This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Seretse Khama" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR(September 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
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[1]
Succeeded by
Quett Masire
1st Prime Minister of Bechuanaland
In office 3 March 1965 – 30 September 1966
Monarch
Elizabeth II
Preceded by
Position established
Succeeded by
Himself as President[1]
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
Botswana
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 Goitsebeng Maphiri Khama, GCB, KBE (1 July 1921 – 13 July 1980) was a Motswana politician who served as the first President of Botswana, a post he held from 1966 to his death in 1980.[2][3][4]
Born into an influential royal family of what was then the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, he was educated abroad in the neighbouring country of South Africa[3] and then in the United Kingdom.[3] While in Britain, he married an Englishwoman named Ruth Williams, a decision opposed by the white-minority government of South Africa and which led to a controversy resulting in the British government making him stay in England in exile so as to not sour U.K.-South African relations.
After the end of his exile, Khama led his country's independence movement and transition from British rule into an independent nation. He founded the Botswana Democratic Party in 1962 and became Prime Minister in 1965. In 1966, Botswana gained independence and Khama was elected as its first president.[5] During his presidency, the country underwent rapid economic and social progress.[6] Khama served as President until his death in 1980, and was succeeded in office by Quett Masire. His son, Ian Khama, served as Botswana's fourth president from 2008 to 2018.[7]
^ abThe President and Vice President. Chapter 4, Part I, Constitution of Botswana
^"Sir Seretse Khama | president of Botswana | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
^ abcRamsay, Jeff (1 July 2021). "Seretse Khama Centenary: A profile of our first president". Mmegi Online. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
^Henderson, Willie (January 1990). "Seretse Khama: A Personal Appreciation". African Affairs. 89 (354): 27–56. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a098278. ISSN 1468-2621.
^Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"The Presidency – Republic of South Africa". Archived from the original on 20 July 2009.
^"Botswana issues arrest warrant for ex-President Ian Khama". AP NEWS. 2 January 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
Sir Seretse Goitsebeng Maphiri Khama, GCB, KBE (1 July 1921 – 13 July 1980) was a Motswana politician who served as the first President of Botswana, a...
SeretseKhama Ian Khama(pronunciation) (born 27 February 1953) is a Botswana politician and former military officer who was the fourth President of the...
Sir SeretseKhama International Airport (IATA: GBE, ICAO: FBSK), located 15 kilometres (9 mi) north of downtown Gaborone, is the main international airport...
Ruth Williams Khama, Lady Khama (née Williams; 9 December 1923 – 22 May 2002) was the wife of Botswana's first president Sir SeretseKhama, the Paramount...
Sir SeretseKhama, was the grandson and heir of Khama III and his first son from Ruth Khama, SeretseKhama Ian Khama, would succeed SeretseKhama as the...
1961, SeretseKhama and other delegates to the African Advisory Council founded the party in Lobatse. Within the next few months Masire and Khama drafted...
exile to South Africa. Khama is one of four children of the first President of Botswana, SeretseKhama and Ruth Williams Khama, and is the brother of...
Asante and written by Guy Hibbert, based on the true-life romance of SeretseKhama, heir to the throne of the Bangwato Tribe in Serowe – one of many tribes...
the protectorate's future. When SeretseKhama came of age, regent Tshekedi Khama attempted to hold on to power. Seretse had married a white woman, Ruth...
Ruth Williams Khama (1923 – 2002), wife of SeretseKhama, First Lady of Botswana from 1966 to 1980 Ian Khama (1953), first-born son of Seretse and Ruth Williams...
30 September 1966, during which time it was held by one individual, SeretseKhama, who later served as the first President of Botswana from 1966 until...
3 mi) from the South African border. The city is served by the Sir SeretseKhama International Airport. It is an administrative district in its own right...
led by SeretseKhama formed the first government, and continued winning elections every five years. Quett Masire became president following Khama's death...
Africa. Khama's eldest son, Sekgoma II, became chief of the Bamangwato upon Khama's death in 1923. Sekgoma II's eldest son was named Seretse. Throughout...
undertake Secondary School studies alongside SeretseKhama at Tiger Kloof. Upon graduation in1944, Lenyeletse and Seretse were inducted into the Malekantwa age...
death in 1925. Sekgoma's heir, SeretseKhama, was still a minor, and Tshekedi was named regent for the duration of Seretse's minority. A regency council...
He stepped down in 2008 and was succeeded by Lieutenant General SeretseKhama Ian Khama. Mogae studied economics in the United Kingdom, first at University...
the case with all of the major 19th-century African kingdoms. Sir SeretseKhama's paternal forebears, the chiefs of the Bamangwato, had built several...
under universal suffrage and gained independence on 30 September 1966. SeretseKhama, a leader in the independence movement and the legitimate claimant to...
crashing a plane into the airport apron and a group of aircraft at Sir SeretseKhama International Airport in Gaborone, Botswana. He was the only casualty...
operates scheduled domestic and regional flights from its main base at Sir SeretseKhama International Airport. Air Botswana has been loss-making for several...
1966. Masire became the new nation's vice-president, serving under SeretseKhama, in 1966. Until 1980 he also held the significant portfolios of finance...
achieved praise for his roles as Louis Gaines in The Butler (2013), SeretseKhama in A United Kingdom (2016) and Robert Katende in Queen of Katwe (2016)...
between Sir SeretseKhama, Paramount Chief of the Bamangwato Tswanas, and his eventual wife Ruth Williams Khama, Lady Khama, even though Chief Khama was Motswana...
SeretseKhama becoming Prime Minister. Following the elections, the country became independent as Botswana on 30 September 1966, at which point Khama...
Strategic Studies. Chaudry, Serena (18 October 2009). "Botswana's President Khama wins new term". The Independent. Reuters. The President and Vice President...
2011-06-25. Retrieved 2011-09-05. Lekopanye Mooketsi (15 February 2019). "Khama Launches New Bank Notes". Retrieved 17 February 2019. 10 Pula Numista (https://en...
Oliver Tambo, the Zulu kings Shaka and Cetshwayo, Steve Biko, and Sir SeretseKhama. She died in 2016. "Naomi Deborah Jacobson". www.artnet.com. Retrieved...
Global Information
