‘Hacker’ husband free to go after alleged love rival drops charges A soldier accused of hacking a herdboy he allegedly caught in bed with his wife is a free man after his apparent love rival dropped the charges against him. 51-year-old Sergeant Keamogetse Kaorapela faced one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm for the bloody events said to have occurred in the early hours of 19 March. Allegedly armed with a small axe and a shotgun, the bespectacled Botswana Defence Force (BDF) member reportedly arrived at his wife’s residence in Malwelwe village in the dead of night. It is believed she was in bed with Karabo Odirile Morapane, 45, at the time, and refused to open the front door for her husband. Sources say Kaorapela, who is stationed at Thebephatshwa Air Base, then beat the door down with his axe to gain entrance to the house, where Morapane was...

*Lead poisoning linked to dying vultures and failing kidneys A disturbing environmental and public health crisis may be quietly unfolding across Botswana, with experts warning that lead contamination is not only devastating wildlife populations but also poses a direct threat to human health. At a workshop organised by Birdlife Botswana last Friday in Maun, presentation data from North West District Council’s Environmental Health Department, laid bare a terrifying reality. Botswana’s iconic vulture populations are rapidly vanishing, but the root cause, lead poisoning, is far from just a wildlife tragedy. It represents an immediate, cross-over threat to human health, driven by contaminated game meat, unregulated backyard cookware, and toxic drinking water. The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) together with the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) also confirmed that lead-based ammunition is heavily used in regional hunting, warning that this toxic heavy metal completely contaminates the surrounding environment besides the meat...

Sunday Standard The Constitution said yes. Botswana hasn’t Every June, the world erupts in rainbow colours. Corporate logos transform overnight. Development partners such as UN family and International Cooperations issue carefully worded statements about diversity and inclusion. Social media fills with declarations of allyship that, come July, quietly disappear. .ihc-locker-wrap{} There’s more to this story But to keep reading, we need you to subscribe. Investigative journalism is an indispensable part of a healthy society, but it’s also expensive to produce. We are reliant on subscriptions to fund our work, and while you can enjoy most of our stories for free, a small number of premium features are reserved for subscribers. You can subscribe for one week, a month or a full year – the choice is yours. Save 77% on an annual subscription. Click here to find out how. Existing subscribers can log in to keep reading here. jQuery(document).ready( function(){...

*Availability of vital drugs in Francistown below 56 percent The City of Francistown continues to grapple with numerous health challenges despite interventions and promises made by the Ministry of Health. In addition to a shortage of nurses and dilapidated facilities, in keeping with the rest of Botswana, the country’s second city is also facing an acute shortage of vital drugs. According to the Urban Development Committee (UDC) fourth-quarter report, the availability of essential drugs remains way below the national target of 97 percent and has declined from the previous quarter at both facility and warehouse levels. Although the report does not provide the latest figures, the UDC’s March report showed that the availability of vital drugs stood at 56 percent, essential drugs at 47 percent. Vital drugs are regarded as life-saving medicines or ‘first-line’ treatments that are absolutely crucial for providing basic health services and preventing imminent death. Essential drugs...

Botswana athletics legend Isaac Makwala has taken another significant step in giving back to society through the establishment of the Isaac Makwala Foundation.  The foundation, which will be officially launched on 19 June at the Gaborone International Convention Centre (GICC), aims to preserve the sprinter’s legacy, while creating opportunities for young people across the country. Further to this, the foundation aims to empower communities through sport development, education, mentorship, youth empowerment and social impact programmes. Minister of Sport and Arts, Jacob Kelebeng, will officiate at the foundation’s launch, which is expected to attract stakeholders from the sporting fraternity, government, the corporate sector and the wider community. According to the foundation, its mission is to use sport as a tool to inspire positive change, develop talent and create opportunities for young people while promoting sporting excellence throughout Botswana. Makwala, an award-winning athletics star who has represented Botswana with distinction on the...

There’s more to this story But to keep reading, we need you to subscribe. Investigative journalism is an indispensable part of a healthy society, but it’s also expensive to produce. We are reliant on subscriptions to fund our work, and while you can enjoy most of our stories for free, a small number of premium features are reserved for subscribers. You can subscribe for one week, a month or a full year – the choice is yours. Save 77% on an annual subscription. Click here to find out how. Existing subscribers can log in to keep reading here. Source link

A young man suspected to have terrorised long-suffering residents of Old Naledi remains behind bars on charges of unlawful wounding and robbery. Apparently attempting to avoid arrest, Ookeditse Makuku, 21, is said to have stabbed a detective during a dramatic night-time police chase in his neighbourhood on New Year’s Day 2025. Conducting a Christmas holiday operation near Old Naledi Shopping Complex, the cops spotted Makuku, who was wanted in connection with a recent robbery in the area. Noticing the prowling police officers, the suspect seemingly fled the scene, triggering a 10pm foot chase through the location. When officers finally cornered him, the situation reportedly turned violent, with Makuku allegedly producing a pair of scissors and stabbing Detective Ranko on the arm before officers managed to restrain him. He has been remanded behind bars ever since. On 17 December 2024, a few days before his arrest, the young man is accused...

Sunday Standard Botswana’s Ever Growing Athletics Doping Violations  A week ago, on the 26th May 2026, Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) announced the immediate provisional suspension of 800m runner Letlhogonolo Mokgethi. The athlete is alleged to have tested positive for a prohibited substance, 19-norandrosterone, during in-competition tests conducted on 04 April 2026. His suspension comes at a volatile time when the country is watching a court ‘doping saga’ involving four other track athletes. The four concerned athletes are Lydia Jele, Refilwe Murangi, Zibane Ngozi and Karabo Mothibi. .ihc-locker-wrap{} There’s more to this story But to keep reading, we need you to subscribe. Investigative journalism is an indispensable part of a healthy society, but it’s also expensive to produce. We are reliant on subscriptions to fund our work, and while you can enjoy most of our stories for free, a small number of premium features are reserved for subscribers. You can...

A 36-year-old woman from Lekgatshwane village was raped by an unidentified man after she and a male companion were ambushed while returning from a wedding celebration on Saturday night. According to police, the woman had hitched a ride to the wedding from a friend. The pair were on their way back home at around 11pm when they parked beside a tarred road and got out of the vehicle to chat. Moments later, a man reportedly emerged from the nearby bushes armed with a rod and threatened the two. In fear for his life, the driver allegedly jumped back into the vehicle and sped off, leaving the woman behind to fend for herself. She tried to run away but the chasing suspect quickly caught her and dragged her into the bushes, where he allegedly raped her before fleeing the scene. Confirming the incident, Mogoditshane Assistant Superintendent, Mompoloki Ramaphoi told The Voice...

At 10, Lerato Lolo Obuseng wrote to former President Mogae… and he answered In 2004, six years into his presidency, Botswana’s third President, Festus Gontebanye Mogae received an unusual letter from 10-year-old Lorato Lolo Obuseng. True to his consistent salt-of-the-earth nature – a trait emphasised in anecdotes shared by various speakers during his recent sendoff – Mogae wrote back. 22 years later, Obuseng shared that letter publicly, not only to honour the esteemed Rra Nametsos’ memory, but to remind Batswana what leadership can look like. Now 32, the Gaborone-born Obuseng lives in London, where she works as an AI Strategy and Automation Specialist at CommCore AI. She is also co-founder of Share My Story Botswana and Diphalane Breakfast Sessions, initiatives focused on connection, leadership and community dialogue. But once, she was simply a frightened child. At the time, the country had been shaken by the murder of 10-year-old Kgotso Macfallen...