Between the seventh and 13th centuries, parts of Botswana were populated by thriving agricultural communities. In the 14th century, these communities came under the control of powerful Tswana dynasties originating in the region to the east, which is now South Africa’s Gauteng Province. A further series of migrations followed the break-up of the main Tswana kingdoms, the Hurutshe and the Kwena, from the late 17th century. These migrants were firmly established in the southern part of Botswana and had established a powerful military state controlling hunting, cattle-breeding and copper mining
by the 18th century.
The early 19th century brought another period of upheaval, as peoples from the north, dislocated by slavery and the collapse of their local economies, moved to new territory. The Kololo were followed by the Ndebele. They were quickly succeeded by British colonialists and Boer settlers. The local rulers, notably the Tswana King Sechele, who ruled between 1829 and 1892, allied themselves with the British against the Boers. In a form of sub-contracted or privatized colonialism characteristic of the British Empire, Botswana was eventually brought under British protectorate control in 1890, by the British South Africa Company, who supervised the territory and which became known as Bechuanaland Protectorate.
The British intended to hand the territory over to the then Rhodesia but, for a variety of reasons, were unable to do so; they were not prepared to cede it to South Africa. Thus, Botswana remained a British protectorate until independence in 1966; Seretse Khama became the country’s first president, a position he retained until his death in 1980. The party that he had led, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), has dominated the country’s politics since independence, having won all six sets of national elections held since then. The latest of these was held in October 2004 at which Festus Mogae won the BDP a new five-year term by a landslide majority. The main opposition party, the Botswana National Front (BNF), has made substantial progress against the BDP at local level – especially in urban areas – but the BDP’s overwhelming support in rural areas ensures its continuing rule.
The government’s main domestic priority is to tackle the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Botswana’s infection rate, estimated at 20 per cent of the total population, is among the world’s highest. Abroad, Botswana has benefited both politically and economically from the advent of democratic government in Pretoria. Relations with its other neighbors are normally cordial, although Botswana is beginning to feel the effects of the disintegration of neighboring Zimbabwe, mainly in the form of thousands of migrants who have turned to Botswana to escape food shortages and political repression.
GovernmentThe National Assembly is the country’s legislature and serves a five-year term. Forty of the 47 members are popularly elected; four others are co-opted by the elected members; two others serve ex-officio; the Speaker makes up the full complement. The Assembly appoints a President, who holds executive power and appoints a Cabinet. The House of Chiefs also serves as an important advisory body to the president.
EconomyAs a key foreign exchange earner, livestock farming is the most important part of Botswana’s agricultural sector; in addition, there is substantial subsistence agriculture. Botswana is economically closely connected to South Africa and is a member of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). It also hosts the Southern African Development Conference, which is the principal mechanism for economic co-operation.
Prudent management and the successful development of new mineral resources have afforded Botswana healthy economic growth of around 5% since the late 1990s. But the vulnerability of the agricultural sector to bad weather and commodity price fluctuations have led the government to seek to develop a service sector. The country is particularly trying to reduce its economic dependence on diamonds and instead focus on high-revenue-producing upmarket safari tourism.
However, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which is extremely serious in Botswana and mainly afflicts the productive, young and middle-aged population, is starting to have a negative effect on the country’s economy.
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