Botswana. English. |
Botswana
International religious Freedom Report 2003
Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice.
There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom during the period covered by this report, and government policy continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
The generally amicable relationship among religions in society contributed to religious freedom.
The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the Government in the context of its overall dialog and policy of promoting human rights.
Section I. Religious Demography
The country has a total area of 227,344 square miles, and its population is 1.67 million. Approximately half of the country's citizens identify themselves as Christians. Anglicans, Methodists, and the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa-–formerly the London Missionary Society–-claim the majority of Christian adherents. There also are congregations of Lutherans, Roman Catholics, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Baptists, the Dutch Reformed Church, Mennonites, and other Christian denominations. Most other citizens adhere to traditional indigenous religions or to a mixture of religions. In recent years, the number of new churches, some of West African origin, has increased; these churches have begun holding services and drawing good-sized crowds with a charismatic blend of Christianity and traditional indigenous religions. There is a small Muslim community--approximately 23,000 practitioners, a little more than 1 percent of the total population--primarily of South Asian origin; a Hindu population of approximately the same size and ethnic composition; and a very small Baha'i community. It is unknown whether there are any atheists in the country.
Religious services are well attended in both rural and urban areas.
Foreign missionary groups operate in the country, including Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Quakers, Baptists, Lutherans, Catholics, Mennonites, and a number of independent evangelical and charismatic Christian groups.
Section II. Status of Religious Freedom
Legal/Policy Framework
The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice. The Government at all levels strives to protect this right in full, and does not tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. There is no state religion. The Constitution also provides for the protection of the rights and freedoms of other persons, including the right to observe and practice any religion without the unsolicited intervention of members of any other religion.
All organizations, including religious organizations, must register with the Government. To register, a group submits its constitution to the Registrar of Societies within the Ministry of Labor and Home Affairs. After a generally simple, but slow, bureaucratic process, the organization is registered. There are no legal benefits for registered organizations, although an organization must be registered before it can conduct business, sign contracts, or open an account in the local banks. Unregistered groups potentially are liable to penalties including fines up to $200 (BWP 1,000), up to 7 years in jail, or both. In 2002, 17 religious organizations were registered; 3 were denied registration on the grounds that they provided false information or information under forged signatures.
The Constitution provides that every religious community may establish places for religious instruction at the community's expense. The Constitution prohibits forced religious instruction, forced participation in religious ceremonies, or taking oaths that run counter to an individual's religious beliefs.
There are no laws against proselytizing.
Only Christian religious holidays are recognized as public holidays--Christmas Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, and Ascension Day; however, members of other religious groups are allowed to commemorate their particular religious holidays without government interference.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free practice of religion.
The Constitution provides for the suspension of religious freedom in the interests of national defense, public safety, public order, public morality, or public health; however, any suspension of religious freedom by the Government must be deemed "reasonably justifiable in a democratic society." This provision of the Constitution has not been invoked since 1984 when the Unification Church was denied registration.
In 1984 the Unification Church was denied registration by the Ministry of Labor and Home Affairs on the public order grounds stipulated in the Constitution. The Government also perceived the Unification Church to be anti-Semitic and denied it registration because of another constitutional provision that protects the rights and freedoms of individuals to practice their religion without intervention. Between 1984 and 1999, the Unification Church petitioned the offices of the President and Vice President without success, but made no effort to challenge the Ministry's decision in the courts. It was unclear whether the Unification Church maintained a presence in the country during the period covered by this report.
There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees.
Forced Religious Conversion
There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the United States, or of the refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to the United States.
Section III. Societal Attitudes
The generally amicable relationship among religions in society contributed to religious freedom.
Section IV. U.S. Government Policy
The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the Government in the context of its overall dialog and policy of promoting human rights. During the period covered by this report, the Embassy met with Islamic leaders to expand a dialog between Americans and Botswanans on Islam in both countries. U.S. Embassy representatives maintain regular contact with leaders and members of all religious communities in the country.
Released on December 18, 2003
| The World Factbook 2002 | ||
| Botswana | 
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|
 |
| Introduction | Botswana |
| Background: |
Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. The economy, one of the most robust on the continent, is dominated by diamond mining. |
| Geography | Botswana |
| Location: |
Southern Africa, north of South Africa |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
22 00 S, 24 00 E |
| Map
references: |
Africa |
| Area: |
total: 600,370 sq
km water: 15,000 sq km land: 585,370 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly smaller than Texas |
| Land
boundaries: |
total: 4,013 km border countries: Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813 km |
| Coastline: |
0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime
claims: |
none (landlocked) |
| Climate: |
semiarid; warm winters and hot summers |
| Terrain: |
predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point: junction
of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m highest point: Tsodilo Hills 1,489 m |
| Natural
resources: |
diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 0.61%
permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99.38% (1998 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
10 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility |
| Environment
- current issues: |
overgrazing; desertification; limited fresh water resources |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography
- note: |
landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country |
| People | Botswana |
| Population: |
1,591,232 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 40% (male
319,988; female 316,961) 15-64 years: 55.8% (male 428,638; female 458,777) 65 years and over: 4.2% (male 26,965; female 39,903) (2002 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.18% (2002 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
28.04 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
26.26 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
64.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
35.29 years female: 35.43 years (2002 est.) male: 35.15 years |
| Total
fertility rate: |
3.6 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
35.8% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
290,000 (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
24,000 (1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Motswana (singular),
Batswana (plural) adjective: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural) |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other, including Kgalagadi and white 7% |
| Religions: |
indigenous beliefs 85%, Christian 15% |
| Languages: |
English (official), Setswana |
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15
and over can read and write total population: 69.8% male: 80.5% female: 59.9% (1995 est.) |
| Government | Botswana |
| Country
name: |
conventional long form:
Republic of Botswana conventional short form: Botswana former: Bechuanaland |
| Government
type: |
parliamentary republic |
| Capital: |
Gaborone |
| Administrative
divisions: |
10 districts and four town councils*; Central, Chobe, Francistown*, Gaborone*, Ghanzi, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Lobatse*, Ngamiland, North-East, Selebi-Pikwe*, South-East, Southern |
| Independence: |
30 September 1966 (from UK) |
| National
holiday: |
Independence Day (Botswana Day), 30 September (1966) |
| Constitution: |
March 1965, effective 30 September 1966 |
| Legal
system: |
based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; judicial review limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of state: President
Festus MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA
(since 13 July 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state
and head of government head of government: President Festus MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since 13 July 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 16 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2004); vice president appointed by the president election results: Festus MOGAE elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 54.3% |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral Parliament consists
of the House of Chiefs (a largely advisory 15-member body consisting of
the chiefs of the eight principal tribes, four elected subchiefs, and
three members selected by the other 12 members) and the National Assembly
(44 seats, 40 members are directly elected by popular vote and 4 are appointed
by the majority party; members serve five-year terms) elections: National Assembly elections last held 16 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - BDP 54.3%, BNF 24.7%, other 21%; seats by party - BDP 33, BNF 6, other 1 |
| Judicial
branch: |
High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrates' Courts (one in each district) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Botswana Democratic Party
or BDP [Festus MOGAE]; Botswana National Front or BNF [Otswoletse MOUPO];
Botswana Congress Party or BCP [Mokgweetsi KGOSIPULA]; Botswana Alliance
Movement or BAM [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO] note: a number of minor parties joined forces in 1999 to form the BAM but did not capture any parliamentary seats; the BAM parties are: the United Action Party [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO], the Independence Freedom Party or IFP [Motsamai MPHO], and the Botswana Progressive Union [D. K. KWELE] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Kgosi SEEPAPITSO IV chancery: 1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 FAX: [1] (202) 244-4164 telephone: [1] (202) 244-4990 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Joseph HUGGING embassy: address NA, Gaborone mailing address: Embassy Enclave, P. O. Box 90, Gaborone telephone: [267] 353982 FAX: [267] 312782 |
| Flag
description: |
light blue with a horizontal white-edged black stripe in the center |
| Economy | Botswana |
| Economy
- overview: |
Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest growth rates since independence in 1966. Through fiscal discipline and sound management, Botswana has transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income country with a per capita GDP of $7,800 in 2001. Two major investment services rank Botswana as the best credit risk in Africa. Diamond mining has fueled much of expansion and currently accounts for more than one-third of GDP and for four-fifths of export earnings. Tourism, subsistence farming, and cattle raising are other key sectors. On the downside, the government must deal with high rates of unemployment and poverty. Unemployment officially is 21%, but unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. HIV/AIDS infection rates are the highest in the world and threaten Botswana's impressive economic gains. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $12.4 billion (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
4.7% (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $7,800 (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 4% industry: 44% (including 36% mining) services: 52% (2000 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
47% (2000 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
6.6% (2001 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
264,000 formal sector employees (2000) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
NA |
| Unemployment
rate: |
40% (official rate is 21%) (2001 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $2.3 billion
expenditures: $2.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY01/02 ) |
| Industries: |
diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash; livestock processing; textiles |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
2.4% (2001 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
500 million kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
1.451 billion kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
986 million kWh (2000) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
livestock, sorghum, maize, millet, beans, sunflowers, groundnuts |
| Exports: |
$2.5 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
diamonds 80%, copper, nickel, soda ash, meat, textiles (2001) |
| Exports
- partners: |
EFTA 85%, Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 10%, Zimbabwe 2% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$2.1 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
foodstuffs, machinery, electrical goods, transport equipment, textiles, fuel and petroleum products, wood and paper products, metal and metal products (2000) |
| Imports
- partners: |
Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 77%, EFTA 9%, Zimbabwe 4% (1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$325 million (2001) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$73 million (1995) (1995) |
| Currency: |
pula (BWP) |
| Currency
code: |
BWP |
| Exchange
rates: |
pulas per US dollar - 6.8353 (January 2002), 5.8412 (2001), 5.1018 (2000), 4.6244 (1999), 4.2259 (1998), 3.6508 (1997) |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 April - 31 March |
| Communications | Botswana |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
131,000 (September 2001) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
270,000 (September 2001) |
| Telephone
system: |
general assessment:
the system is expanding with the growth of mobile cellular service and
participation in regional development domestic: small system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and a few radiotelephone communication stations; mobile cellular service is growing fast international: two international exchanges; digital microwave radio relay links to Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 8, FM 13, shortwave 4 (2001) |
| Radios: |
252,720 (2000) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
1 (2001) |
| Televisions: |
31,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.bw |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
11 (2001) |
| Internet
users: |
33,000 (2001) |
| Transportation | Botswana |
| Railways: |
total: 888 km narrow gauge: 888 km 1.067-m gauge (2000 est.) |
| Highways: |
total: 10,217 km
paved: 5,620 km unpaved: 4,597 km (1999) |
| Waterways: |
none |
| Ports
and harbors: |
none |
| Airports: |
92 (2001) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 76 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 55 under 914 m: 18 (2002) |
| Military | Botswana |
| Military
branches: |
Botswana Defense Force (including Army and Air Wing), Botswana National Police |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
18 years of age (2002 est.) |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49: 384,888 (2002 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49: 202,685 (2002 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males: 19,479 (2002 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$135 million (FY01/02) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
3.5% (FY01/02) |
| Transnational Issues | Botswana |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
Source:
The World Factbook 2002
Last Updated: 19 March 2003
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