Seretse Khama (1 July 1921 – 13 July 1980) was Prime Minister of Botswana from 3 March 1965 to 30 September 1966 and President of Botswana from 30 September 1966 to 13 July 1980, preceding Quett Masire. He was a member of the Botswana Democratic Party.
Biography[]
Seretse Khama was born in Serowe, Bechuanaland, British Empire on 1 July 1921, and he was educated in South Africa and Britain, where he trained as a lawyer. Following his marriage to an Englishwoman he was prevented by the colonial authorities from returning to Bechuanaland to succeed to his chiefdom. Renouncing his right to succession, he returned in 1956, and in 1962 founded the Botswana Democratic Party. After its success in the first elections of 1965, he became Prime Minister, and in 1966 became President upon independence. His main achievement was the establishment of one of the most stable democracies in Africa. He also fostered careful opposition to the racially oppressive regimes in Rhodesia and South Africa, despite his country's economic dependence on the two countries. He died in office in 1980.