Boko warms up Botswana, SA relations after years of strain :: Mmegi Online

For countries bound by so many ties together, Botswana and South Africa’s diplomatic relations have been frosty, mainly driven by “hostile trade policies” and diverging views on how former president Ian Khama’s stay in South Africa during the past regime should have been handled. President Duma Boko has the task of mending a broken diplomatic relationship, but how low is he willing to stoop? Questions TIMOTHY LEWANIKA

South Africa is Botswana’s largest trading partner, accounting for over 50% of Botswana’s imports. Despite this heavy reliance on South Africa, Botswana’s former president Mokgweetsi Masisi took endless jabs at South Africa, rattling the giant.

South Africa, which has been labelled endlessly as a sleeping giant by many analysts, has been slow to respond and flex its muscle until now with President Boko fast tracking the process of reconciling the two countries.

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