Serowe, Botswana — This week, President Ian Khama of Botswana wrapped up a national "farewell tour" before he stands down on Saturday in a power transfer designed to stress his statesmanship and the country’s stability. Khama has visited all of Botswana’s 57 constituencies since December, bidding a long goodbye to a population of just 2.2-million after serving the constitutional maximum of 10 years in office. He will be succeeded by vice-president Mokgweetsi Masisi, a full 18 months before elections. Khama’s two terms in power have been defined by his country’s rapid development thanks to lucrative diamond and beef exports and by a reputation for good governance. He has also become renowned for straight talking — breaking with diplomatic convention to criticise leaders including US President Donald Trump and then-president Robert Mugabe in neighbouring Zimbabwe. On Tuesday, his tour finished in his ancestral village of Serowe in the east of the country, with a day of songs, poems, g...
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