25 Nov 2025

Botswana’s democratic institutions must be strengthened to restore public trust and enhance accountability, Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse has said.

Speaking at the three-day Commonwealth Governance Capacity Building Workshop in Gaborone on Monday, Mr Keorapetse told lawmakers, judges and senior government officials that democracy required deliberate protection and continuous renewal.  

“Democracy is never self-sustaining. It requires vigilance, courage and renewal,” he said.

Citing findings from the 2023 Afrobarometer Survey, the Speaker highlighted widespread frustration across Africa over democracy’s inability to deliver development, justice and essential public goods even as citizens overwhelmingly reject authoritarianism.

“It is our duty as parliamentarians to deliver this democracy, to ensure it is in adequate supply,” he added.

Mr Keorapetse described the ongoing Constitutional Review as “the most important democratic project of our time,” saying a credible and transparent process could restore institutional balance and deepen democratisation.

He cautioned against excessive concentration of power in Botswana’s historically dominant executive arm, stressing the need for robust parliamentary oversight and an independent judiciary.

He further encouraged the judiciary to interpret and shape the law without fear or favour.

The Speaker also raised concern over poor gender representation in Parliament, describing the presence of only six women among 69 MPs as detrimental to good governance.

He appealed for cross-party unity, echoing President Advocate Duma Boko’s call for legislators to rise above partisan divides and re-establish Parliament as ‘a workshop of democracy’.

“Ethical leadership and strong oversight through institutions such as the Public Accounts Committee remain essential to rebuilding public confidence,” he said. In her remarks, the Commonwealth

Secretariat’s acting advisor and Head of the Rule of Law Section, Dr Elizabeth Macharia, cautioned against the misconception that separation of powers required the three arms of government to avoid interaction.

“Independence is not isolation. It is inter-dependence. State organs cannot function effectively in isolation,” she said.

Dr Macharia commended Botswana’s peaceful 2024 political transition as ‘dignified’, affirming the Commonwealth’s commitment to supporting democratic resilience through high-level training on governance, the rule of law and women’s political participation.

“We must continue building a thriving democracy for future generations,” she added.

She noted that the workshop held under the theme: Strengthening Democractic Governance in Botswana, was designed to address threats to institutional independence through high-level discussions, international case examples and fictional case simulations. ENDS