Tswapong South Member of Parliament Kesitegile Gobotswang has launched a scathing attack on the proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2025, warning that Botswana risks being “auctioned to the highest bidder” if the legislation is passed.
The Bill, expected to be tabled this afternoon by the Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, seeks to introduce multiple citizenship as well as citizenship by investment. While the issue of dual citizenship has long been advocated for by many Batswana, Gobotswang said the inclusion of citizenship by investment marks a dangerous departure from public expectations.
“I am among the sceptics of this Bill,” Gobotswang said in an interview. “The rationale for such a drastic move is unclear, particularly the aspect of citizenship by investment. Batswana have been calling for dual citizenship, yes, but not the wholesale changes contained in this Bill.”
Gobotswang accused the UDC-led government of showing “an affinity for dubious characters masquerading as business men and women,” adding that the proposed investment threshold was “laughable.”
Gobotswang said he could not ignore what he described as a troubling pattern surrounding the proposal, pointing to what he termed “a series of secret external private travels recently undertaken by President Duma Boko,” which he said raised questions about the origins and motivations behind the Bill.
The MP further argued that international examples should serve as a cautionary tale. “A quick look at countries that have adopted citizenship by investment shows that many are small island states associated with illicit trade and money laundering,” he said. He contrasted this with countries such as Mauritius, Namibia and Seychelles, which he said had adopted more cautious citizenship-for-residency models, requiring investors to reside for between five and 11 years before qualifying for citizenship.
Gobotswang accused the UDC-led government of showing “an affinity for dubious characters masquerading as business men and women,” adding that the proposed investment threshold was “laughable.”
“Clearly Botswana is being auctioned to the highest bidder,” he said. The MP added that “Our country is being reduced to a banana republic. Every Motswana should be worried. We must stand up for our motherland.”
