This is a revised version of a conference presentation that was delivered by the author. The paper is based on a review of literature on policy capture and public interest theory.

Botswana has been lauded, regionally and internationally, for its commitment towards building a capable, democratic and developmental state. However, the country's national anti-corruption agency, the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) has reported an increase in the number and complexity of cases of corruption. The objective of this paper is to assess the role of the non-state actors (NSAs) in fighting corruption in Botswana. This assessment is made by way of providing a description and analysis of the underlying challenges and opportunities confronting NSAs, specifically the private (business) sector, the private media and nongovernmental organisations in preventing and addressing corruption in Botswana. NSAs play a pivotal role in the development of any country by providing goods and services, creating awareness and sensitizing communities on political and socio-economic issues affecting them. Whereas NSAs have a key role to play in fighting corruption by monitoring the use of public resources, educating the public, condemning perpetrators, and contributing towards the implementation of anti-corruption instruments, they are confronted by political, legislative and institutional challenges that hinder their effectiveness in this regard.

This article investigates the perceptions of public service employees regarding the role of whistle-blowing in local government. Whistle-blowing has received increased attention and support as a means of detecting and correcting wrongdoing in organisations. Yet, as this case study discusses, the absence of whistle-blower protection measures and fear of reprisal and job loss deter potential witnesses from reporting wrongdoing in the workplace. A mixed research method approach was employed to undertake the study. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to public servants employed within the South-East District Council (SEDC) and literature related to corruption and whistle-blowing was reviewed. The findings indicate that public service employees strongly support the role whistle-blowing has to play in curbing corruption in the workplace, particularly if the corrupt activity could potentially threaten people’s lives and suppress social justice. However, the absence of whistle-blower protection measures was cited as the most significant impediment to reporting wrongdoing. The article proposes the need for the SEDC to adopt effective policies and procedures that place a strong emphasis on providing protection for employees to disclose misconduct and fraudulent conduct.

People with disabilities (PWDs) are often subjected to economic and social exclusion. Despite the Government of Botswana's efforts to uplift marginalised and vulnerable groups, PWDs remain disenfranchised as a result of social, physical, and legislative barriers. This paper assesses policy and institutional factors that contribute to and or hinder the implementation of Botswana's national disability policy. Data were collected using secondary data sources and analysed using thematic analysis. The analysis of determinants of policy impact (ADEPT) approach, which aims to explain and influence policy development and policy impact implementation with four determinants (goals, obligations, resources, and opportunities), was adopted. The study's findings show that 22 years after its adoption, the National Policy on Care for People with Disabilities has not resulted in the desired policy outcomes, let alone achieved its objective of improving the lives of PWDs. Although the policy has the potential to be an important tool in achieving social inclusion and protecting the rights of PWDs, implementation gaps remain, essentially limiting its effectiveness.

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