Politics 324 Question 2
Highlight lessons for South Africa’s democracy and governance from Botswana and
Zimbabwe’s political experiences.
Sebudubudu & Lotshwao:
Lessons From Botswana:
Botswana, with vast diamond resources, avoided the high levels of corruption and
instability found in some other resource-rich African countries, partly because the
post-independence political and bureaucratic elite were relatively well established and
did not rely on their office to accumulate wealth.
o Central to Botswana’s success is the relationship between the government and
De Beers, which is pivotal to the country’s political economy and governance.
o Botswana and De Beers provides for a 50/50% ownership and allocation of
diamond revenues.
This partnership has been described as one the most successful and
beneficial to be entered between a developing country and a multi-
national company.
o The country uses its mineral wealth to invest in infrastructural development
and to provide social services such as health, education, clean water and road
networks.
Botswana is politically stable and is counted as the oldest multiparty democracy in
Africa. Much of African nations are a one-party state.
Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) was not a liberation movement, that had to
transform into a political party.
Since independence it has held regular, free and competitive elections in terms of the
Constitution. Although, it is a one-party dominant state (Botswana Democratic Party,
BDP).
Its system provides for the vice-president to take over automatically if the president
retires, resigns or is incapacitated.
1
Highlight lessons for South Africa’s democracy and governance from Botswana and
Zimbabwe’s political experiences.
Sebudubudu & Lotshwao:
Lessons From Botswana:
Botswana, with vast diamond resources, avoided the high levels of corruption and
instability found in some other resource-rich African countries, partly because the
post-independence political and bureaucratic elite were relatively well established and
did not rely on their office to accumulate wealth.
o Central to Botswana’s success is the relationship between the government and
De Beers, which is pivotal to the country’s political economy and governance.
o Botswana and De Beers provides for a 50/50% ownership and allocation of
diamond revenues.
This partnership has been described as one the most successful and
beneficial to be entered between a developing country and a multi-
national company.
o The country uses its mineral wealth to invest in infrastructural development
and to provide social services such as health, education, clean water and road
networks.
Botswana is politically stable and is counted as the oldest multiparty democracy in
Africa. Much of African nations are a one-party state.
Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) was not a liberation movement, that had to
transform into a political party.
Since independence it has held regular, free and competitive elections in terms of the
Constitution. Although, it is a one-party dominant state (Botswana Democratic Party,
BDP).
Its system provides for the vice-president to take over automatically if the president
retires, resigns or is incapacitated.
1
