President Duma Boko and his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, enjoy cordial relations that subsist between their nations
GABORONE, 5 May 2026 — The Ministry of International Relations has dismissed as false a social media post claiming Botswana had cut electricity supplies to South Africa and closed its borders.
The viral post, captioned “Urgent: Botswana cuts electricity to South Africa and closes its borders”, further alleged that President Duma Gideon Boko had declared a state of emergency and announced punitive measures against Pretoria.
In a rebuttal, the Ministry said the claims were “fake news” intended to mislead the public and damage relations between the two neighbours. It stressed that Botswana and South Africa continue to enjoy close bilateral ties spanning defence, security, energy, sports and trade.
The Ministry underscored that citizens of both countries share deep historical, cultural and familial bonds, as well as values of democracy, rule of law, and regional integration. Members of the public were urged to disregard the post and its misleading content.
