha's sentiments are echoed by other leaders in the HIV response sector.

'Development funding should be directed to key population-led organisations rather than technical bureaucrats,' said Tosh Beka, Director of Sisonke Botswana. 'This will ensure KP organisations and KPs themselves are empowered.'

Furthermore, Gatsha points out that the challenges facing Botswana's HIV response are multifaceted. Climate change, for instance, is compromising the HIV response through lack of nutrition, compromised mental wellbeing, prevention commodities, and medicines. The two activists said the Department of Meteorological Services has issued at least nine heat waves and increased temperature warnings in 2024 alone, an increase from at least four in 2023 and at least one in 2022.

Moreover, the criminalisation of sex work remains a challenge, as ambiguity in law on the 'proceeds of crime' can be used loosely against sex workers. For female sex workers, this is further compromised by the state's prohibition of safe abortion by choice or bodily autonomy and the lack of harm reduction strategies.

The lack of protection from violence, stigma, and discrimination of sex workers and LGBTI individuals will only compromise the HIV response in Botswana.

'Human rights violations keep hindering access to crucial health services and unbalanced or bias resources is not helping with resolving those violations,' said Beauty Bayley, founder and World Executive Director of Nothing Without Us Society.

To address these challenges, civil society is calling for intentional and structural change in how resourcing to communities and community organizations is conducted.

'We need tangible action and intervention to ensure business unusual and accelerate progress towards ending inequities, ensuring accountability, eliminating patronage across all government touch points, and centering those most impacted, including youth, LGBTI, sex workers, and substance users,' said Gatsha.

Percy Mothibi, Chairperson of Captive Eye Botswana, emphasised the importance of World AIDS Day for substance users, saying, 'WAD is key for substance users to express themselves, especially those that experience stigma and discrimination for those that cannot 'come out'.'

As Botswana strives to end the AIDS pandemic as a public threat by 2030, it is clear that more needs to be done to address the systemic issues hindering progress. The government must work with civil society to ensure that the rights of all Batswana are protected and that no one is left behind in the HIV response.

The way forward requires a commitment to equity, accountability, and community-led solutions. It requires addressing the intersecting challenges of climate change, violence, and stigma, and ensuring that resources are directed to those who need them most.

As Vice President, Gaolathe said: 'We must soldier on until we all reach the finish line.'

But, as civil society leaders are saying, reaching the finish line requires more than just words; it requires action, accountability, and a commitment to the rights and dignity of all Batswana.