Botho

Botho. It is a word I have heard so many times since coming to Botswana 20 years ago. For those of you who don’t know the word, it seems it is difficult to get one answer, but it seems to embody basic compassion and community. When a nation has Botho, people think about how their actions impact others and act in a selfless kindness to help their neighbour.

Though I have heard it spoken about for decades, to be honest, I rarely see it played out in reality. Generally, neighbours stay behind their huge concrete walls and electric fences sometimes not even knowing each other and certainly not selflessly serving one another. In business, the norm seems to be a cut-throat style in which you are never too sure who you can trust because everyone is trying to get ahead no matter what the cost.

Corruption flourishes as people don’t consider the harmful implications on society when they unethically and illegally line their pockets. Sometimes, to be honest, it can be depressing to see how little on a day-to-day basis we actually do consider others when we go about our day.

Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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