Then and now: Miss Botswana 1966 reflects on Botswana’s journey at 60
Sharon Mathala | Monday February 9, 2026 06:00
For her, pageantry, let alone being crowned Miss Botswana, was a far-fetched dream. At the time, she was an assistant teacher who knew nothing about modelling or the world of beauty contests.“One of my former teachers suggested that I participate in the Miss Ramotswa pageant, and I agreed. I had never practised for pageantry before then, and so it was a new thing for me at the time,” she shared.
Rantao-Ogle said she arrived at the Miss Ramotswa pageant with no fancy wardrobe or professional support, only confidence and the courage to try something unfamiliar. She wore a pink dress she bought at a garage sale and a necklace she borrowed from a friend, an outfit that would become part of her remarkable story.
“I didn’t have much. I just wore what I could get,” she said.
That evening, she was crowned Miss Ramotswa, automatically qualifying for Miss Botswana. It was an unexpected win that thrust her into the national spotlight at a time when Botswana itself was still a young country, barely beginning to define its identity post-independence and transition from Bechuanaland. “At the time, the country had just established itself, and there was not much happening,” she recalled. “Everything was still developing.”
On April 14, aged 19 years, she would take part in the Miss Botswana pageant, an event that, 60 years later, she still remembers as if it happened yesterday. She credits her former teacher for seeing something in her that she could not see in herself. “If it wasn’t for my former teacher, I would have never been crowned Miss Botswana. That one suggestion changed my life,” she said.
Asked what the teacher saw in her, Rantao-Ogle smiled, and her eyes filled with nostalgia. “She said I was very beautiful, and so she thought pageantry could be it for me. I was very beautiful during my youth, you know!”
With no designers, stylists or sponsors, Rantao-Ogle once again relied on what she had. For the Miss Botswana pageant, she wore the same pink dress, paired with shiny shoes and a yellow purse. She says there was no pressure for perfection, it was simply about showing up, answering questions and carrying oneself with confidence.
“The judges were Ms Chiepe and Ms Ramolefhe, whom I remember,” she said. One question asked by the judges stood out: what she thought about Botswana’s progress at the time. Her response was shaped by the reality of daily life in a country that was still underdeveloped, with little infrastructure and limited resources.
“I was asked what I thought of Botswana’s progress, and I answered that I liked the food-for-work programme. In those days, there were no roads or pavements. Botswana was very poor. It was just dirt roads, and so people were called to volunteer to build the roads, and I appreciated that.” She shared.
The answer reflected a time when volunteerism and community spirit played a major role in development. Rantao-Ogle believes that mindset helped lay the foundation for the country as it is today. When she was crowned, she said the moment felt surreal.
“It was very pretty, although they had to pin it to hold it together on my head. It was really shiny.”
She later handed the crown to her successor the following year, as was tradition. But it was not only the title that changed her life, it was the prize money, which was modest by today’s standards, where now Miss Botswana queens win luxury vehicles, homes and thousands of pula’s but hers was powerful enough to unlock opportunities at the time that she would otherwise not been able to.
Her prizes were just 74 rands and a tea set. “I used the money to pay for my tuition, and the rest I gave to family. My family was very poor at the time. So we bought clothes and food with the rest.” She said.
After her crowning, Ramotswa village hosted a hero’s welcome for their newly crowned Miss Botswana. For Rantao-Ogle, it was an emotional moment that made her realise she had not only won for herself, but for the community that raised her.
She said the Miss Botswana title became a turning point, opening doors that she had never imagined could open for an assistant teacher from a village.
“I managed to complete my studies and travelled to America. If it wasn’t for the Miss Botswana prize money, I would have never gotten the opportunity to go to school and eventually America.”
She still remembers arriving in the United States, overwhelmed by the contrast between the Botswana she knew and the modern world she was stepping into.
“I remember when I arrived in America, I couldn’t believe it because where I was coming from, like I said, was very poor,” she shared.
Now, 60 years after her crowning, Rantao-Ogle says Botswana’s transformation has been beyond her imagination.
She speaks of the journey from dusty village roads to modern highways, from thatched-roof homes to tall buildings and shopping malls.
“You know, back in the day, it was just thatched-roof houses, and dust everywhere. Now there are malls, tall buildings and tarred roads everywhere. Our country has really progressed beyond my imagination, and I am proud of where we come from.”
She attributes much of the development to the spirit of volunteerism that defined the early years.
“All this was built by volunteerism,” she said. Rantao-Ogle also recalled meeting Botswana’s first President, Sir Seretse Khama, and the First Lady, Lady Ruth Khama, an encounter she describes as warm and unforgettable. “I met him and the First Lady Ruth at a Peace Corps graduation. They were with Jackie (Jacqueline). Khama was such a nice, down-to-earth person, and so was the First Lady. They were just so welcoming.”
Asked whether the founding President and First Lady travelled with the kind of security and entourage common today, Rantao-Ogle said things were much simpler then. “No, not really, but we all knew he was the President. People normally kept a distance, but there was no entourage or anything like we see today,” she said.
This week, Rantao-Ogle met the current Miss Botswana, Ruth Thomas, and described her as graceful and full of promise. She said the pageant has evolved over the decades from the modest ceremony of her time to the glamorous production it has become today.
“I wish her all the very best as she goes on to compete on the world stages. Miss Botswana has evolved over the years from the ceremony we held to the glamour we see today,” she said. She said she was impressed by the current queen’s poise and presence, and believes she has what it takes to represent Botswana well internationally. “She is full of grace, and from the few moments I spent with her, I am confident that she will go far,” she said. As Botswana celebrates 60 years of independence this coming September, Rantao-Ogle’s story stands as a reminder that the nation comes from afar.