BOTSWANA

the least corrupt country in Africa

Formerly Bechuanaland Protectorate under the British, Botswana became

independent in 1966. Botswana means "place of Tswana" in the dominant national
language ( Set swana), and the citizenry are called Bat swana, or Tswana people. The term
Batswana, however, bears a double meaning. In government rhetoric, it refers to all
citizens of Botswana. But the word also refers to ethnically "Tswana" people, as distinct
from the other ethnic groups present in the country. This double meaning allows for both
the expression of strong civic national sentiments and debate about the dominance of
Tswana people and ideology over the broader population. The double meaning has also
permitted the fiction, widely accepted in outside reporting, that Botswana's success as a
multiparty liberal democracy is based on an ethnically homogeneous population, when
abundant state resources based upon diamond mining, responsibly and equitably
distributed, are the more likely source of stability.

Botswana is a landlocked and arid country. Bordering on South Africa, Zimbabwe,

Namibia, and Zambia, it is 224,607 square miles (581,730 square kilometers) in area,
about the same size as France. Two-thirds of the country is comprised of the Kalahari
Desert, which is covered with grasses and scrub but has scarce surface water. Mean
annual rainfall ranges from under 10 inches (250 millimeters) per annum in the southwest
to over 25 inches (635 millimeters) in the northeast. The entire country is prone to
extended droughts, causing significant hardship to agriculturalists, pastoralists, and
hunter-gatherers.

Botswana has diverse areas of wildlife habitat. In addition to the delta and desert
areas, there are grasslands and savannas, where Blue Wildebeest, antelopes, and other
mammals and birds are found. Northern Botswana has one of the few remaining large
populations of the endangered African Wild Dog. Chobe National Park, found in
the Chobe District, has the world's largest concentration of African elephants. The park
covers about 11,000 km2 (4,247 sq mi) and supports about 350 species of birds.

Botswana faces two major environmental problems: drought and desertification.

The desertification problems predominantly stem from the severe times of drought in the
country. Three quarters of the country's human and animal populations depend on
groundwater due to drought. Groundwater use through deep borehole drilling has Commented [LDC1]:

somewhat eased the effects of drought. Surface water is scarce in Botswana and less than Commented [LDC2R1]:

5% of the agriculture in the country is sustainable by rainfall. In the remaining 95% of the
country, raising livestock is the primary source of rural income. Approximately 71% of the
country's land is used for communal grazing, which has been a major cause of the
desertification and the accelerating soil erosion of the country.

Botswana's population has grown from 600,000 people in 1971 to an estimated

1,600,000 in 2000. While very high growth rates in the 1970s and 1980s have declined,
high birth rates and declining infant mortality have led to a population structure heavily
skewed toward young people: 43 percent of the population was under fifteen in 1991.
Although ethnically Tswana people are often said to be a majority, government censuses
collect no information on ethnicity. Earlier studies indicated that in some regions, Tswana
were a minority, and that all polities were composed of people of heterogeneous origins,
including Kalanga, Yei, Mbukushu, Subiya, Herero, Talaote, Tswapong, Kgalagadi, Kaa,
Birwa, and varied peoples known as Bushmen (or, in Botswana, Sarwa). There are also
resident Europeans and Indians.

Bantu, Khoisan, and Indo-European languages are spoken in Botswana. English is

the official language and Setswana the national language. This means that the language
of government and higher education is primarily English, but that Setswana is the
dominant language spoken in the country. Ninety percent of the population is said to
speak Setswana.

Pula," the Setswana word for rain, is featured on the coat of arms, and is called
out frequently at public gatherings as a salute and cry of approbation. It is also the term
for the national currency. The national anthem is "Lefatshe la Rona," ("Our Country"), and
its title captures the strong attachment most Batswana feel to the land and its resources,
as well as some antiforeign sentiments. Cattle were tremendously important not just to
a material economy but also to the symbolic economy of status, family, and social
relations in the past, and cattle remain powerfully evocative to most Batswana today.

The Constitution of Botswana is the rule of law which protects the citizens of
Botswana and represents their rights. The politics of Botswana take place in a framework
of a representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Botswana is both head
of state and head, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the
government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Parliament of
Botswana. The most recent election, its tenth, was held on October 16, 2009.

Since independence was declared, the party system has been dominated by
the Botswana Democratic Party. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the
legislature. According to Transparency International, Botswana is the least corrupt
country in Africa and ranks similarly close to Portugal and South Korea.

This year, Botswana was ranked as less corrupt than many countries in Europe
such as Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece (which has improved upon its 2012
score).A press release from the government of Botswana cites a number of bodies as
contributing factors to Botswanas comparatively impressive ranking:Botswana's
success in the annual survey over the years has been attributed to our zero tolerance
approach to corruption buttressed by the putting into place of multiple oversight
institution, such as the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC), Public
Procurement and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB), the Competition Authority and the
Financial Intelligence Agency. Botswana, as well as being the least corrupt country in
Africa, is also one of Africas freest economies. This year, the Heritage Foundation
ranked Botswana as the 30th most economically free country in the world in their
annual Index of Economic Freedom (the only African country to rank higher than
Botswana in this index was the island nation of Mauritius).
 List of Diplomatic Officers

H.E. Dr. Tebelelo Mazile Seretse Col. Bruce N. Thobane

Ambassador of the Republic of Botswana to Defense, Military & Air Attach
the US
Email: bnthobane@botswanaembassy.org

Ms. Emolemo Morake

Ms. Neo Maruping
Minister Counselor
Education Attach
Email: emorake@botswanaembassy.org
Email: nmaruping@botswanaembassy.org

Mr. Innocent Matengu

Ms. Mighty Mohurutshe
Counselor (Political Affairs)
Administrative Attach
Email: imatengu@botswanaembassy.org
Email:
mmohurutshe@botswanaembassy.org
Ms. Chenesani Asa
Second Secretary (Visa, Immigration and Mr. Barongwa Master Baipidi
Consular)
Training Attach
Email: casa@botswanaembassy.org
Email: bbaipidi@botswanaembassy.org

Mr. Masego Nkgomotsang

Second Secretary (Economic Affairs)
Email:
mnkgomotsang@botswanaembassy.org

Ms. Dineo Mpuchane

First Secretary (Administration)
Email:dmpuchane@botswanaembassy.org