Ndaba Gaolathe

Early life and education

Gaolathe was born on the 5th of September 1972^{[2][better source needed]} in Gaborone, the son of Baledzi Gaolathe, who served as Botswana's minister of finance from 1999 to 2009 under presidents Festus Mogae and Ian Khama.^[3] He attended Lesedi Primary School and Gaborone Secondary School before studying economics at George Washington University in the United States, followed by an MBA in finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, completing his studies in 1997.^[4]

Political career

Originally a member of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which had governed since independence in 1966, Gaolathe left the party during Ian Khama's presidency, joining the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), founded by Gomolemo Motswaledi. Gaolathe became a prominent leader within the BMD and played a key role in incorporating the party into the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) alliance, alongside the Botswana National Front (BNF) and the Botswana People's Party (BPP), two other opposition parties to the BDP. Following the sudden death of Motswaledi in a car accident in 2014, Gaolathe succeeded him as party leader and ran as the running mate to Duma Boko (leader of the BNF and UDC) in that year's general election, where the UDC placed second. Gaolathe was elected as a member of parliament for Gaborone Bonnington South.^[1]

In July 2017, amid an internal conflict within the BMD, Gaolathe left the UDC and was expelled from the party, subsequently founding the Alliance for Progressives, a socially liberal party he has led since. Gaolathe ran as the AP's presidential candidate in the 2019 general election, placing third with 5.12% of the popular vote but losing his parliamentary seat.^[5][6]

Vice President of Botswana

Gaolathe initiated talks to form an alliance with the Botswana Congress Party (BCP), led by Dumelang Saleshando, ahead of the 2024 elections. After these talks failed, the AP decided to rejoin the UDC, and Gaolathe resumed his role as the coalition's second-in-command, essentially becoming Boko's de facto running mate in the elections. Following the UDC's decisive victory, which marked the BDP's first-ever defeat and Boko’s ascent to the presidency, Gaolathe, who regained his parliamentary seat, was seen as the most likely candidate for the vice president position in Boko's cabinet. On November 4, days after taking office, Boko confirmed Gaolathe as his vice president.^[1]