2020 in Botswana

Incumbents

• President: Mokgweetsi Masisi
• [Vice President of Botswana|President of Botswana|Vice President]: Slumber Tsogwane
• Speaker of the National Assembly: Phandu Skelemani
• Chief Justice of Botswana: Terence Rannowane

Ongoing

• 2019–2022 locust infestation
• 2020–2022 Botswana elephant die offs
• Attempts to overturn the 2019 Botswana general election
• COVID-19 pandemic in Botswana
• White-backed vulture poisonings in Africa

Events

January

• January – Botswana receives a 1.4 billion pula loan from the World Bank to fund water supply improvements.
• 8 January – The Court of Appeal rules that a bid to overturn the 2019 Botswana general election may be heard.
• 12–24 January – A hearing is held to investigate the derailment of a Botswana Railways passenger train the previous month.
• 15 January – Louis Vuitton buys the Sewelô diamond.
• 21 January – President Masisi speaks at a panel in Davos during the World Economic Forum.
• 29 January – The Court of Appeal dismisses a case to overturn the 2019 Botswana general election.

February

• February –
• * Botswana rejects an application of Zimbabwean political refugees to stay after a High Commission on Refugees decision that Zimbabwe was safe for return.
• * Finestar Diamonds opens a manufacturing factory in Gaborone.
• * Vice President Tsogwane speaks at the reopening of the Phakalane Convention Centre following renovations.
• 7 February – Botswana auctions hunting licenses to hunt a total of 60 elephants.
• 12 February – The Gaborone High Court dismisses a challenge against the 2019 election results by Mogalakwe Mogalakwe.
• 16 February – Miguel da Costa is removed as coach of Jwaneng Galaxy F.C.
• 18 February – The Gaborone High Court dismisses with costs a challenge against the 2019 election results by Entebetse Boitshwarelo.

March

• 16 March – The Botswana Football Association suspends its league in response to COVID-19.
• 20 March – All schools are closed due to worries of the spread of COVID-19.
• 23 March – Botswana closes its borders following the first COVID-19 fatality in neighbouring Zimbabwe.
• 25 March– A 78-year-old woman who was suspected of having COVID-19 died in Ramotswa. A few days after her death, the results came back positive making it the fourth case and first death of COVID-19 in the country.
• 26 March – The government of Botswana establishes a COVID-19 relief fund.
• 30 March –
• * The first three cases of COVID-19 in the country are confirmed. Health Minister Lemogang Kwape says the three patients are in quarantine and had recently travelled to Britain and Thailand.
• * President Masisi declares a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

April

• April – Botswana evacuates its black rhinoceros population from the Okavango Delta amid increased poaching and flooding.
• 1 April – Botswana Power Corporation raises electricity tariffs by 22 percent.
• 9 April – President Masisi and the entire Parliament of Botswana go into quarantine after the nurse testing them for COVID-19 is confirmed to have COVID-19.
• 16 April – President Masisi pardons 149 prisoners to prevent prison overcrowding during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 27 April – President Masisi extends the national lockdown from May 1 to May 7.
• 30 April – The Bank of Botswana reduces interest rates and capital ratios in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

May

• 15 May – The Confederation of African Football determines that Botswana's failure to attend a 2020 U17 Women's World Cup match in Morocco due to COVID-19 was permissible.
• 20 May – Botswana's COVID-19 lockdown ends.

June

• June –
• * Fuel shortages caused by import delays and panic buying prompt Botswana to use its strategic fuel reserve.
• * Botswana grants its first generation licenses to Independent Power Producers to authorise the construction of power plants.
• * Botswana begins dehorning its rhinoceros population to discourage poaching.
• * The Botswana government hires AfriForum to prosecute Bridgette Radebe for money laundering. She sues in response for false allegations.
• 2 June – Schools reopen after 74 days of closure to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
• 4 June – Bishop Frank Nubuasah delivers a written eulogy for George Floyd, whom he had befriended in the 1990s.
• 13 June – Gaborone returns to lockdown after reports of COVID-19 cases.
• 15 June – Gaborone ends its lockdown after suspected COVID-19 cases are found to be negative.

July

• July –
• * Botswana undergoes a fuel shortage due to COVID-19.
• * Botswana holds a study in conjunction with the Harvard AIDS Initiative to test cabotegravir injections to prevent HIV/AIDS.
• * The African Chess Confederation appoints Mothokomedi Thabano, president of the Botswana Chess Federation, to be chairman of Continental Chess in Education Commission.
• 24 July – Refilwe Mooki begins the Say No to Rape campaign in Botswana.
• 25 July – National Development Bank CEO Lorato Morapedi announces the bank's shift to an agri-bank specialising in farm development.
• 27 July –
• * Parliament begins broadcasting its sessions live.
• * The Botswana Tourism Organisation begins the Rediscover Botswana initiative to increase tourism.

August

• August – Tymon Katlholo is appointed as head of the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime.
• 20 August – A report by Omnia Strategy and Alaco condemns the government of Botswana for its charges against Bridgette Motsepe and Ian Khama.
• 26 August – President Masisi makes several changes to the Cabinet, including the removal of Unity Dow and Lemogang Kwape.
• 30 August – The Trans-Okavango Charity Cycle begins.

September

• 11 September – Parliament rejects a motion to rearm wildlife officers following an increase in armed poaching.
• 17 September – Botswana allows wives to legally own land independently of their husbands.
• 19 September – Botswana becomes the 103rd country to ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.
• 22 September – Minister of Basic Education Fidelis Molao announces an initiative to teach Swahili in schools.

October

• October –
• * Choppies files a 653 million rand lawsuit against PricewaterhouseCoopers for failing to sign off the company's 2018 accounts.
• * The Bank of Botswana lowers interest rates due to slow economic activity and low inflation.
• * Construction begins on The Fields Mall.
• 8 October – Construction is completed on the Kazungula Bridge.
• 14 October – The Botswana Police Service establishes regulations for responding to gender-related violence and launches a toll-free report number for gender-related violence reports.
• 15 October – Ugandan politician Kipoi Tonny Nsubuga is arrested as an undocumented immigrant in Botswana.
• 19 October – The Botswana Teaching Professionals Council is established by Minister of Basic Education Fidelis Molao.
• 22 October – Director of the Road Safety and Transport Agency Bokhutlo Modukanele announces the introduction of the Intelligent Driver Testing System.
• 26 October – The Ntlo ya Dikgosi passes a constitutional amendment that requires members of parliament to resign if they change party affiliation.

November

• November
• * Botswana undergoes a gradual reopening of international travel.
• * Botswana signs an agreement that allows it to purchase enough COVID-19 vaccines for 20 percent of its population.
• * A 998-carat diamond, one of the largest in the world, is discovered in Karowe diamond mine by Lucara Diamond.
• * Mfolo Mfolo is suspended as CEO of the Botswana Football Association after the Botswana team is disqualified from the 2020 COSAFA Under-17 Championship. Manager Thabiso Kebotsamang is appointed as acting CEO.
• * Botswana establishes 25 gender violence courts.
• 5 November – The Botswana Defence Force shoots three Namibian men and one Zambian man on the Chobe River as suspected poachers, prompting protests in Namibia.
• 29 November – Botswana hosts the SADC Extraordinary Organ Troika Summit.
• 30 November – Petra Diamonds sells its Botswana assets, Sekaka Diamonds Exploration, to Botswana Diamonds.

December

• 11 December – Botswana begins an initiative to produce citrus plants.

Deaths

• 24 April – Kebadire Kalake, 72, Member of Parliament.
• 27 May – Thuso Letlhoma, 48, radio personality.
• 2 September – Serara Selelo-Mogwe, 93, academic.
• 8 December – Roseline Panzirah-Matshome, 44, politician.