Seretse Khama facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids His Excellency Sir Seretse Khama GCB KBE
Sir Seretse Khama, KBE, in January 1970

1st President of Botswana
In office 30 September 1966 – 13 July 1980
Vice President	Quett Masire
Preceded by	Himself as Prime Minister
Succeeded by	Quett Masire
1st Prime Minister of Botswana
In office 3 March 1965 – 30 September 1966
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Himself as President

Personal details
Born	Seretse Goitsebeng Maphiri Khama (1921-07-01)1 July 1921 Serowe, Bechuanaland Protectorate
Died	13 July 1980(1980-07-13) (aged 59) Gaborone, Botswana
Resting place	Royal Cemetery, Serowe, Botswana
Nationality	Motswana
Political party	Botswana Democratic Party
Spouse	Ruth Williams Khama (m. 1948)
Children	Jacqueline Khama Ian Khama Tshekedi Khama II Anthony Khama
Alma mater	University of Fort Hare Balliol College, Oxford
Profession	Barrister

Sir Seretse Khama (born July 1, 1921 – died July 13, 1980) was a Botswanan politician. He became the first President of Botswana and served from 1966 until his death in 1980.

Seretse Khama was born into an important royal family in what was then the Bechuanaland Protectorate. This was a British-controlled area. He studied in South Africa and then in the United Kingdom. While in Britain, he married an Englishwoman named Ruth Williams. This marriage caused a lot of problems. The apartheid government in South Africa, which had strict racial segregation laws, was against it. The British government also got involved. They made him stay in England for a time so that relations with South Africa would not get worse.

After his time in exile, Khama led his country's fight for independence from British rule. He helped Bechuanaland become an independent nation. He started the Botswana Democratic Party in 1962 and became Prime Minister in 1965. In 1966, Botswana became independent, and Khama was chosen as its first president. During his time as president, Botswana grew very quickly in its economy and society.

Early Life and Learning
His Marriage and Time in Exile
Leading Botswana to Freedom
Building a New Nation
His Final Years
His Lasting Impact
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Learning

Seretse Khama was born in 1921 in Serowe. This area was known as the Bechuanaland Protectorate. His mother was Queen Tebogo, and his father was Sekgoma Khama II. His father was the chief of the Bamangwato people. Seretse's grandfather was Khama III, who was their king.

The name Seretse means "the clay that binds." He was given this name because his father and grandfather had recently made up after a disagreement. This meant Seretse would become chief when his father passed away. When he was only four years old, Seretse became kgosi (king). His uncle, Tshekedi Khama, became his regent, which meant he ruled for Seretse until Seretse was old enough.

Seretse went to school in South Africa at the Tiger Kloof Educational Institute. Later, he attended Fort Hare University College. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1944. He then went to the United Kingdom and studied at Balliol College, Oxford for a year. In 1946, he began studying law at the Inner Temple in London to become a barrister.

His Marriage and Time in Exile

In June 1947, Seretse Khama met Ruth Williams. She was an English clerk working at Lloyd's of London. After about a year, they got married. This marriage between people of different races caused a huge stir.

The Union of South Africa was very upset. They had just made laws in 1949 to ban interracial marriages, called apartheid. The tribal elders of the Bamangwato people were also angry. They felt Seretse should have married a woman from their own tribe.

When his uncle, Tshekedi Khama, heard about the marriage, he told Seretse to come back to Bechuanaland. He wanted Seretse to cancel the marriage. Seretse did return to Serowe. After several public meetings called kgotlas, the elders confirmed him as their kgosi in 1949. Ruth Williams Khama, who came with her husband, also became well-liked. His uncle, Tshekedi Khama, accepted defeat and left the area. Seretse then went back to London to finish his studies.

However, the problems from his marriage were not over. South Africa's government did not want an interracial couple ruling right next to their border. Seretse and Ruth were not allowed to enter South Africa. This included Mafeking, which was then the administrative capital of Bechuanaland.

Bechuanaland was a British protectorate, not a full colony. So, South Africa immediately tried to pressure the UK to remove Khama from his leadership. The British government, which was still recovering from World War II, needed cheap gold and uranium from South Africa. They also worried South Africa might take stronger action against Bechuanaland, like economic sanctions or even a military attack.

The British government started an investigation into whether Khama was fit to be chief. The investigation found that he was very capable of leading the Bamangwato. But they said his marriage made it hard to have good relations with the nearby apartheid governments. The British government decided to keep the report secret for 30 years. They also sent Khama and his wife away from Bechuanaland in 1951.

Leading Botswana to Freedom

The British government's decision to exile Khama caused a lot of debate in Britain and Bechuanaland. Many British newspapers called for the minister responsible, Lord Salisbury, to resign.

A group of six Bamangwato people traveled to London to meet Khama and Lord Salisbury. But they were not successful. The British High Commission told the Bamangwato to find a new leader to replace Khama. However, the Bamangwato people refused.

In 1956, Khama and his wife were allowed to return to Bechuanaland. They came back as regular citizens, and Khama gave up his claim to the tribal throne. Khama tried working as a cattle rancher, but it wasn't very successful. He then became involved in local politics. In 1957, he was elected as the secretary of the tribal council. In 1961, he was recognized for his work and given the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

In 1961, Khama returned to politics by starting the Bechuanaland Democratic Party. His time in exile made him more trusted by people who wanted independence. His party easily won the 1965 elections, beating other groups. As Prime Minister of Bechuanaland, Khama continued to push for Botswana's independence. The new capital, Gaborone, was established.

A new constitution was written in 1965 for the Botswana government. On September 30, 1966, Botswana officially became independent. As the new constitution stated, Khama became its first President. Ten days before this, Elizabeth II honored Khama by making him a Knight Commander (KBE).

Building a New Nation

When Botswana became independent in 1966, it was one of the poorest countries in the world. It had very little infrastructure, with only about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) of paved roads. Few people had formal education; there were only 22 university graduates and 100 secondary school graduates.

Khama started a strong economic plan to change the nation. He wanted to build an economy based on selling goods like beef, copper, and diamonds to other countries. The discovery of diamond deposits in Orapa in 1967 greatly helped this plan.

Khama took strong actions against corruption, which was a big problem in many other newly independent African nations. Unlike other countries in Africa, his government used free-market-friendly policies to help the economy grow. Khama promised low and steady taxes to mining companies. He also made trade easier and increased personal freedoms. He kept income tax rates low to stop people from avoiding taxes and to prevent corruption. He supported democracy and non-racism in a region that was facing civil wars, racial hatred, and corruption. Khama believed strongly in the rule of law.

The small public service was changed into an efficient and fair system. Workers were hired based on their skills. Some people wanted to immediately replace all foreign workers with local ones. But the government kept foreign experts until enough qualified local people could be found. Khama and his team also got advice from international experts. Mining companies were encouraged to look for more resources in the country. This led to finding more copper, nickel, and coal deposits.

Between 1960 and 1980, Botswana had the fastest-growing economy in the world. This growth was mainly due to mining. The government worked to get a larger share of the money from these resources. The customs agreement between Botswana and South Africa was changed in 1969. This gave Botswana's government a bigger share of the mining money. In 1975, when it was clear how much the diamond mines were producing, the government changed the agreement again. This time, they made sure to get 50% of the profits. By the mid-1970s, Botswana had more money coming in than going out.

The government used this money to invest heavily in building more infrastructure, improving health care, and expanding the education system. This led to even more economic growth. The cattle industry also received a lot of support. The government took control of the country's only slaughterhouse and built two more. They also heavily supported veterinary services, vaccines, and building cattle fences. The Botswana Meat Commission was set up as the only seller of beef in the country. It set prices and sold beef to markets in the region and around the world. With Khama's direct help, Botswana made a good trade deal with the European Economic Community. This deal allowed them to sell beef at prices much higher than world levels. Khama also led a national fundraising effort to build Botswana's first university. This led to the creation of the University of Botswana in 1982, after Khama had passed away.

The Botswana Development Corporation was created in 1970. Its goal was to attract foreign money for farming, tourism, and other industries. In 1976, the Botswana pula was introduced. It replaced the South African rand as the national money.

Because Khama focused so much on development, very little money was spent on defense. At first, only a small military police force was created instead of an army. However, after repeated attacks by forces from South Africa and Rhodesia, the Botswana Defence Force was formed in 1977. This was a small, professional military. In terms of foreign policy, Khama was careful. He did not allow militant groups to operate from inside Botswana.

Shortly before he died, Khama played a big part in ending the civil war in Rhodesia. This led to the creation and independence of Zimbabwe. He also helped create the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference.

Khama was reelected three times. His party, the BDP, easily won the elections in 1969, 1974, and 1979. In Botswana, people running for the National Assembly say who they support for president. The presidential candidate with the most support is automatically elected. Khama governed with very large majorities during his entire time in office. He never faced more than seven opposition members of parliament.

His Final Years

For several years before his death, Khama's health got worse. He had problems with his heart and kidneys. In 1960, he was diagnosed with diabetes. In 1976, he had heart surgery in Johannesburg to get a pacemaker. After that, he often flew to London for medical care. In June 1980, while getting treatment in London, Khama was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that could not be cured. He returned home after it was clear that no treatment would work.

Seretse Khama died peacefully in his sleep on July 13, 1980, with his wife by his side in Botswana. After his death, Vice President Quett Masire became the next president. Forty thousand people came to pay their respects to Khama as his body lay in state in Gaborone. He was buried in the Royal Cemetery on a hill in Serowe, in the Central District.

His Lasting Impact

Twenty-eight years after Khama's death, his son Ian became the fourth president of Botswana. He followed Festus Mogae. In the 2009 general election, Ian Khama won by a large margin. That same year, his younger son, Tshekedi Khama II, was elected as a member of parliament from Serowe North West. Ian Khama left office in 2018.

Sir Seretse Khama International Airport is Botswana's main airport. It was named after Khama and opened in 1984.

In 2016, a movie called A United Kingdom told the story of the problems around Khama's marriage. It starred David Oyelowo as Khama and Rosamund Pike as Ruth Williams.

Khama is often mentioned in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books by Alexander McCall Smith. The main character, Mma Ramotswe, greatly admires him. She compares him to Nelson Mandela and wishes he was more famous around the world.