Seretse challenges Batswana to protect 60-year legacy

Former Director General of the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) and former Chief Executive Officer of the Botswana Energy Regulatory Authority (BERA), Rose Nunu Seretse, has urged Batswana to protect the foundations that have sustained the country’s development for nearly six decades.

Speaking at the launch of Weekend Post’s Botswana Beyond 60: Champions of a $40 Billion Future publication in Gaborone on Monday, Seretse said Botswana’s rise from one of the world’s poorest countries at independence in 1966 to an upper-middle-income economy was no stroke of luck.

She attributed the country’s progress to deliberate choices made by its founding leaders, who built the young republic on good governance, democracy, education, infrastructure development, self-reliance and the prudent management of mineral wealth.

“Botswana emerged from being a very poor country in 1966 to become the upper-middle-income economy it is today,” Seretse said.

At independence, Botswana had little infrastructure and only about five kilometres of tarred roads. Its transformation in the decades that followed earned the country recognition as a model of development in Africa.

Seretse acknowledged that the discovery of diamonds became a major source of prosperity, but stressed that the country’s success depended on how that wealth was managed. Diamond revenues were invested in schools, roads, hospitals and clinics, while substantial resources were devoted to educating citizens and building national capacity.

She contrasted Botswana’s experience with that of countries where mineral wealth has fuelled conflict, instability and economic hardship rather than broad-based development.

Seretse identified multiparty democracy and freedom of expression as equally important pillars of Botswana’s progress. She said the country’s willingness to accommodate opposing views—without treating disagreement as hostility—had helped shape its national development agenda.

She also highlighted the establishment of governance and oversight institutions, including the DCEC, the Office of the Ombudsman and public procurement bodies. These institutions, she said, were created through deliberate national decisions rather than solely in response to pressure from outside the country.

Drawing on her experience as head of the DCEC, Seretse said Botswana’s reputation for relatively low levels of corruption had strengthened its standing abroad. She recalled attending an international conference where, after introducing herself as a delegate from Botswana, she was unexpectedly invited to the podium because of the interest surrounding the country’s record.

Seretse also emphasised the importance of maintaining a clear separation of powers among the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary. The independence and proper functioning of all three branches, she said, were vital to preventing any one of them from becoming so powerful that the others were rendered ineffective.

She added that Botswana’s tradition of leaders leaving office when their constitutional terms expire should never be taken for granted.

As Botswana prepares to mark 60 years of independence, Seretse challenged citizens to consider whether they are preserving the legacy established by the country’s founding generation.

She asked whether Batswana were continuing the work of those who laid the foundations of the republic and whether Botswana remained the “shining example” it had long been regarded as across the continent.

“If they were to rise up now, would they be happy or disappointed?” she asked.

Seretse also urged citizens to examine their individual contributions to the country’s development.

“As an individual, what is your role in shaping this country towards economic prosperity?” she asked, encouraging Batswana to consider whether they were adding meaningful value to the nation or merely becoming statistics.

In her closing remarks, Seretse called on citizens to preserve Botswana’s peace and play an active role in its economic transformation.

“Finally, remember, there is only one Botswana,” she said. “Some countries have independence but do not have peace. Nurture the peace, guard it jealously and be counted in the economic transformation agenda.”

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