Botswana: Batswana Support Press Freedom and Media's Watchdog Role

Tendai Marima/Daily Vox
Political party polling agents in Kampala searching voter’s names on the register (file photo).
2 July 2025
Afrobarometer (Accra)
By Mogopodi Lekorwe, Wilford Molefe and Kefentse Malele

But four in 10 citizens say the country's media is not free of government interference.

Key findings

  • Three-fourths (74%) of Batswana say they are "somewhat free" or "completely free" to say what they think, although 24% disagree. o The share who feel free to speak their minds is up by 6 percentage points since 2022 (68%) but remains below the historic high of 93% in 2008. o Botswana ranks above average on perceived freedom of expression among seven Southern African countries.
  • Three-fourths (76%) of citizens support press freedom, while 21% say the government should have the right to prevent the media from publishing anything it disapproves of. o Support for media freedom is particularly strong among regular news consumers. o Support for a free press has climbed by 21 percentage points over the past decade. o Botswana is more supportive of press freedom than most other Southern African countries for which data are available.
  • Eight in 10 respondents (79%) say the media should constantly investigate government corruption and mistakes. One-fifth (20%) think such negative reporting only harms the country. o Support for the media's watchdog role has remained consistently above 70% over the past decade and is the strongest in the region.
  • A slim majority (52%) of Batswana say the country's media is "somewhat free" or "completely free" to report and comment on the news without censorship or interference by the government, but 41% believe the opposite. o The level of perceived media freedom in Botswana is slightly below average for the region.

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Botswana has long been regarded as a beacon of democracy and a model for press freedom on the continent (Tutwane, 2019). Section 12 of Botswana's Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, delimited by the preservation of national security and public order as well as the rights of others, e.g. protections against hate speech or incitement to violence. But the government has been accused of bending the law: During the 2019 elections, it censored social media posts under the guise of maintaining public order (Generis Global Legal Services, 2024).

Critics argue that media regulation in Botswana falls short of the standards set by democracies elsewhere (Limpitlaw, 2021). Reporters Without Borders (2025) ranks Botswana 81st out of 180 countries on its World Press Freedom Index, down from 40th in 2013, stating that "Botswana has seen a decline in serious abuses against journalists in recent years but many obstacles still hinder their work."

Under the Media Practitioners' Association Act of 2022, supposedly intended to uphold professional standards across the industry, journalists are required to register with the Media Practitioners Association. Critics view the regulatory framework as an attempt to control journalistic output and thereby curtail press freedom (Media Institute of Southern Africa, 2022).

The government has also been accused of harassing and intimidating journalists and activists through its Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (DIS). In 2012, the DIS allegedly sent agents to prevent members of the Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS from distributing advocacy letters aimed at lobbying members of Parliament against a controversial health bill (Sunday Standard, 2012). In the run-up to Botswana's 2014 general elections, Gabz FM, a private radio station, experienced signal interruption during election debates in which the then-ruling Botswana Democratic Party was being criticised. The Sunday Standard reported that the DIS had previously purchased equipment that would allow it to interrupt radio signals (amaBhungane, 2015).

In 2015, when the local newspaper Mmegi experienced a cyberattack that destroyed 12 years of archived material, the editor of the media house pointed the finger at the DIS (amaBhungane, 2015). In 2019, a Mmegi journalist was ambushed at home by DIS agents and police officers and forced to surrender her phone and other tools (Mmegi, 2019). And in 2023, the DIS detained Mmegi's editor and a senior reporter and confiscated their laptops, tablets, mobile phones, and cameras before releasing the journalists without charges (Media Institute of Southern Africa, 2023).

In 2022, the government tried to pass legislation that would allow surveillance of media practitioners without a court order. But public outcry, including from a coalition of civil society groups, placed the government under sufficient pressure to withdraw and amend the bill (Ndlovu, 2022).

Other issues impinge on the independence of Botswana's press. For example, the office of the Presidency, via the Department of Information and Broadcasting, determines the national broadcaster's editorial policy (Tutwane, 2019). The department is also responsible for licensing media outlets. And although private media enjoy a modicum of independence, they still face serious financial and political pressures; the government has, for example, withdrawn advertising spending to punish what it sees as hostile media (Limpitlaw, 2021).

Taken in concert, the government's actions point to a pattern of attempted control and intimidation, which has created a chilling atmosphere that discourages investigative journalism. It is unclear how the media landscape will change after the country's historic elections in 2024: Newly elected President Duma Boko has promised to uphold press freedom, although he has also labelled 90% of media output "fake news" (Reporters Without Borders, 2025).

According to the most recent Afrobarometer survey, most citizens say that they are free to say what they think, that the media should be free to publish without government control, and that the media should act as a watchdog over the government. However, only slightly more than half of Batswana are convinced that media freedom exists in practice.

Prof. Mogopodi Lekorwe Mogopodi is the Afrobarometer national investigator in Botswana

Wilford Molefe Wilford Molefe is the co-national investigator for Botswana.

Kefentse Malele Kefentse Malele is a research associate for Star Awards.

Read the original article on Afrobarometer.

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