BDP turns into apology machine

Friday, January 16, 2026 | 100 Views |

Instead of shaping the political narrative, the BDP has spent much of 2025 and early 2026 compounding its woes PIC: KENNEDY RAMOKONE

Once the undisputed titan of Botswana politics, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has found itself in an unfamiliar position over the last year, constantly on the back foot, offering public apologies for blunders, missteps, and increasingly its own political legacy.

Since losing power in the 2024 General Election, where it was reduced to a rump in Parliament after 58 years of uninterrupted rule, the BDP has struggled to redefine itself in opposition.

Instead of shaping the political narrative, it has spent much of 2025 and early 2026 compounding its woes with a string of high-profile apologies, each underscoring a larger identity crisis within the once mighty ‘Mmadiparty’.

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BDP turns into apology machine

Once the undisputed titan of Botswana politics, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has found itself in an unfamiliar position over the last year, constantly on the back foot, offering public apologies for blunders, missteps, and increasingly its own political legacy.

Explore

More

Genesis of the GUC, LSB battle

Barred GUC graduate lawyers sue LSB

Gov’t defends refusal to recognise same sex marriage

LEGABIBO says same-sex marriage exclusion is unconstitutional

UB law academic seeks to intervene in same-sex marriage case

BCP teams intensify election campaigns

Tati North by-election too close

Ousted PDC chair Ketshogile fights removal in court

WUC must fix its pipes, not just say sorry