Most Batswana believe that President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s government is more corrupt than that of his predecessor Lt Gen Ian Khama, a survey by Afrobarometer has revealed.
Less than two years before the next general elections, it has emerged that Botswana’s youth, believed to be the country’s biggest political constituency fell that the president’s office is corrupt. Botswana’s population that is 35 years and older account for only 28% of the population while those between 15 and 34 years make up 40% of Botswana’s total population.
According to the report by Afrobarometer, more than three-fourths of Batswana believe that at least some officials in the president’s office are involved in corruption.
Despite Botswana’s standing as one of the least corrupt countries in Africa, citizens’ perceptions of corruption in the president’s office are at their highest level of the past decade.
The view that the president and his officials are involved in corruption is especially common among men, urban dwellers, youth, and the more educated. Key findings of the Afrobarometer survey are that “almost eight in 10 Batswana (79%) say that at least “some” officials in the president’s office are corrupt, including fully half (50%) who believe that “most” or “all” of them are involved in corruption. Only 6% see no corruption in the Presidency.
“The perception that at least “some” officials in the president’s office are corrupt is more widespread among younger citizens (up to 87% of 26- to 35-year-olds), more educated respondents (89% of those with post-secondary qualifications), men (84%), and urban residents (83%) than among their various counterparts.
“The perception that “some,” “most,” or “all” officials in the president’s office are involved in corruption has increased by 18 percentage points since 2012. Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. Eight survey rounds in up to 39 countries have been completed since 1999. Round 9 surveys (2021/2022) are currently underway.
Afrobarometer’s national partners conduct face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice. The Afrobarometer team in Botswana, led by Star Awards, interviewed a nationally representative sample of 1,200 adult Batswana in July-August 2022. A sample of this size yields country-level results with a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Previous surveys were conducted in Botswana in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2017, and 2019.
