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Seretse Khama
Historical figureBW1921-1980

Seretse Khama

First President of Botswana (1966-1980) · Founder of the Botswana Democratic Party

Botswana's founding president, a chief who married a white Englishwoman, survived exile, and led a multiracial, multiparty state through fast mining-led growth while standing up to apartheid South Africa.

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Profile on 12 axes6 of 12 documented
ECONOMYSTATESOCIETYWORLDOwnershipMarketsWelfareAuthoritySecurityStructureMoralityReligionTechnologyCultureTradeForeign
Where they stood

Seretse Khama, axis by axis

  1. 01OwnershipNo clear record
    PublicPrivate
  2. 02Markets+10
    PlannedFree

    He built an export economy on beef, copper and diamonds and welcomed mining revenue.

  3. 03Welfare-30
    SharedSelf-reliant

    Mineral income paid for infrastructure, education, health and cattle subsidies, and his government introduced universal education.

  4. 04Authority-55
    DemocraticStrong leader

    Botswana held free multiparty elections under him, but one dominant party led the system.

  5. 05SecurityNo clear record
    LibertyOrder
  6. 06Structure+30
    LocalCentral

    He used his authority to reduce the power of traditional chiefs and strengthen elected local government, which centralizes power somewhat.

  7. 07MoralityNo clear record
    ProgressiveTraditional
  8. 08ReligionNo clear record
    SecularReligious
  9. 09TechnologyNo clear record
    EmbraceCaution
  10. 10Culture-50
    MulticulturalNational identity

    He ran a multiracial state at a time when neighbors were split by race, after his own marriage to a white Englishwoman caused a diplomatic dispute.

  11. 11TradeNo clear record
    GlobalProtected
  12. 12Foreign policy-45
    CooperationStrength

    He negotiated with neighbors over Zimbabwe and Namibia and helped found what became SADC, while resisting pressure from South Africa.

6 axes have no clear record, so matching leaves them out.

Who was Seretse Khama?

Seretse Khama was born on 1 July 1921 in Serowe in Bechuanaland and became chief of the Bangwato as a small child, with his uncle acting as regent. He studied at Fort Hare, at Balliol College, Oxford, and at the Inner Temple. His 1948 marriage to Ruth Williams, a white Englishwoman, set off a diplomatic dispute. Britain removed him as chief in 1950 and sent the couple into exile, and in 1956 they returned on condition that he gave up the chieftainship. He founded the Botswana Democratic Party in 1962, negotiated independence and served as the first president until his death on 13 July 1980.

Political views

  • In 1948 he married Ruth Williams, a white Englishwoman. The marriage caused a diplomatic dispute with Britain and South Africa that lasted almost a decade.Source: innertemple.org.uk
  • The Bangwato declared him chief in 1949, but Britain removed him in 1950 and exiled the couple to London. They returned in 1956 only after he renounced the chieftainship.Source: innertemple.org.uk
  • He founded the Botswana Democratic Party in 1962, and it won the first elections with universal franchise in 1965.Source: thuto.org
  • Some describe the resulting system as a paternalist democracy under one dominant party. He also used his authority to reduce the power of traditional chiefs and strengthen local democracy.Source: thuto.org
  • He sought an export economy built on beef, copper and diamonds, and mineral revenue paid for infrastructure, education, health and cattle subsidies.Source: thuto.org
  • His government set up a multiracial democracy and introduced universal education.Source: innertemple.org.uk
  • He was one of the front-line presidents who negotiated the futures of Zimbabwe and Namibia, and he is described as a key founder of what became the Southern African Development Community.Source: thuto.org
  • He argued that a nation without a past is a lost nation and urged Africans to write their own histories.Source: sahistory.org.za

Legacy

Admirers credit Khama with keeping Botswana peaceful, non-racial and democratic while neighbors suffered war and corruption, and with an economy that was described as the fastest growing in the world between 1966 and 1980. Critics note that one dominant party governed, which some call a paternalist democracy. They also point to the inequalities that appeared after his death, even though diamond and mineral wealth funded schools and clinics.

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Seretse Khama: questions

Why was Seretse Khama exiled?

After he married Ruth Williams, a white Englishwoman, in 1948, Britain removed him as chief in 1950 and sent the couple to London. They came back in 1956 on condition that he renounced the chieftainship.

Was Botswana a democracy under Seretse Khama?

It held multiparty elections with universal suffrage, and his Botswana Democratic Party won them. Some call it a paternalist democracy under one dominant party.

Who was the first president of Botswana?

Seretse Khama. Bechuanaland became independent in 1966 and was renamed Botswana, and he served as president until his death in 1980.

Sources

Portrait: Seretse Khama 1977 (2).png by European Communities Director: Allan Watson Architect: Jean Polak,Jean Gilson,Lucien De Vestel,André Polak, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and converted to grayscale by 12axes-test.com.