Former President and now Kgosi Ian Khama IV of Ga Mmangwato has called on the government to resuscitate several long-defunct airstrips across Botswana, warning that neglecting the country’s aviation infrastructure could hinder national economic growth and connectivity.
Khama asked Minister of Transport Noah Salakeg whether the Ministry was aware that airstrips which once operated in Serowe, Mahalapye, Bobonong, and Rakops were no longer functional. He further pressed the Minister to consider re-operationalising those and other airstrips across the country to support the aviation sector’s contribution to the national economy.
In response, the Minister acknowledged that the airfields in question are indeed non-operational. He attributed their closure and lack of redevelopment to prohibitive costs related to infrastructure development, ongoing maintenance, and overall safety requirements. He noted that while air connectivity is critical for economic development and the movement of goods and people, budgetary constraints have made it difficult to sustain or revive many airfields.
The Serowe and Rakops airfields, he explained, were closed and relocated to make way for village development. In Serowe, the airfield was decommissioned to allow for the construction of Sekgoma Memorial Hospital, with a new plot earmarked in the Botepetepe area between Serowe and Palapye. However, this site remains undeveloped due to lack of funds. Similarly, the Rakops airfield was relocated after being encroached upon by village expansion, but its new location has also not been developed for the same financial reasons.
As for Mahalapye and Bobonong, the Minister revealed that no airfields currently exist in either village. Although land had been earmarked for aviation development in both areas, the Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB) has not formally acquired or pursued allocation of the land due to a lack of funding. In Mahalapye, the plot is part of the village development plan but remains idle, while in Bobonong, land identified by the Bobirwa Sub Land Board has yet to be allocated to CAAB.
Salakae said that, across the country, CAAB manages twenty operational airfields in varying conditions, along with ten additional undeveloped plots located in Werda, Sekoma, Salajwe, Boatlaname, Rakops, Pandamatenga, West Hanaha, Kole/Ncojane, Qangwa, and Nata/Maaloso. Despite the potential of these sites, he said financial challenges have stalled development efforts.
He cited examples such as Shakawe, Seronga, Gumare, and Mamuno, whose renovation designs were completed in 2024 under the Transitional National Development Plan, but whose construction projects have been suspended due to lack of funds.
The Minister acknowledged that national budget priorities have left little room for aviation infrastructure, but affirmed the Ministry’s commitment to advocating for the inclusion of aviation projects in National Development Plan 12. He added that Public-Private Partnerships would be explored as a way to ease fiscal pressure and attract investment into Botswana’s aviation sector.
