Former Botswana President Ian Khama is under fire in Zambia after calling President Hakainde Hichilema “Africa's newest dictator”, with MPs, State House and governance figures demanding he withdraw the remark and apologise. The row, first reported by LusakaTimes.com on 2 November 2026, has become one of the sharpest exchanges between Zambia and a former regional leader in years.
And here is the thing: this insult did not come from Gaborone's government. It came from one man, sitting in Botswana's House of Chiefs, deciding to lecture Zambia about its own democracy. Zambians did not fight for their sovereignty to take lessons from across the border.
How the Khama row started
It began in Botswana's Ntlo ya Dikgosi, the House of Chiefs, where Mr Khama sits as a traditional leader. During a session in Gaborone, he asked Botswana's Minister of International Relations whether the government regretted sending a representative to President Hichilema's inauguration, and in the same breath labelled the Zambian leader “Africa's newest dictator”.
Botswana's Minister, Dr Phenyo Butale, defended his country's attendance. He said Botswana must keep good neighbourly relations and cannot engage with other countries if it stays away. In other words, even Khama's own government refused to back his attack on Lusaka.
Mr Khama did not stop there. In a later media interview he repeated the dictator label and accused the Zambian Government of manipulating elections, persecuting opposition politicians and abusing political activists. His comments come amid continuing political and legal disputes after Zambia's general election on 13 August, including the detention of several opposition figures. The Zambian Government has rejected that characterisation of its record outright.
Zambia's leaders demand a withdrawal and apology
State House Communications Specialist Clayson Hamasaka was among the first to hit back. He questioned Mr Khama's conduct and pointed out that the former Botswana leader had previously visited State House and held talks with President Hichilema. Mr Hamasaka said he found it hard to understand how someone who engaged the President in that way could now call him a dictator.
UPND Lusaka Province Secretary James Sichomba described the remarks as misleading and hypocritical. He cited Zambia's election to the United Nations Human Rights Council for 2027 to 2029, the abolition of the death penalty and the expansion of free education as proof of the country's democratic progress.
Member of Parliament Judith Kabemba has now called on Mr Khama to withdraw his remarks and offer an unreserved apology to President Hichilema and the people of Zambia. She described the statements as unfortunate, reckless and unbecoming of a former head of state.
“Unlike the characterisation being advanced against our President, Mr Hichilema has consistently demonstrated his commitment to patriotism, democracy and constitutionalism,” Ms Kabemba said.
She said leaders of Mr Khama's standing are expected to champion diplomacy, statesmanship and respect for democratic institutions, and she pointed to President Hichilema's long record of pursuing power through successive elections and lawful means over many years.
“Look at your own record first”
Livingstone MP Mr Mayangwa turned the argument straight back on Khama. He said the former Botswana leader should reflect on his own governance record before attacking President Hichilema. He described the President as a democratically elected leader whose administration is focused on economic recovery, restoring investor confidence and creating opportunities for national development.
Mr Mayangwa said the President's record should be judged on those results, not by commentary from across the border. That is a point many ordinary Zambians will nod along to. Our democracy belongs to us, and it will be judged by Zambians at the ballot box, not by foreign voices with their own agendas.
Governance expert and human rights advocate Wesley Miyanda also condemned the remarks. He described them as unfortunate, misplaced and harmful to the strong political, social and economic ties between Zambia and Botswana. Mr Miyanda said Zambia has earned international recognition as one of Africa's most peaceful and stable democracies, with an enviable record of credible elections and peaceful transfers of power.
Not everyone dismisses Khama's comments
Not every voice at home has closed ranks. Socialist Party president Fred M'membe said that while the language used by a foreign former head of state is a matter for regional reflection, the substance of the criticism should not be casually brushed off. He argued the remarks reflect concerns his party has raised about the state of democracy in Zambia.
That position puts him at odds with the ruling party and its allies, and it shows how quickly a diplomatic spat has become part of Zambia's domestic political debate.
What happens next in the Zambia-Botswana spat?
Mr Khama served as President of Botswana from 2008 to 2018 and remains an outspoken voice on regional politics. Zambia and Botswana share a border at Kazungula, where the two countries jointly built the Kazungula Bridge across the Zambezi River. Botswana's current government has made clear through its minister that it values good relations with Lusaka.
For now, Zambia's leaders want one thing from Mr Khama: a withdrawal and an apology. Whether he responds will decide whether the row fades or deepens.
FAQ
What did Ian Khama say about President Hichilema?
During a session of Botswana's House of Chiefs in Gaborone, and again in a later media interview, Ian Khama called President Hakainde Hichilema “Africa's newest dictator” and accused the Zambian Government of manipulating elections and persecuting opposition politicians.
Who has demanded an apology from Khama?
MP Judith Kabemba has called for a withdrawal and an unreserved apology, while State House's Clayson Hamasaka, UPND's James Sichomba and governance expert Wesley Miyanda have all condemned the remarks.
Has Botswana's government backed Ian Khama?
No. Botswana's Minister of International Relations, Dr Phenyo Butale, defended his country's attendance at President Hichilema's inauguration and said Botswana values good neighbourly relations with Lusaka.