Inside why Batswana are putting marriage on hold

Friday, September 18, 2026 | 310 Views |

The price of love: Some research suggests the cost of bogadi and expensive wedding ceremonies is turning many couples away from marriage PIC: KENTEKNOTS.COM

Since time immemorial, marriage has been an important rite of passage of Setswana culture. Courtship would led to patlo, bogadi and marriage, with children traditionally coming afterwards.

Today, that order is changing. Batswana are still falling in love, living together and having children, but many are marrying much later, while others are not marrying at all.

Statistics Botswana's latest figures show that just 4,517 marriages were registered in 2024, the lowest number recorded in a decade and 41% below the 7,631 recorded at the recent peak in 2021. The crude marriage rate has consequently slipped to just 1.8 marriages per 1,000 people.

Already have an active account? Log in here.

Or Sign up and get unlimited access to premium articles.

marriage

GIPS graduates challenged to embrace TVET qualifications

Kabelo Boranabi | 1d ago

Stage set for cricket National League final

Calistus Kolantsho | 1d ago

Dan Tshanda roars in death through tribute

Boitumelo Khutsafalo | 1d ago

Disco: A genre reclaiming throne on local music scene

Boitumelo Khutsafalo | 1d ago

Ash Static’s trap blueprint: Quiet offstage, loud on the beat

Johannes Kambai | 1d ago

Galaxy find GU’s kryptonite in six-year football war

Kabelo Boranabi | 2d ago

Benchwarmers carry the Olympic dream

Kabelo Boranabi | 2d ago

Badminton PRO kicked out

Calistus Kolantsho | 2d ago

The State apparatus must be sanitised

When the State cannot rely on its own machinery to pursue suspected wrongdoing, repairing that machinery must become a national priority.The establishment of a Special Investigations and Asset Recovery Task Force may help government respond to the immediate challenge. However, Botswana cannot afford to leave the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) and the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) struggling whilst building...

The Monitor Editor | 10 November 2026

About us

Mmegi is the leading independent source of breaking news, latest news, current
affairs, Politics, Business, Sport, debates, analysis, and entertainment news in Botswana.