Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi was born on 21 July 1961 and is the fifth and current President of Botswana, serving since 2018.
27 Facts About Mokgweetsi Masisi
2.
Mokgweetsi Masisi served as the 8th Vice President of Botswana from 12 November 2014 to 1 April 2018.
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Mokgweetsi Masisi was a Member of Parliament in the National Assembly for the Moshupa-Manyana constituency from 2009 to 2018.
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Amidst the pandemic, Mokgweetsi Masisi ruled by decree from March 2020 to September 2021, despite protests from the public and the opposition party.
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Mokgweetsi Masisi is the son of Edison Masisi, the long-time MP for Moshupa and many-time cabinet member.
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The younger Mokgweetsi Masisi grew up in Gaborone, attending Thornhill Primary School and Maru A Pula School.
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In school, Mokgweetsi Masisi competed in soccer and tennis, but ultimately found acting to be his calling.
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Mokgweetsi Masisi has taken part in several South African films.
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Mokgweetsi Masisi taught at Mmanaana Secondary School in 1984 in Moshupa village before moving on to the University of Botswana in 1987 as a curriculum development specialist.
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In 1989, he went to Florida State University to obtain a Master's degree in social sciences education, after Mokgweetsi Masisi met some FSU faculty members working in Botswana for the Junior Secondary Education Improvement Project.
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Mokgweetsi Masisi unsuccessfully sought the nomination of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party to stand in Moshupa constituency in the 2004 general election.
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Mokgweetsi Masisi was promptly appointed as Assistant Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration in October 2009.
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Mokgweetsi Masisi became Minister of Education and Skills Development in an acting capacity in April 2014.
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Mokgweetsi Masisi was re-elected to his seat in Parliament in October 2014, and was appointed as Minister of Education and Skills Development on 28 October 2014.
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Mokgweetsi Masisi was appointed as Vice President of Botswana by President Ian Khama on 12 November 2014 while remaining in his post as Minister of Education.
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Khama criticized Mokgweetsi Masisi for lifting the ban on elephant hunting and called his decision to appoint Mokgweetsi Masisi as his successor a "mistake".
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On October 13,2018, Mokgweetsi Masisi received an honorary doctorate from the University of Botswana.
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In October 2019, Mokgweetsi Masisi was re-elected president after the BDP faced the biggest threat to its unity in more than five decades, following Khama's move to the opposition, accusing Mokgweetsi Masisi of authoritarianism.
19.
When Botswana's Attorney General appealed a court decision decriminalising homosexuality later that year, Mokgweetsi Masisi spoke out in favour of the court order.
20.
On 3 January 2022, it was announced that Mokgweetsi Masisi was in mandatory self-isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 during routine testing.
21.
Vice-President Slumber Tsogwane would assume the president's responsibilities while Mokgweetsi Masisi was in isolation.
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Mokgweetsi Masisi has been accused by some of having authoritarian views, and contributing to undermining democracy in Botswana.
23.
Mokgweetsi Masisi is in support of elephant hunting in Botswana, and believes that allowing some ivory trading would allow more funding for conservation.
24.
Mokgweetsi Masisi reversed the ban on elephant hunting put in place by his predecessor, and removed Botswana's "Shoot to Kill" anti-poaching policy.
25.
In 2002 Mokgweetsi Masisi married Neo Maswabi, an accountant who later worked for the United Nations in New York and in Addis Ababa.
26.
Mokgweetsi Masisi is a noted fan of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football program.
27.
Mokgweetsi Masisi is colloquially referred to as "Sisiboy" among the population, a play of words on his family name.