Khama and the making of a sovereign nation (Part 1)

In my address this afternoon, I shall seek to demonstrate how Botswana, whose claim to genuine independence was still questioned less than ten years ago, has emerged as an independent sovereign democracy, capable of making its own distinctive contribution to progress in Southern Africa. No one, I think, would challenge the view that at Independence, our prospects looked bleak and discouraging.

You are aware of our geographical position, hemmed in between the minority-ruled territories of Rhodesia and South-West Africa and South Africa itself, with only a narrow and disputed frontier with independent Africa. You will know that our population is sparse, that our rainfall is at best low and always problematic.