The following lists events that happened during the

1980s File:1980s replacement montage02.PNG, 420px, From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, ''Columbia'', lifts off in 1981; US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev ease tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the ...

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

Incumbents

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

: **

Seretse Khama 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. Born into an influential royal fam ...

(1966–1980) ** Quett Masire (1980–1998) *

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

** Quett Masire (1966–1980) ** Lenyeletse Seretse (1980–1983) **

Peter Mmusi Peter Simako Otlaadisang Mmusi (born 16 May 1929, died October 1994) was the Vice-President of Botswana from 3 January 1983 until 1992. He also served as the Minister of Finance from 1980 to 1989, and as the Minister of Local Government and Lands ...

(1983–1992)

Events

1980

* Botswana co-founds the Southern African Development Coordination Conference. * 13 July – President

dies. He is succeeded by Quett Masire.

1981

* A drought in Southern Africa begins, destroying approximately 75% of crops in Botswana. It will continue until 1987.

1982

* The Financial Assistance Policy is implemented to provide grants for businesses. *

Botswana National Museum The Botswana National Museum, also known as the National Museum and Art Gallery, is located in the Botswana capital of Gaborone and is a multi-disciplinary institution that includes the National Art Gallery and Octagon Gallery, as well as—since ...

hosts Culture & Resistance Conference, 5–9 July 1982. * February – The Jwaneng diamond mine is established. * June – The Botswana Progressive Union is founded. * September – The

University of Botswana The University of Botswana, popularly known as UB, was established in 1982 as the first institution of higher education in Botswana. The university has three campuses: one in the capital city Gaborone, one in Francistown, and another in Maun. T ...

is founded.

1983

* 3 January – Vice President Lenyeletse Seretse dies.

becomes vice president. * A labour law is passed limiting the right to unionise.

1984

* The

Sir Seretse Khama International Airport Sir Seretse Khama International Airport , located north of downtown Gaborone, is the main international airport of the capital city of Botswana. The airport is named after Sir Seretse Khama, the first president of Botswana. It was opened in 1984 ...

opens. * May – The

Public Service Act In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

allows civil servants to operate in the private sector. * 8 September – The

1984 Botswana general election General elections were held in Botswana on 8 September 1984.Dieter Nohlen, Michael Krennerich & Bernhard Thibaut (1999) ''Elections in Africa: A data handbook'', p109 Although the result was a fifth successive landslide victory for the Botswana ...

is held. The Botswana Democratic Party maintains its majority.

1985

* 1985 –

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

is first identified in Botswana, beginning the nation's

HIV epidemic The global epidemic of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) began in 1981, and is an ongoing worldwide public health issue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of 2021, HIV/AI ...

. * 14 June – South African soldiers invade Botswana and attack the headquarters of a South African anti-apartheid group in Gabarone. 12 people are killed, and the action is condemned in a resolution by the United Nations.

1986

* 17 April – Botswana's first women's rights group,

Emang Basadi Ibhang is a town and Village Development Committee in Ilam District in the Province No. 1 of eastern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census The 1991 Nepal census was a widespread national census conducted by the Nepal Central Bureau of S ...

, is established.

1987

* A referendum is held to form a Supervisor of Elections. It passes with 78.1% of the vote. * The university is closed for several months in response to

student protests Campus protest or student protest is a form of student activism that takes the form of protest at university campuses. Such protests encompass a wide range of activities that indicate student dissatisfaction with a given political or acad ...

against police misconduct. * May –

Morupule Electric Power Station Morupule is a small town in Botswana. Infrastructure It is adjacent to Palapye town next to the main road from Gaborone. It is serviced by a station on the national railway network. It also has an airstrip, coal mine and 2 power stations. ...

is established. * 1 October – Botswana Railways is established. * November – The constitution is amended so that only citizens of Botswana can serve as president.

1988

1989

* Free

secondary education Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final pha ...

is made available in Botswana. * 7 October – The

1989 Botswana general election General elections were held in Botswana on 7 October 1989, alongside local elections.Elections held ...

is held. The Botswana Democratic Party maintains its majority.

Deaths

* 1980 ** 13 July –

, President of Botswana * 1982 **

Benjamin Thema Benjamin C. Thema (born 1912, died 1982) was a Motswana educationist and politician. Thema was born in Ranaka, Bangwaketse Reserve. He became the first president of Bechuanaland Student Association in 1939. In 1946 he founded the Tshidi Barolon ...

, Minister of Education ** 16 September – Keoagetse Radipotsane, Batswana football player * 1983 ** 3 January – Lenyeletse Seretse, vice-president of Botswana * 1986 ** Archelaus Tsoebebe, Minister of Labour and Social Services ** 17 April –

Bessie Head Bessie Amelia Emery Head (6 July 1937 – 17 April 1986) was a South African writer who, though born in South Africa, is usually considered Botswana's most influential writer. She wrote novels, short fiction and autobiographical works that are ...

, writer

References

{{Years in Botswana

Years of the 20th century in Botswana