President Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian Khama (or Ian a Sêrêtsê; born 27 February 1953) is the President of Botswana and the Paramount Chief of the Bamangwato tribe.
Early life
He is the second child and first son of Sir Seretse Khama (1 July 1921–13 July 1980) the country's foremost independence leader who was President from 1966 to 1980) and Lady Khama. He was born in Chertsey, Surrey during the period his father was exiled to the United Kingdom due to the opposition by the colonial government and the emergent apartheid regime in South Africa to his marriage to a white woman.
Seretse Khama Ian Khama is also the grandson of Sekgoma II (1869-1925), who was the paramount chief of the Bamangwato people, and the great-grandson of Khama III (1837-1923), their king; and the great-great grandson of Kgosikgolo Sekgoma I, the Chief of the Bamangwato people (1815-1885). The name "Seretse" means “the clay that binds together,” and was given to his father to celebrate the recent reconciliation of his father and grandfather; this reconciliation assured Seretse’s Khama's own ascension to the throne with his aged father’s death in 1925. Seretse Khama Ian Khama is named after his father to continue this historical legacy. He is also knows simply as Ian Khama to differentiate between himself and his father. Tshekedi Khama II, Ian Khama's brother, was named after their great uncle, Tshekedi Khama who was the regent and guardian for Kgosi Seretse Khama the first President of Botswana.
Education and Training
Khama is a qualified pilot and attended Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where the British Army trains its officers.
Political career
Khama, serving as Commander of the Botswana Defence Force, announced on 16 December 1997 that he would retire from his command on 31 March 1998. Because this was the same date as the planned retirement of President Quett Masire, it fueled political speculation about Khama.On 1 April 1998, when Vice-President Festus Mogae succeeded Masire as President, Khama was appointed as the new Vice-President. However, Khama did not hold a seat in the National Assembly, and so could not immediately take office as Vice-President. In early July 1998 he overwhelmingly won a by-election in Serowe North, receiving 2,986 votes against 86 votes for the candidate of the opposition Botswana National Front. On 13 July, he took his seat in the National Assembly and was sworn in as Vice-President.
Following the victory of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in the general election of October 1999, Khama remained Vice-President as well as Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration. Mogae granted Khama a one-year leave later in the year, a decision that the opposition Botswana Congress Party and the Botswana Council of Non-Governmental Organizations sharply criticized. Khama's leave became effective on 1 January 2000. He returned to his duties as Vice-President on 1 September 2000, although he was replaced as Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration at that time.
Khama, already a member of the BDP Central Committee, was elected as Chairman of the BDP on 22 July 2003 at a party congress; he defeated the previous Chairman, Ponatshego Kedikilwe, receiving 512 votes against 219 for Kedikilwe. Khama had been backed for the post by President Mogae,and the outcome was viewed as crucial, paving the way for Khama to eventually succeed Mogae as President.
Mogae stepped down, as he had long said he would do, On 1 April 2008, Seretse Khama Ian Khama, automatically succeeded President Festus Mogae to become the President of Botswana. At his swearing-in ceremony in Gaborone, Khama said that there would be continuity in policy and no "radical changes", although he said that "a change in style and special emphasis on a number of issues" might be evident, and he emphasized his commitment to democracy. He immediately undertook a major cabinet reshuffle, and he appointed Mompati Merafhe, who had been Foreign Minister, as the new Vice-President.
Upon becoming President, Khama left his post as Chairman of the BDP; Daniel Kwelagobe was chosen to replace him.
Interim Term (1 April 2008-19 October 2009)
Even though President Ian Khama was not elected to the Presidency, which some political commentators see as a flaw in the electoral system in Botswana, he governed as if he was elected and proceeded to make some fundamental changes to the way the Botswana was governed during his "interim term". President Khama first articulated his desire to impose a 70% alcohol levy, which was meant to combat the scourge of excessive drinking in Botswana which had become a real problem, especially amongst the youth. Although the idea was laudable, the practical effect of such a levy was soon seen to have a deleterious effect on the brewing industry who resisted the imposition of such a levy, along with bars and other drinking establishments. The President shifted his policy to focus on prevention and education, but still at the end of the day imposed a 30% levy after consulting with industry leaders. Unpopular as this was, it showed that the Khama was willing to not just do what was popular, but what he felt was right for the country.
More worrying though was the enactment of the Media Practitioners Law in Botswana, which saw the State actively begin to define what is and what isn't good journalism. Although, the language of the bill is couched in language to give the impression of what is hoped for is a more professional journalistic standard, the problem is that politicians and government actors would determine what that is and the law has been roundly criticized both inside and outside of government as being undemocratic and inhibiting free speech.
Under Khama, the government has also established the Directorate of Internal Security (DIS) which has police powers and is seen as the Botswana equivalent of the FBI. Although, the idea itself is not new for most governments its particularly worrisome in Botswana where there are very few domestic or transnational threats that the police and the military could not handle. Some have argued that the institution headed by a close friend of President Khama, Issac Kgosi, can easily be manipulated, and used against political enemies or others who criticize the President or his administration. Recently, there have been a slate of extrajudicial killings in Botswana, which many link to the DIS and there is a growing fear that the DIS is becoming a law onto its own. One such killing was the death of John Kalifatis, who was allegedly hunted down by the DIS and shot in cold blood.
Khama did have some successes during his interim term. He got international and regional kudos for his stance against the Zimbabwean government, particularly Robert Mugabe. He did so by not recognizing the government there, unless and until it included members of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) headed by now Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangarai. This showed Khama's democratic creditials, his willingness to be unpopular with some of his SADC colleagues when it came to a matter of principle, and his willingness to lead rather than be just a passive observer. Khama also condemned the action of Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir in the region of Dafur and has become a vocal critic of despotic governments in Africa along with President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania and the late former President Levy Mwanawasa of Zambia.
On the economic front, Khama has been a vocal mouthpiece in trying to move Botswana away from its over-reliance on diamonds and to diversify its economy, especially to the agriculture and tourism sector. Under his watch, the number of siteholders licensed to operate diamond polishing and cutting operations in Botswana has grown, creating employment opportunities in the downstream diamond markets. Botswana, under Khama, hopes to have not just cutting and polishing factories set up in Botswana, but jewellery manufacturing and vendors, as well as security firms, banking, finance, insurance and training facilities that will make Botswana a diamond hub. ABN/AMRO the Dutch based diamond trading bank just announced that it will be headquartering its African offices in Botswana.
Politically, Khama's interim term, though, was overshadowed by the internal squabbling of the BDP. The BDP is now clearly defined by two major factions. The A-Team and the Barata Phati factions. The A-Team is led by President Khama, Jacob Nkate the former Minister of Education, and Mompati Merafhe the Vice President. The Barata Phati faction is led by Daniel Kwelagobe, the Chairman of the Party, Gomemelo Motswaledi, and Pontashego Kedikilwe who wish to bring about constitutional reform not only to the BDP but to the country's constitution. Things got so bad in the run up to the 2009 elections that Motswaledi, who gave up on his ambition to run for a seat in Serowe in order to make way for Ian Khama's brother, Tshekedi Khama II, was also pushed out from representing Gaborone when he ran afoul of President Khama. Some argue that this a sign of Khama's authoritarianism, others say that he was simply playing his role as the head of the party and instilling discipline.
