Mmegi

Botswana Presidents in times of crisis

Belgium - Brussels - 23 June 2009 - Green Week 2009 - Opening Session - Climate change: act and adapt - Festus Mogae , former Botswana President and UN Special  Envoy on climate change © EC/CE
Belgium - Brussels - 23 June 2009 - Green Week 2009 - Opening Session - Climate change: act and adapt - Festus Mogae , former Botswana President and UN Special Envoy on climate change © EC/CE

History has its cruel way of circling back, whispering old refrains in new voices. Botswana’s journey through storms of drought, diamond slumps, and global recessions has never been linear, but each crisis has been a mirror reflecting both the fragility of the nation’s economic model and the resilience of its leadership.

From Sir Ketumile Masire’s lonely vigil over a young, drought-stricken republic, to Festus Mogae’s defiant spending in the face of the Great Recession, and now to Duma Boko’s battle with a waning diamond age, the story is one of decisions taken in fear and hope, choices that tethered survival to prudence, imagination, or sheer political nerve.

Masire: The first trial of austerity

Editor's Comment
Use social media to build, not destro

It is a warning flare to every Motswana who logs onto social media. As a country, we have reached a point where the line between robust debate and outright destruction has become dangerously blurred. At face value, Mabeo’s response, which seeks an apology and threat of a defamation suit, might seem severe to some. But we cannot ignore the context. The comment in question did not offer a policy critique or question a political decision.It...

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