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The Bobirwa regiment’s vigilance and teamwork will contribute to government’s goal of effectively fighting Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and combating cross-border stock theft.

This was said by Acting Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Dr Edwin Dikoloti during the handover of Mmadikgaka Veterinary Camp to the Bobirwa regiment, which has been  maintaining the cordon fence along the Shashe River to control movement of animals between Botswana and Zimbabwe.

The camp will be used by the regiments who have been maintaining the veterinary cordon fences in the Bobirwa District. Dr Dikoloti was optimistic that regular maintenance of the cordon fence by the regiment would make a difference.

“You have shown extraordinary commitment and quick action in the face of adversity. This swift response will not only protect your livestock but also ensure the well-being of the entire agricultural sector,” he said.

He stated that community-based approaches, such as mephato, complement existing sustainable land management initiatives, including those backed by the Green Climate Fund, Ecosystem-Based Adaptation and the Migration Plan implemented in Bobirwa and other areas.

He further commended farmers and the community in Zone 7 area for the swift response in combating the spread of FMD. Dr Dikoloti said the recurrence of FMD outbreaks remained high, primarily driven by persistent challenges such as illegal cross-border movement of livestock and people, and crucially, poor livestock management practices.

Dr Dikoloti further shared that government considered the current FMD threat as an emergency that had the potential to become a national disaster, considering the rapid spread of the disease across Southern Africa. He said FMD had the potential to devastate the national economy and livelihoods emanating from the high costs of control measures.

Dr Dikoloti said it was for that reason that the National FMD Command Centre was established to ensure inter-ministerial coordination. He added that the FMD response plan had been approved with a budget of P97 million for immediate implementation of short-term measures such as vaccines, repair of the cordon fence and other related activities.

For his part, Kgosi Phillip Tamocha of Robelela, expressed gratitude for government’s commitment in efforts to fight the spread of FMD. He said Robelela and Tshokwe communities had long felt the impact of the disease. Therefore, he was hopeful that the camp would help in the FMD fight.

For his part, Minister of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, Mr Ketlhalefile Motshegwa, who is also a Member of Parliament for Mmadinare appreciated the role traditional leaders in Robelela and Tshokwe played in combating the spread of FMD.

He said it was commendable that these communities were actively collaborating and making significant efforts to augment the initiatives put forth by government, thereby ensuring both economic stability and the continued growth of agricultural practices

He said livestock rearing had historically been the foundation of the economies in the communities of Tshokwe and Robelela, and the tradition not only sustained local livelihoods but also played a crucial role in preserving cultural heritage.

President Advocate Duma Boko has accepted a mandate to champion the rights of Africa’s indigenous peoples, saying this was informed by a personal commitment to addressing historical injustices and cultural erasure. 

A passionate human rights lawyer, President Boko accepted the new assignment, presented by commissioner, Dr Litha Musyimi-Ogana of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) on Tuesday. 

Accepting the role, President Boko pledged to advocate for the rights and dignity of marginalised communities who have long faced discrimination and cultural suppression in Botswana and across the region 

“I am honoured and humbled to be asked to be the champion. It is one that I accept with humility,” said President Boko, pointing out that the assignment was by nature, what he was accustomed to. 

He pledged to raise their voice, protect, preserve and develop solidarity among the indigenous people on the continent. 

President Boko pointed out that indigenous people in Botswana, South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe and Zambia, faced challenges, some perpetuated by dominant tribes who labelled them by the main tribes as the San. 

“What do they call themselves? Why do we call them the San?” President Boko questioned, pointing out that labelling them and characterising them as hunters and gatherers owing to their culture was the beginning of the problem. 

The word San, he said, was derogatory, but had been convenient for the dominant tribes to refer to them as such. 

Also, he said indigenous people had dominant tribes imposing their culture upon them, such as requiring them to have chiefs, herdmen and their deputies. 

Such imposition is meant to defy and trample upon the indigenous people’s culture, President Boko said. 

He appreciated Dr Musyimi-Ogana’s visit since it prompted looking into the injustices meted out to the indigenous people and also stressed the need to have the plight of the indigenous people addressed with their input, as they  deserved respect. 

He said there would be a series of actions and interventions, to address indigenous people’s challenges. 

Dr Musyimi-Ogana, said that since President Boko had been championing the rights of the indigenous people, they appointed him to be the champion in Africa. 

She presented President Boko with the letter as well as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. 

The commission is working on developing the indigenous people’s map in Africa, to understand what they call themselves, Dr Musyimi-Ogana explained that there was a need to have data that identified indigenous people across Africa. 

She said their knowledge had been misplaced, and in many cases, were misinformed.

otswana women relay teams have reported for camp on Monday to prepare for the World Athletics Relays slated for Gaborone on May 2-3.

The team is expected to compete in the 4x100m, 4x100m mixed, 4x400m mixed and 4x400m relays.

According to the Botswana Athletics Association acting president, Oabona Theetso, the team would be based in Francistown, before moving to Gaborone on March 15, to participate in the Lefika International Relays 2026 at the National Stadium on March 28.

He said the women’s team would be joined by the men’s team at the Gaborone camp and fully prepare for World Relays as a unit. He said foreign-based athletes amongst them Sethunya Majama, Motlatsi Ranti and Tlhompang Basele were yet to report for camp.

Theetso said they were in contact with their respective coaches to organise a camp for the said athletes. However, he said they were happy with some of the relay team members, who competed at the Botswana Tertiary Student Sport Association Track and Field event, which was held in Francistown on Sunday.

Nearly one in two citizens struggles to access enough safe and nutritious food to live active, healthy and productive lives, says University of Botswana, human nutrition Professor Maria Nnyepi.

Professor Nnyepi said that  for the 2022/23 period, 49.4 per cent of the population experienced moderate or severe food insecurity, a figure that starkly illustrated how widespread and deeply rooted the problem had become.

“Food insecurity is not simply about the 20.2 per cent of Batswana who often sleep hungry due to lack of food, it also includes the 29.2 per cent who often worry and are uncertain of where their next meal will come from, or find themselves eating food of lower nutritional quality or quantity than they would like simply because they do not have a choice,” she said.

For many households, the reality translates into smaller portions, skipped meals and diets dominated by low-cost staples, high fat and sugary foods with limited nutritional value. Over time, Professor Nnyepi explained, this undermined health, learning outcomes for children and overall productivity, perpetuating cycles of poverty and vulnerability.

“As Botswana navigates the complex realities of undernutrition, over nutrition and food insecurity, it must be remembered that nutrition is not just a health issue, it is a foundation for national development. Investing in better nutrition today is an investment in healthier and a more productive generations tomorrow,” she said.

Highlighting Botswana’s nutrition landscape, Professor Nnyepi noted that it reflected stark contrasts.

“On one hand, 28.9 per cent of children under five are stunted, indicating chronic nutritional deprivation with irreversible effects on physical and cognitive development. Wasting affects 7.3 per cent of children, a rate higher than the Southern African regional average and a marker of acute vulnerability,” said Professor Nnyepi.

On the other hand, she stated that obesity had risen sharply, particularly among adults.

“More than one in three women (32.1 per cent) are obese, compared to 9.7 per cent of men. Diet-related non-communicable diseases now account for 46 per cent of all deaths in Botswana, with diabetes affecting 10.6 per cent of adult women and 8.8 per cent of adult men,” said Professor Nnyepi.

She attributed those trends to urbanisation, changing lifestyles and unhealthy food environments that have transformed eating habits, often at the expense of nutritional quality. These trends she said, were not simply matters of personal choice, ‘they are shaped by food systems, urban design, economic pressures and policy environments that allow unhealthy options to be cheaper and more accessible than nutritious ones.’

One of the most significant drivers of food insecurity in Botswana, Professor Nnyepi added, had been persistent food price inflation. As the cost of basic food items continues to rise, household purchasing power has steadily eroded.

Even families with some form of income, find themselves unable to keep up with escalating prices, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas, where people depend almost entirely on purchased food rather than subsistence production. Persuaded by price per volume over quality, many households live from month to month on starchy food packages commonly known as Combo.

Sharing similar sentiments, vegetable vendor, Mr Keemenao Nkgware, said Botswana’s heavy reliance on food imports had compounded the challenge of food insecurity. He explained that a large proportion of staple foods consumed in the country were sourced from outside the borders, making local prices highly sensitive to global market fluctuations, exchange rate movements and supply chain disruptions.

“When international prices rise or transport costs increase, the impact is quickly felt on supermarket shelves and ultimately on household dinner tables,” he said.

Consequences are especially severe for low-income households, who spend a disproportionately large share of their income on food.

“When prices rise, these families have little room to adjust, food becomes the first and most painful compromise, often at the expense of nutrition and health care related expenses,” he said.

“Bagolo ba ja di bonzi, di ice pop, just to keep energy, while the reality is that those do not provide any quality nutrients,” he added.

While Botswana’s situation is acute, it reflects a broader regional trend. Across Africa, hunger is rising in most sub-regions, even as global hunger levels show signs of improvement.

Climate shocks, economic pressures, conflict and structural weaknesses in food systems continue to undermine food security across the continent. This contrast underscores a critical reality: global progress does not automatically translate into local resilience.

A nutritionist in the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture, Mr Baeng Ntime, argued that addressing food insecurity in Botswana required local and regional solutions that went beyond short-term relief.

“Strengthening domestic food production, investing in climate-resilient agriculture and supporting smallholder farmers are essential steps toward reducing dependence on imports,” he said.

Equally important, he added, were social protection measures that shielded vulnerable households from price shocks, ensuring that access to food was treated not as a privilege, but as a basic right. Mr Ntime also pointed out that nutrition education and dietary diversification played a key role.

“Access to food must be matched with access to nutritious food, particularly for children, pregnant women and the elderly. Without this, the country risks facing a dual burden of under nutrition and diet-related non-communicable diseases, an outcome that strains both households and the health system,” he said.

Ultimately, food insecurity is not just an agricultural or economic issue; it is a human development challenge. It affects how children learn, how adults work and how communities thrive. These have a direct bearing on our aspirations of becoming a first income country by 2036.

As Professor Nnyepi noted, the persistence of hunger amid available resources highlights the urgency of rethinking how food systems are designed and who they serve. 

“Without decisive and coordinated action, food insecurity will remain the underlying crisis shaping Botswana’s nutrition landscape quietly, but relentlessly,” she said.