Mokgweetsi Masisi - The African Mirror

Oct

2023

Botswana appoints Dekop as new central bank governor

BOTSWANA President Mokgweetsi Masisi appointed Cornelius Dekop as the new central bank governor with immediate effect, his government said in a statement. He replaces Moses Pelaelo, who had served as the governor of the Bank of Botswana since 2016. The statement by the Botswana government's communications department did not provide a reason for Pelaelo's departure three days before an interest rate decision.

May

2023

By The African Mirror

Botswana says it is still keen on De Beers partnership, confident of new deal

BUSINESS

BOTSWANA wants to maintain its partnership with De Beers and is confident that ongoing negotiations for a new diamond sales agreement will succeed, a government spokesperson said. Botswana is negotiating a new sales deal with Anglo American Plc's De Beers ahead of the expiry of its current agreement, signed in 2011, later this year. President Mokgweetsi Masisi's threats to walk away from the negotiations if Botswana fails to secure a bigger share of rough diamonds produced by Debswana, their 54-year-old diamond mining joint venture, has fueled speculation that the government may end the relationship. But in a statement, government spokesperson William Sentshebeng said the negotiations…

Dec

2021

By The African Mirror

‘Diplomats brought Omicron from Europe’

NEWS

BOTSWANA’S President Mokgweetsi Masisi said some of the four diplomats who first tested positive for the Omicron coronavirus variant in the country had come from Europe, calling for a reversal of widespread travel bans imposed against southern African countries. Omicron dubbed a variant of concern by the World Health Organization, has prompted many governments to impose curbs on travel from southern Africa and to take other measures to contain it. While it is still not established where Omicron first emerged, on November 25 South Africa, followed by Botswana a day later, announced they had detected a new variant whose mutations…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

SADC meeting on insurgency postponed

NEWS

A Southern African leaders meeting that was scheduled for today to address the Islamic State-linked insurgency in Mozambique has been postponed, Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi's office has announced. The meeting was to receive a report from a team sent to Mozambique to assess the security situation and identify ways to support the country after IS-linked insurgents attacked the coastal town of Palma, displacing tens of thousands of people and stalling a $60 billion natural gas project. The gas project by French oil major Total is meant to transform the economy of one of Africa's poorest countries. The meeting was put…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Botswana president in self-quarantine

COVID-19

BOTSWANA's president will miss a Southern African regional meeting he had been due to chair to discuss recent attacks on Mozambique after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19, prompting him to self-quarantine, his office has said. Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique will be attending a summit of a division of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), where they will receive a report on how they can help Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province following Islamic State-linked attacks there. Botswana is the current chair of that division, which is tasked with promoting peace and security in the region. Vice President Slumber…

Sep

2020

By The African Mirror

Botswana opts to make land owners of wives with new law

NEWS

KELETSO THOBEGA A wife in Botswana can now own land alongside her husband, President Mokgweetsi Masisi has announced, in a boost for women that rights groups called long overdue. Prior to his amendment, the 2015 Land Policy stopped wives from owning land if their husbands already had some. "This amendment will allow women to be independent in marriages, and also have rights to land as any other person. We applaud this move," said women rights activist Tunah Moalosi. Women face a host of barriers to owning land - be it through skewed inheritance rights or restricted authority over assets -…