Online Reporter
Today The HeraldOnline crew is in Botswana where the President-elect Duma Boko will be inaugurated to assume office as the 6th President of Botswana in the capital Gaborone.
Botswana held its presidential elections on 30 October 2024, and President-elect Boko emerged victorious, defeating outgoing President Mokgweetsi Masisi of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).
BDP governed the southern African nation for 58 years, since independence from Britain in 1966, and held the presidency.
During the 30 October plebiscite, Boko of the main opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change party and two other men challenged Mr Masisi for President – Dumelang Saleshando of the Botswana Congress Party and Mephato Reatile from the Botswana Patriotic Front.
It is an electric atmosphere in Gaborone as people from all walks of life started gathering for the inauguration in the wee hours of this morning.
We will keep you updated as this story unfolds.
President Mnangagwa leaves for Boko’s Inauguration
President Mnangagwa, who is also the SADC Chair, has left the country for the inauguration of Botswana’s in coming President Duma Boko.
President Boko’s Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) won 36 seats in parliament in elections held on October 30, followed by Botswana Congress Party (BCP) with 15, while Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) and BDP managed five and four seats, respectively.
The lawyer, aged 54, became Botswana’s sixth president following his swearing-in last Friday.
President Mnangangwa last week commended the UDC coalition for its success and welcomed outgoing President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s commitment to a smooth and orderly transition.
President Mnangagwa arrive in Gaborone
President Mnangagwa who is also the Sadc chairperson has arrived in Botswana, Gaborone, for the inauguration of the country’s sixth President, Duma Boko.
The President is accompanied by acting Foreign Affairs Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu and other senior Government officials.
He was welcomed at Seretse Khama International Airport by the Zimbabwe Ambassador to Botswana Batsiraiishe Mukonoweshuro and embassy staff.
Presidents Boko’s Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) won 36 seats in Parliament in elections that were held on October 30, followed by Botswana Congress Party (BCP) with 15, while Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) and BDP managed five and four seats, respectively.
Mr Boko becomes Botswana’s sixth President following his swearing-in last Friday.
President Mnangagwa last week commended the UDC for its success and welcomed outgoing President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s commitment to a smooth transition.
Standing ovation for President Mnagagwa
President Mnangagwa received a standing ovation as he entered the National Stadium in Gaborone, Botswana, this morning, for the inauguration of President Duma Boko.
The President is sitting next to former Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi and other Sadc Heads of State.
Botswana’s President Duma Boko’s inauguration is now underway.
Meet Botswana’s President Duma Boko
Zimpapers Politics Hub
NEWLY elected Botswana President, Duma Boko, describes himself as a social democratic whose main mission is to diversify his country’s economy, which for years has relied on diamond mining revenue.
Sworn in on November 2, President Boko is being inaugurated today in Botswana’s capital, Gaborone, at a ceremony being attended by Zimbabwe’s President, the Sadc chair and other Heads of States and dignitaries.
Of the 61 seats in the national assembly, the Umbrella for Democratic Change, a coalition led by President Boko, won 36 seats, while the Botswana Congress Party got 15 seats, followed by the Botswana Patriotic Front (5 seats) and the former ruling party – the Botswana Democratic Party getting four seats.
An independent candidate won the remaining seat in the country’s national assembly.
Largely unknown outside the country, President Boko played a crucial role in the formation of the Umbrella for Democratic Change – a coalition of three political parties namely the Botswana National Front, the Botswana Movement for Democracy and the Botswana People’s Party.
For the 2024 elections, the coalition included the Alliance for Progressives.
President Boko is a lawyer by training and is considered a social democratic who read law at the University of Botswana and at Harvard Law School.
He was raised in Mahalapye, a village 200km from the country’s capital, Gaborone.
Judging by his campaign messages, President Boko identifies with the ordinary folks of the society and has promised to diversify and transform the economy from over-reliance on minerals, particularly diamonds, which account for 90 percent of export revenue.
One of his other messages that resonated well with the electorate was his promise to raise the basic pay, students’ allowances, and old-age pensions.
He said his priority was on the youth who account for 70 percent of the country’s population, which is below 35 years old.
President returns home
Kudakwashe Mugari in GABORONE, Botswana
President Mnangagwa has returned home from Botswana, Gaborone, where he witnessed the inauguration of President Duma Boko, who is the southern African country’s sixth leader.
The President was accompanied by acting Foreign Affairs Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu and other senior Government officials.
He was welcomed at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport by Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga and other officials.
President Boko won the elections after his Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) won 36 seats in Parliament in elections that were held on October 30, followed by Botswana Congress Party (BCP) with 15, while Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) and BDP managed five and four seats, respectively.
Last week President Mnangangwa commended the UDC coalition for its success and welcomed outgoing President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s commitment to a smooth transition.
leeroy mupariri
