Life in Gaborone

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Safety

Crime

As you may know, violent crime is now a very serious problem in some parts of South Africa. Botswana, however, is a safe place. (For that matter, most of Southern Africa is relatively safe for visitors). Of course there is crime, but in general Gaborone is a safer place for visitors than many western cities.

Health services

Good health services are available. It is easy to find private doctors in Gaborone. For serious cases there is a private hospital with western standards.

Malaria

For all practical purposes, Gaborone is free from malaria. Malaria is a risk in the north of the country, especially in the Chobe and Okavango areas, but while living in Gaborone there is no need to take malaria prophylaxis. Doctors can advise on what precautions should be taken for visits to the far north (prophylactic drugs are available in Gaborone).

Drink the water

Water is very precious in Botswana, a near-desert country, and great care is taken with it. The water supply in Gaborone and other towns is quite safe.

Eat the food

In guide books you will read all sorts of dire warnings about the elaborate precautions one should take with food. No doubt in many parts of the world this is sound advice. In Botswana, however, any of the food a visitor is likely to be eating (in restaurants, from fast-food outlets or supermarkets) is usually fine. Exercise the same caution you would when buying food in a western country, of course.

Mind you, when you come to a new country you are exposed to a range of unfamiliar bugs, and there is always a risk of stomach upsets. Since for a traveller on a short visit this may be a real nuisance, such travellers would do well to be a little more careful.

Utilities

Electricity

The powers supply is normally reliable. Brief power cuts do happen but are rare events. Botswana uses 230 V AC (50Hz) - i.e., European appliances can be used but American ones will need a transformer. Transformers for large appliances such as heaters are expensive and (except for computers) it is probably easier to buy appliances here.

Two types of electric socket are common: the modern British three-square-pin type, and a type with three round pins. Adaptor plugs are readily available.

Telephones

The Botswana telecommunications network is modern and reliable. Cell phones are ubiquitous. You may sometimes have difficulty getting an international line at busy times.

Driving

Botswana, along with the rest of the region, drives on the left. The main roads are well-maintained. There are however problems of safety. Speeds are high, and as the main road between Gaborone and Francistown has only one lane in each direction, a lot of overtaking takes place, not necessarily in sensible circumstances.

Another problem (and one that visitors may not be familiar with) is that of animals on the road. In the south of the country the animals are livestock - cattle, goats and donkeys. Donkeys seem to have especially little road sense. In the far north, wild animals are common. In particular, on the road to Kasane elephants are common. Elephants are highly intelligent and not normally aggressive, but should be treated with respect. If there is an elephant in the way, wait for it to move well off the road.

On the main road, there is a cleared strip either side of the road which enables you to see animals before they jump in front of you. At night, it is much harder to see animals and accidents are common.

See below for information on road-blocks.

Dealing with officialdom

Travelling in a foreign country, especially by road, can involve you in more contact with officialdom that some westerners are used to. You may have read accounts of the peculiar difficulties which sometimes arise in some parts of Africa. But in Botswana, there is really nothing to worry about.

The basic rule

The basic rule to follow in all cases is that people in Botswana, including officials, expect all business to be done with courtesy. There is always time to be polite. Before trying to transact any business, always begin by greeting the other person. In Africa, a meeting cannot be just business - it is always a meeting of two people. This is part of what the Batswana call botho - personhood (ubuntu in South Africa). Greet people, show respect and friendliness, and do not be in a hurry.

Road blocks

In Botswana, as in some other African countries, limited police resources make road-blocks a useful way of checking for stolen vehicles, etc. If you travel by road, you will occasionally come across a police road block. Police will typically wave some vehicles on and stop others. They will usually want to check your driving licence, and may briefly check some aspect of the car's roadworthiness, e.g. its indicators. If renting a car, have the car papers ready at hand.

There are also permanent road-blocks at certain points where the road crosses a veterinary boundary. These are for the purpose of checking that (for example) meat products are not being carried from areas with infections like foot-and-mouth.

Bribes

Botswana has the lowest corruption in Africa, and any form of corruption is dealt with severely. Officials in Botswana do not ask for bribes from tourists. See the Botswana government web-site for information on the anti-corruption unit, the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime.

Miscellaneous

Food

Food in restaurants is not greatly different from what one would find in the west: European food, Chinese food, Indian food. Sometimes Botswana dishes like seswaa are available. Fast food includes both western types and fast-food versions of local staples such as meat with rice or mielie pap. Samosas and meat pies are common and usually of good quality; a little up the scale is chicken (including KFC).

There is a significant Muslim minority, and so a lot of the meat sold in Botswana is halaal. The Jewish community is small and kosher products may be harder to find (although there is a much larger Jewish community in South Africa and kosher food is available in cities there).

Vegetarian food is rather limited, as Batswana traditionally like meat; however vegetarian products from South Africa can be found in supermarkets.

By Bruce Bennett, email bennett@mopipi... [Click here for full email address]