Gaborone in high gear for Posh Race
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Monday August 17, 2026 06:00
The event, which was initially scheduled for April but postponed due to unforeseen circumstances, is now back on track, with the Gaborone City Council throwing its weight behind preparations for the inaugural race in the capital.
Gaborone City Mayor, Oarabile Motlaleng said the city is excited to host the event of such magnitude and believes it would help showcase Gaborone to the world.
“We are so excited to be standing before you here presenting what we term or call Posh Race Africa 2026, that would be here in the capital city of Gaborone,” Motlaleng said.
The Mayor explained that the event will begin with the arrival of participants on Thursday, October 29, followed by activities on Friday, October 30, including a mock race. The main event will take place on Saturday, October 31.
Motlaleng said the city’s interest in hosting the race was strengthened by an earlier visit to the Kyalami racing circuit, where he had the opportunity to meet one of the people behind the Posh Race initiative.
“Last year I had an opportunity to go to Kyalami and with one gentleman who happens to be the man behind everything. Upon our arrival, of course, the idea was to go and appreciate the track there in Kyalami,” he said.
He added that the city subsequently embraced the prospect of bringing the race to Gaborone, saying the event would complement the city’s ambitions to position itself as a destination for major international events. Motlaleng drew comparisons between Gaborone and other cities known for hosting major motorsport events, including Monaco.
“Remember you have your Monaco and we are Gaborone, so we also want to showcase. We also want to show the world that we are able,” he said.
The Mayor also pointed to the successful hosting of the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone earlier this year as evidence of the city’s capacity to stage events of international standing.
He said the athletics event had placed Gaborone on the global sporting map and that the Posh Race Grand Prix could further enhance the city’s profile.
Beyond the race, the city expects the event to generate benefits for tourism and businesses operating within the Central Business District. Visitors attending the race are expected to support accommodation establishments, restaurants, retail outlets and other tourism-related businesses.
“Our tourism sector is going to benefit,” Motlaleng said, adding that the race would bring visitors to Gaborone to experience what the city has to offer. He said the city was also working on preparations within the CBD to ensure that the race found a suitable environment. “We have really worked on a lot of preparations,” Motlaleng said, noting that the city is determined to make the event a success despite the initial postponement.
Motlaleng also appealed to businesses and potential sponsors to come on board. He said companies operating in and around the CBD had an opportunity to associate themselves with a major event while showcasing their products and services.
“The sponsorships, if you look at CBD, we have a lot of companies who are trading there with the businesses and what we are simply asking them is to make sure that we also engage them further,” he said.
He urged the private sector and other stakeholders to support the initiative financially and through partnerships.
“We are appealing to them to really, really help us. We are really, really appealing to them so that they really make us proud,” Motlaleng said.
The mayor said the city would continue knocking on doors to secure additional partners, stressing that collaboration would be key to delivering a successful event.
With preparations now underway, the city hopes that the Posh Race Africa CBD Circuit will become another landmark event on Gaborone’s calendar, while strengthening the capital’s reputation as a host for major sporting and tourism events.
“Make Gaborone great again. We are here, Posh Race Africa CBD Circuit Gaborone 2026. We are more than excited,” Motlaleng said.
The event is expected to be a fusion of fashion, car racing and a showcase of luxurious lifestyle and music festival. Organisers say the event also brings the dawn of a new era in Botswana’s luxury lifestyle and motorsport scene, an exclusive fusion of automotive excellence, high fashion, fine living, and world-class entertainment.