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News release

Majority of Batswana see corruption in former President Masisi’s office, new Afrobarometer study shows

14 Jan 2025 Botswana
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News release
Key findings
  • More than seven in 10 Batswana (72%) believe that the former president and officials in his office were involved in corruption, including four in 10 who say that “most” or “all” (39%) of them were involved in graft (Figure 1).
  • More citizens see widespread corruption (“most” or “all”) in the Presidency (39%) than in any other institution the survey asked about, including civil servants (34%), the police (33%), members of Parliament (33%), and business executives (31%) (Figure 2).
  • Perceptions of at least “some” corruption in the Presidency have been a majority view consistently since 2012 (61%), climbing to a peak of 79% in 2022 before declining slightly in 2024 (72%) (Figure 3).

Most Batswana believe that former President Mokgweetsi Masisi and at least some of the  staff in his office were involved in graft, according to recent Afrobarometer survey findings.  

Botswana continues to be rated among the least corrupt countries in the world. According  to Transparency International, Botswana was ranked 39thbest out of 180 countries worldwide on its most recent Corruption Perceptions Index.  

However, the latest Afrobarometer study shows that citizens are concerned about  corruption, especially in the office of the Presidency. At the time of the survey in August 2024,  while Masisi was in office, Batswana ranked the Presidency as one of the most corrupt  institutions the survey asked about.  

The study shows that perceptions of at least “some” corruption in Botswana’s Presidency  have been the majority view for more than a decade.