Background Notes: Botswana
PA/PC
Source: Office of Public Communication, Bureau of Public
Affairs
Date: Oct 15, 199010/15/90
Category: Country Data
Region: Subsaharan Africa
Country: Botswana
Subject: Cultural Exchange, Resource Management,
Military Affairs, History, International Organizations,
Trade/Economics
[TEXT]
Official Name: Republic of Botswana
PROFILE
Geography
Area: 600,372 sq. km. (224,710 sq. mi.), about the size of Texas.
Cities: Capital-Gaborone (pronounced Ha-bo-ro-neh, pop. 120,000).
Other towns-Francistown (55,000), Selebi-Phikwe (50,000),
Lobatse (26,000), Palapye (17,000), Jwaneng (13,900), Tlokweng
(11,800). Terrain: Desert and savanna. Climate: Mostly arid and
subtropical.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective - Motswana (sing.), Batswana (pl.).
Population (1989 est.): 1,255,700. Annual growth rate: 3.6%.
Ethnic groups: Tswana 55%-60%; Kalanga 25%-30%; Kgalagadi, Yei,
Herero, Mbukushu, Basarwa ("Bushmen"), Khoi (Hottentots), whites
(about 1%), others 10%. Religions: Indigenous beliefs 50%,
Christianity 50%. Languages: English (official), Setswana.
Education: Attendance (primary school adjusted)-93%. Adult
literacy (1988 est.): 84% (ages 15 to 70). Health: Infant mortality
rate (1983-88): 63/1,000. Life expectancy (1988): 59 yrs. Work
force (formal sector, 1988): 187,000.
Government
Type: Republic, parliamentary democracy. Constitution: March
1965. Independence: September 30, 1966. Branches: Executive-
president (chief of state and head of government), cabinet.
Legislative-unicameral National Assembly. House of Chiefs (second
House with advisory powers only). Judicial-High Court, Court of
Appeal, local and customary courts. Administrative subdivisions:
Five town councils and 10 district councils. Central District, seat
at Serowe; Chobe District, Kasane; Ghanzi District, Ghanzi;
Kgalagadi District, Tsabong; Kgatleng District, Mochudi; Kweneng
District, Molepolole; Northeast District, Francistown; Southeast
District, Gaborone; Southern District, Kanye; and Northwest
District, Maun. Political parties: Botswana Democratic Party (BDP),
Botswana National Front (BNF), Botswana Independence Party (BIP),
Botswana Peoples Party (BPP), Botswana Progressive Union (BPU),
Botswana Freedom Party (BFP), Botswana Labor Party (BLP).
Suffrage: Universal adult. National budget (FY 1989-90): $503.5
million. Development expenditures-$408.6 million, under half of
which is financed by international donors. Defense and police forces
FY 1989-90): $54.1 million, about 10.8% of the budget. Flag: Blue
field divided by horizontal black band with narrow white stripe on
either side. The colors represent the blue sky and blue water of the
Okavango Delta; the black and white symbolize the nonracial
composition of the society.
Economy
GDP (1988-89 est.): $2.023 billion. Annual growth rate (1988-89):
13%. Per capita GDP (1989): $1,611. Natural resources: Diamonds,
copper, nickel, salt, gold, soda ash, potash, coal. Agriculture (about
3.5% of GDP): Products-livestock, sorghum, corn, millet, cowpeas,
beans. Industry: Types-mining (45% of 1988 GDP): diamonds, copper,
nickel, coal, processed food, frozen beef, textile, tourism. Trade
(1988): Exports-$1,297.2 million (f.o.b.): diamonds, nickel, copper,
meat products, hides and skins, textiles. Partners-Switzerland,
South Africa, Zimbabwe, UK, other European countries. Imports-
$978.3 million (c.i.f.): machinery, transport equipment,
manufactured goods, food, chemicals, minerals, fuels. Major
suppliers-South Africa, Zimbabwe, US, UK, other EEC countries.
Economic aid received: Total from all sources-avg. $220 million per
year. US aid (1965-89)-$289 million, avg. $12 million per year.
Membership in International Organizations
UN and most of its specialized agencies, Organization of African
Unity (OAU), Commonwealth, Southern African Customs Union
(SACU), Southern African Development Coordination Conference
(SADCC), Front Line States, Nonaligned Movement, Lome Convention
(Africa-Caribbean-Pacific/European Economic Community).
PEOPLE
Most Batswana live in the eastern part of the country,
primarily in villages. Only seven towns have populations of more
than 10,000, although several large, traditional villages (including
Kanye and Serowe, home of the country's first president, Sir
Seretse Khama) have more than 30,000 people.
An estimated 40,000 Batswana work in neighboring African
countries, mainly in the Republic of South Africa. The 1981 census
estimated the nomadic population at about 10,000. Some 55%-60%
of the country's population is made up of the Tswana tribe
(Batswana), which is divided into eight subgroups: Bamangwato,
Bakwena, Batawana, Bangwaketse, Bakgatla, Bamalete, Barolong,
and Batlokwa. The Kalanga, Herero, Bushmen (Basarwa), Yei, and
Kgalagadi are minorities. In addition, there are about 5,500 British
citizens resident in Botswana and about 30,000 people of other
nationalities.
HISTORY
By the 1700s, the ancestors of today's African population
were established either as self-sufficient herders and farmers or
as hunters and gatherers in the region that is now Botswana. First
contact with Europeans came through missionaries in the early 19th
century, when the territory was torn by intertribal warfare. In the
last quarter of the century, hostilities broke out between the
Batswana and the Afrikaners from South Africa (Transvaal).
Following appeals by the Batswana for assistance, the British
Government in 1885 proclaimed "Bechuanaland" to be under British
protection. The southern part of the territory was first constituted
as a crown colony, later became part of the Cape Colony, and is now
part of the Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa. The
northern part, known as the "Bechuanaland Protectorate" (now
Botswana) remained under British control.
In 1909, despite South African pressure, inhabitants of
Bechuanaland, Basutoland (now Lesotho), and Swaziland demanded
and received British agreement that they not be included in the
proposed Union of South Africa.
As British central authority gradually expanded, it was
accompanied by a steady evolution of local tribal government. In
1920, the central authority established two advisory councils
representing the African and European inhabitants. In 1934,
proclamations were issued that regularized the positions and
powers of the chiefs and defined the constitution and functions of
the native courts under the native authority system that had
evolved in other British dependencies. Tribal treasuries were
created in 1938. In 1951, a Joint Advisory Council was formed,
consisting of official and nonofficial European and African
members. The May 2, 1961, constitution established a Legislative
Council, which held its first session at Lobatse on June 21, 1961.
In June 1964, the British Government accepted proposals for a
form of self-government for Botswana that would lead to
independence. These proposals had been agreed upon unanimously
during discussions in Botswana between the British Commissioner
and representatives of the chiefs, political parties, and important
minority communities.
The seat of the government was moved from Mafeking, South
Africa, to the new capital at Gaborone in February 1965. The new
constitution became effective in March 1965, and general elections
were held. Botswana became independent on September 30, 1966.
GOVERNMENT
Under the 1965 constitution, executive power in Botswana is
vested in the president, chosen in a national election for a 5-year
term. The president's cabinet, selected from the National
Assembly, consists of a vice president and an unspecified number of
ministers. The unicameral National Assembly is composed of 38
seats, of which 34 are directly elected, and the remainder
appointed.
General elections must be held at least every 5 years.
Botswana is divided into 34 single-member constituencies with
roughly equal population per constituency. A voters roll, based on
universal adult suffrage, is maintained for each constituency. The
constitution also provides for a House of Chiefs, which serves as an
advisory body to the government. The chiefs of the eight principal
subgroups of the Batswana tribe are permanent ex-officio members,
and four other members are elected by the subchiefs in the Chobe,
North East, Ghanzi, and Kgalagadi Districts. The National Assembly
may not proceed with any bill relating to matters of tribal concern
unless a draft has been referred to the House of Chiefs.
Botswana's High Court is the trial court, with general civil
and criminal jurisdiction. Judges are appointed by the president and
may be removed only for cause and after a hearing. Chiefs and
headmen preside over customary courts (called "kgotla") constituted
according to local custom for enforcing traditional law. The
constitution contains a code of fundamental human rights, enforced
by the courts.
Local government is administered by 10 district councils and
4 town councils. Executive authority is vested in the district
commissioner, appointed by the central government and assisted by
the elected and specially nominated district councillors and
district development committees.
Principal Government Officials
President-Quett K. J. Masire
Vice President and Minister of Local Government and Lands-
Peter S. Mmusi
Other Ministers
Presidential Affairs and Public Administration-Lt. Gen.
Mompati Merafhe
External Affairs-Gaositwe Chiepe
Ambassador to the United States-B. K. Sebele
Ambassador to the United Nations-L. J. M. J. Legwaila
Botswana maintains an embassy in the United States at 3400
International Drive, NW., Suite 7M, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202-
244-4990). Botswana's mission to the United Nations is at 866 UN
Plaza, New York, NY 10017.
POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Botswana has one of the few flourishing, multiparty
constitutional democracies in Africa. The openness of the country's
political system compares favorably with mature democracies
elsewhere and has contributed to Botswana's remarkable stability
and economic growth. Although a government-owned newspaper and
broadcasting operation dominate the media, there is an independent
press, and foreign publications are readily available. During its
sixth national election in 1989, candidates from two of the
country's eight political parties won election to the National
Assembly. The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) holds 31 of the 34
parliamentary seats. However, the opposition Botswana National
Front (BNF) made significant gains in town council seats.
Botswana has one of the best human rights records in the
world. The country's small white minority and other minorities
participate freely in the political process. The roots of the
country's democracy go back to Tswana traditions, such as the
"kgotla," or village council, in which the powers of traditional
leaders were limited by custom and law. Currently, political debate
in Botswana often centers on development and on regional economic
and political issues. Although they find the policy of apartheid
repugnant and support efforts to abolish it, the pragmatic Batswana
maintain necessary economic ties with South Africa. No
restrictions exist on the free movement of goods or people between
the two countries, and Botswana is a member of the Southern Africa
Customs Union. Recognizing Botswana's national security interests,
the Batswana refuse to allow their territory to be used as a staging
area for violent attacks on other countries of the region.
ECONOMY
Since independence in 1966, Botswana's economy has grown at
an 8%-14% rate. This growth has been almost exclusively fueled by
mining, particularly of diamonds. Since the early 1980s, the
country has become the world's largest producer of quality
diamonds. Three large diamond mines are located in Botswana; all
opened since independence. The proceeds of the diamond industry,
considerable international grant and loan aid, and the prudent fiscal
policies and wise economic management of the past 20 years have
placed Botswana in an extremely strong financial position.
Recently, the government has had consistent budget surpluses and,
as of December 1989, almost $2.8 billion in foreign exchange
reserves.
Mining
Two large mining companies, Debeers Botswana Mining
(Debswana) and Bamangwato Concession, Ltd. (BCL), both partly
government owned, operate mining facilities in the eastern and
central regions of the country. Botswana produced a total of 15.2
million carats of diamonds from the three Debswana mines in 1988.
BCL, which operated a copper-nickel mine at Selebi-Phikwe,
produced 57,500 tons of semi-refined copper-nickel ore for export
in 1988. In addition, Botswana's major coal mine at Morupule had a
1988 output of 612,000 tons. The Sua Pan soda ash project, which
is expected to produce 300,000 tons of soda ash as well as
650,000 tons of salt yearly, will begin operation in mid-1991. The
Francistown area has several small gold mines in operation.
Petroleum, coal, and natural gas deposits are currently being
studied for future exploitation.
Agriculture
Three-quarters of Botswana's people live in rural areas and are
largely dependent on subsistence and livestock farming. Cattle
raising is historically a dominant aspect in Botswana's economy and
social structure. Botswana's cattle herd has grown slowly in recent
years to about 2.5 million head, but it still has not reached the pre-
1980s drought level of almost 3 million. The government-owned
Botswana Meat Commission, located in Lobatse, operates the
largest abattoir in Africa and is the continent's largest meat export
company. The Commission also operates smaller abatoirs in
Francistown and Maun. Botswana exported about $61 million of beef
and beef products in 1988, mostly to Europe and South Africa.
Farming, although marginal in the near-desert climate, continues to
be a major means of employment. To increase food production, the
government promotes dry-land and irrigation farming.
Private-Sector Development and Foreign
Investment
The government currently seeks to diversify Botswana's
economy to achieve a better balanced and sustainable future growth.
Emphasis is on private-sector development and foreign investment,
considered important primarily for the much-needed managerial and
technical expertise that accompanies such investment. Two areas
receiving consideration are manufacturing and tourism. Extensive
national parks and wildlife areas, covering more than 17% of
Botswana's land area, provide the potential for considerable
tourism development.
US investment in Botswana, though still relatively minor, is
growing steadily. In 1987, two American companies, Heinz and
Colgate-Palmolive, agreed to establish plants there. Since then,
Phelps-Dodge and Interkiln Corp., of Houston, Texas, have initiated
investments in the country.
Transportation and Communications
Botswana has about 2,000 kilometers (1,200 mi.) of paved
roads, 1,266 kilometers (785 mi.) of engineered gravel roads, and
4,875 kilometers (3,022 mi.) of earth-and-sand roads. The US
Agency for International Development (USAID) funded the paving of
the Nata-Kazungula road, completed in 1984, linking the country's
main highway with Zambia. Botswana's one rail line (714
kilometers-443 mi.) links the major population centers to
Zimbabwe and South Africa, although a new 173 kilometer (104 mi.)
line between Francistown and the Sua Pan soda ash project is
expected to be completed in April 1991. Botswana depends on South
Africa for more than 85% of its imports (which either come from
South Africa or pass through South African ports) and for beef and
copper-nickel ore exports. Botswana has nine permanent-surface
airfields, two with runways more than 2,000 meters (6,600 ft.).
Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in Gaborone has
connections to all southern African countries, including South
Africa, as well as direct flights to Nairobi, London, and Paris.
Botswana instituted international direct-dialing telephone
service for urban areas in late 1986. Automatic direct-dial access
gradually is being extended to more remote rural areas.
DEFENSE
According to Botswana's constitution as amended in 1975, the
president is the commander in chief of the Botswana Defense Force
(BDF). The BDF was formed in 1977, largely in response to the
Rhodesian conflict, which was affecting Botswana. It currently has
about 5,000 members of whom 280 serve in the Air Wing.
Facing a threat of overt or covert military raids from South
Africa directed against believed ANC targets, Botswana has
embarked on modest modernization and expansion of the BDF,
including acquisition of air defense and anti-tank weapons, as well
as a small number of jet fighters, transport aircraft, and
helicopters. The United States has provided more than $35 million
in military assistance, and about 250 BDF soldiers and officers have
received military training in the United States.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Botswana is opposed to South Africa's policy of apartheid and
has no formal diplomatic relations with that country. It does not
recognize the independence of so-called homelands, including its
neighbor Bophuthatswana, which is populated by the same ethnic
Tswana group as Botswana. In part because of its geographic
location and reliance on South African transportation systems and
goods, which will continue with a post-apartheid South Africa,
Botswana, nevertheless, maintains a pragmatic working
relationship and close economic ties with South Africa. This
includes police contacts in criminal matters and day-to-day
customs union and other economic activities. Substantial foreign
investment in Botswana comes from South Africa, a situation also
dictated by geography and unlikely to change markedly in the near
future.
Botswana has formal diplomatic relations with most African
countries and with many West and East European nations and Arab
countries. Most ambassadors accredited to Botswana reside in
Harare or Lusaka, with only 12 diplomatic missions maintaining a
full-time presence in Gaborone, including the United States, Soviet
Union, People's Republic of China (PRC), Poland, United Kingdom, and
several other West European nations. Multilateral and bilateral aid
donors include the United States, the European Community (EC) and
individual EC member states, the Nordic states, multilateral
development banks, and the PRC.
Currently, Botswana maintains eight diplomatic missions
abroad. It is a member of numerous international organizations,
including the United Nations and various UN-related organizations,
the Organization of African Unity, the front-line states, and of
SADCC. Botswana has very good relations with other southern
African countries and fully supports regional efforts at economic
integration and political independence. It generally follows a
nonaligned policy in international forums, voting with its African
colleagues on most issues.
US-BOTSWANA RELATIONS
The United States supports Botswana's progressive political,
economic, and social development as a nonracial, democratic,
independent nation, and recognizes it as an important force for
stability in the turbulent southern African region. The United
States operates a Peace Corps program, (more than 200 volunteers),
which provides development assistance and food aid, and has an
investment guarantee agreement with the Botswana government.
The United States also seeks to encourage private-sector growth in
Botswana and to expand the role of American investment and trade
in Botswana's program of economic development.
Total US assistance from FY 1965 to FY 1989 was some $289
million, or an average of about $12 million annually. In FY 1988,
combined US assistance from all sources was $28.2 million, and the
amount for FY 1989 for all donors was $287.7 million. US
assistance has emphasized education, including primary and
secondary school curriculum development, and funding of training
and education both in Botswana and other countries. Since 1965,
more than 800 Batswana have completed US-funded studies at the
undergraduate or graduate level in the United States, and many more
have been to the United States for shorter term training programs.
The United States also maintains an active Fulbright program with
Botswana, in which four or five American Fulbright Scholars spend
an academic year at the University of Botswana. Several Batswana
generally come to the United States on Fulbright or other academic
grants each year.
The United States operates a small Voice of America (VOA)
relay station at Selebi-Phikwe, near Francistown, which is being
expanded to improve the quality of VOA transmissions in southern
Africa. It is the only such facility in southern or eastern Africa.
Principal US Officials Ambassador-David Passage Deputy Chief of
Mission-Jimmy Kolker AID Mission Director-vacant Public Affairs
Officer-Alice LeMaistre Peace Corps Director-Lloyd O. Pierson
The address of the US Embassy in Botswana is Embassy Drive,
P.O. Box 90, Gaborone, Botswana (tel. 353982; fax 356947; telex
2554 BD); USAID address is Barclays House, 3rd floor, Khama
Crescent, P.O.Box 2427, Gaborone; USIS, P.O. Box 90, Gaborone; VOA,
Botswana Relay Station, Private Bag 38, Selebi-Phikwe; Peace
Corps, 133 Independence Ave., P.O. Box 93, Gaborone. The long
distance telephone country code for Botswana is 267.
Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Based on history and
geography, Botswana long has had strong economic ties with South
Africa. The Southern African Customs Union, which includes
Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, and South Africa, dates from the
formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910. According to the
terms of this agreement, South Africa levies and collects most of
the customs, sales, and excise duties for the four countries, paying
out a share of the collections to each, based on each country's level
of imports. Imports from outside the customs area are subject to
common tariff rates and regulations.
The customs agreement was renegotiated in 1969, and
Botswana's share of the revenue increased from $1.7 million in
1968 to almost $141 million in 1988-89, accounting for some 13%
of the government's revenues. In 1976, Botswana began to issue its
own currency, the pula, which is fully convertible. It is evaluated
against a basket of currencies that is heavily weighted to the South
African rand but recently has been valued 30% above the rand.
TRAVEL NOTES
Customs: American citizens do not need visas to enter
Botswana. They may stay for up to 90 days without a residence
permit.
Health: Botswana's climate is basically healthful, and tapwater is
potable in the major towns. Seek advice before swimming in lakes
or rivers, in which bilharzia (causing schistosomiasis) is prevalent.
Hepatitis is a problem in urban areas.
Transportation: Botswana is served by air from Johannesburg,
South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya by Kenya Air and Air Botswana;
London, England by British Airways; Paris, France by UTA; Lusaka,
Zambia, and Harare, Zimbabwe, by Air Botswana, Air\Zimbabwe,
Royal Swazi Airlines, and Zambia Airways. Rental cars are
available in Gaborone and other major towns. Traffic moves on the
left.
Tourist attractions: Roughly 16% of the land has been designated as
national parks or game reserves, and Botswana's Chobe National
Park and Moremi Wildlife Reserve are considered superb in terms of
wildlife and setting. The Okavango Delta also is a major tourist
area. Hotel facilities are comfortable in all major centers.
National holidays:
Business establishments and the US Embassy may be closed on the
following holidays:
New Year's Day January 2
Good Friday varies
Easter Monday varies
Ascension Thursday varies
President's Day July 16
Botswana Day September 30
Christmas Day December 25
Boxing Day December 26
Southern African Development Coordination
Conference
Gaborone houses the Executive Secretariat of SADCC, an
organization of 10 southern African nations formed in 1980 to
accelerate regional economic growth and reduce members' economic
dependence on South Africa. Because the entire region is highly
dependent on South Africa's transportation network for import and
export routes, the main focus of SADCC efforts thus far has been on
development of alternative shorter and cheaper transportation
routes. Although its geographic location makes this effort of
limited relevance to Botswana, it has fully supported SADCC
programs.
The Batswana accept the interdependence of the region and
the continued importance of South Africa as its largest and richest
state and fully intend to continue economic ties with that nation.
Nevertheless, they also fully support efforts to reduce South
Africa's regional domination.
Published by the United States Department of State -- Bureau of
Public Affairs -- Office of Public Communication -- Washington,
DC October 1990 -- Editor: Juanita Adams Department of State
Publication 8046 -- Background Notes Series -- This material is in
the public domain and may be reprinted without permission;
citation of this source is appreciated. For sale by the
Superintendent of Documents, US Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402. (###)