Since Botswana gained independence from Britain on September 30, 1966, the Southern African nation has been ruled by five presidents including Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, Seretse Khama Ian Khama, and Seretse Khama. The first president was Sir Seretse Khama, who served from 1966 to 1980. He was succeeded by Quett Masire, who served as president from 1980 to 1998. Festus Mogae then took over as president and served from 1998 to 2008. Ian Khama served as president from 2008 to 2018, and Mokgweetsi Masisi has been the current president since 2018.
While many African countries have faced coups d’etats at different points in their existence, Botswana is one of the few that has never experienced such. This explains why the presidents of Botswana have led the country through significant economic, social, and political transformations. Also, the country serves as a model of democracy and development in Africa. Their legacies continue to inspire people in Botswana and beyond.
Meet The Presidents of Botswana From Past to Present
1. Seretse Khama
- Date of Birth: 1 July 1921– 13 July 1980
- Presidential Term: 30 September 1966 – 13 July 1980
- Political party: BDP
He was born Seretse Goitsebeng Maphiri Khama on July 1, 1921. Seretse Khama was the first president of the landlocked country. He assumed office on September 30, 1966, through election. Prior, Khama was elected as the first prime minister of the country in 1965, a position that no one ever held as the country changed its system of government.
He had been involved in politics during the British colonial rule in the country and was recognized as a chieftain of his people, the Bamangwato. However, his position was challenged when he married a White woman named, Ruth Williams in a time when interracial marriages were considered taboo. While many like Julius Nyerere of Tanzania described their love as one of the great love stories of the world, many more opposed it.
On the one hand, there were the tribal elders of Bechuanaland who opposed it because they expected him as a member of the royal family to marry one of their women.
On the other hand was South Africa which had introduced the racial segregation system known as apartheid. Since Britain, the colonial power in Bechuanaland was getting cheap mineral resources from South Africa, the country pushed for Khama’s banishment.
He and his wife were exiled in 1951. They were allowed to return to Bechuanaland as private citizens in 1956 after he renounced his tribal chieftaincy. Needless to say, Khama soon joined local politics and even rose to the position of secretary of the tribal council in the late 60s. In 1961, he founded the Bechuanaland Democratic Party which is now known as Botswana Democratic Party.
He was elected as the country’s first president under the party’s flag. Notably, Khama set the country on the path of development through its mining industry. Unsurprisingly, Botswana had the fastest-growing economy in the world between 1960 and 80. He was elected three times in 1969, 1974, and 1979 in a tenure that lasted 13 years. Sadly, he died in his sleep during his last tenure.
2. Quett Masire
- Date of Birth: 23 July 1925– 22 June 2017
- Presidential Term: 18 July 1980 – 31 March 1998
- Political Party: BDP
He started as the vice president during Khama’s tenure and assumed office shortly after his death. Quett Masire assumed office on July 13, 1980. Like his predecessor, Masire worked towards the independence struggle of his country.
He served for three terms from 1980 to 1998 making him the longest serving Botswana president. Masire retired from politics in 1998. Notably, the former president became a strong critic of the BDP claiming that the party had moved from the ideals in which it was formed.
Sadly, He died on June 29, 2017, at the age of 91.
3. Festus Mogae
- Date of Birth: 21 August 1939
- Presidential Term: 1 April 1998 – 1 April 2008
- Political Party: BDP
He is the third president of Botswana who served two tenures that lasted between 1998 and 2008. Festus Mogae was born on August 21, 1939 in Serowe. He studied Economics in the UK and when he assumed office, he embarked on a campaign to tackle poverty and the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the country.
After his second tenure ended, Mogae left office. Needless to say, he has remained active in pursuing different courses including being a special envoy of the UN Secretary General on Climate Change. He also sits on the advisory board of TeachAids, a US nonprofit.
4. Seretse Khama Ian Khama
- Date of Birth: 27 February 1953
- Presidential Term: 1 April 2008- 1 April 2018
- Political Party: BDP
He served for two terms as the fourth president of the country. Seretse Khama Ian Khama who is also referred to as Ian Khama is the second child of the former resident, Seretse Khama. Aside from sharing a name with his father, Ian also took a career footstep in politics and reached the highest office on April 1, 2008, after Mogae stepped down making him one of few sons of former presidents to achieve this feat. Others include Gnassingbé Eyadema and Faure Eyadema of Togo, Jomo Kenyatta and Uhuru Kenyata of Kenya, and Joseph Kabila
Before this, he was trained at the military academy in Sandhurst, UK, and held positions like commander of the Botswana Defense Force. He retired from military service on March 31, 1998, and went fully into politics the following month when he became the vice president under Festus Mogae.
He eventually became president after Mogae stepped down in 2008. Though he promised continuity in policy, his government was accused of many controversies. These include the killing of John Khalifas, party manipulations, and illegal possession of firearms.
Ian served in office for two five-year tenures that lasted 10 years before leaving office in 2018. He also left the BDP which his father helped to found and joined the Botswana Patriotic Front(BPF). As mentioned earlier, he has faced some controversies including the possession of firearms and this led to the issuance of an arrest in 2022. However, he failed to appear in court leading to a 14-count charge against him
See Also: 10 Presidents That Ruled Africa Longest
5. Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi
- Date of Birth: 21 July 1962
- Presidential Term: 1 April 2018
- Political Party: BDP
Mokgweetsi Masisi is fondly called ‘Sisiboy’ as a play on his surname and he assumed office on April 1, 2018, as the fifth president of the country under the BDP. Before this, he had worked in other political offices such as the vice president. Like Ian Khama, Masisi’s father, Edison Masisi was very active in the politics of Botswana.
In the early years of his career, Masisi worked as an actor and is notable for acting in the lead role in the production of Cry the Beloved Country, based on Alan Paton’s book of the same name. Also, he took up a teaching career and taught at the secondary school level. He served as the Chancellor of the University of Botswana during Ian Khami’s presidency.
More on his presidency, Masisi reversed some of the policies of his predecessor such as lifting the ban on elephant hunting. This and other issues made Ian Khama regret making Masisi his successor. He went as far back as calling it a mistake.
