Sir Seretse Khama
| Seretse Khama | |
|---|---|
Sir Seretse Khama, KBE
|
|
| 1st President of Botswana | |
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In office 30 September 1966 – 13 July 1980 |
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| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Succeeded by | Quett Masire |
| 1st Prime Minister of Botswana | |
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In office 3 March 1965 – 30 September 1966 |
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| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Succeeded by | Position Abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Seretse Goitsebeng Maphire Khama 1 July 1921 Serowe, Bechuanaland |
| Died | 13 July 1980 (aged 59) Gaborone, Botswana |
| Nationality | Motswana |
| Political party | Botswana Democratic Party |
| Spouse(s) | Ruth Williams Khama |
| Alma mater |
University of Fort Hare Balliol College, Oxford |
| Profession | Barrister |
| Religion | Christian |
Sir Seretse Goitsebeng Maphiri Khama, KBE (1 July 1921 – 13 July 1980) was the first president of Botswana. Born into one of the more powerful of the royal families of what was then the British Protectorate of Bechuanaland, and educated abroad in neighbouring South Africa and in the United Kingdom, he returned, with a popular but controversial bride, to lead his country's independence movement. He founded the Botswana Democratic Party in 1962 and became Prime Minister in 1965. In 1966, Botswana gained independence and Khama became its first president. During his presidency, the country underwent rapid economic and social progress.
Seretse Khama was born in 1921 in Serowe, in what was then the Bechuanaland Protectorate. He was the son of Sekgoma Khama II and Queen Tebogo, the paramount chief of the Bamangwato people, and the grandson of Khama III, their king. The name "Seretse" means “the clay that binds", and was given to him to celebrate the recent reconciliation of his father and grandfather; this reconciliation assured Seretse’s own ascension to the throne with his aged father’s death in 1925. At the age of 4, Seretse became kgosi (king), with his uncle Tshekedi Khama as his regent and guardian.
After spending most of his youth in Tiger Kloof Educational Institution in South Africa, Khama attended Fort Hare University College there, graduating with a general B.A. in 1944. He then travelled to the United Kingdom and spent a year at Balliol College, Oxford, before joining the Inner Temple in London in 1946, to study to become a barrister.
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