Kombi, Minibus taxi in Botswana. *Photo from Wikipedia
September 30 is Independence Day of Botswana or Botswana Day, celebrates the independence of Botswana from United Kingdom in 1966.
Christian missionaries sent from Europe spread to the interior, often at the invitation of tribal chiefs who wanted guns and knew that the presence of missionaries encouraged traders. By 1880 every major village had a resident missionary, and their influence became permanent. Christianization was completed in Botswana under the reign of king Khama III (reigned 1875–1923).
When the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910 out of the main British colonies in the region, the Bechuanaland Protectorate, Basutoland (now Lesotho) and Swaziland (the High Commission Territories) were not included, but provision was made for their later incorporation. However, their inhabitants began to be consulted by the UK, and although successive South African governments sought to have the territories transferred, the UK kept delaying; consequently, it never occurred.
The election of the Nationalist government in 1948, which instituted apartheid, and South Africa’s withdrawal from the Commonwealth in 1961, ended any prospect of incorporation of the territories into South Africa.
In June 1964, the United Kingdom accepted proposals for a democratic self-government in Botswana. The 1965 constitution led to the first general elections and to independence on September 30, 1966.
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa.It is bordered by South Africa to the south and southeast, Namibia to the west and north, and Zimbabwe to the northeast. The official language of Botswana is English although Setswana (Tswana language) is widely spoken across the country.
*Reference: Wikipedia
