After nearly 60 years of independence, Botswana has made a historic step towards cultural inclusivity by opening its state broadcaster to indigenous languages.<br /><br />On September 29, 2025, during Botswana’s independence celebrations, Botswana Television aired, for the very first time, news in Shekgalahari, Ikalanga, Shiyeyi, and Naro, in addition to Afrikaans - a major move that recognises linguistic diversity and restores visibility to marginalised communities.<br /><br />On November 28, speaking from Gaborone, Buyani Zongwani, the Acting Director of the Department of Broadcasting Services, who oversees Botswana Television (BTV) and Radio Botswana, stated that they had only one month to launch the first batch of newsreaders presenting bulletins in local languages.<br /><br />"We do have challenges in terms of people who are saying we now have cluttered news in one channel," Zongwani said, noting the challenges of the programme. "The major, major, major issue here is inclusivity, equality and diversity," he added.<br /><br />Johannah Martin, an Afrikaans news presenter and editor, said people in her community have welcomed the initiative.<br /><br />"The majority are excited that the language barrier has now been broken. They can hear the news, they can listen to the news, and they enjoy the news because now it's reaching them in their own language, and they understand it better," Martin said.<br /><br />Botswana held its last general elections in 2024, bringing a new government to power after 58 years. This change of regime came with a commitment to officially recognising other languages in the country and allowing content creation in citizens' native languages on state broadcasts.<br /><br />Follow us on:<br />WhatsApp cutt.ly/WhatsAppCFM<br />https://twitter.com/capitalfmkenya/<br />https://www.facebook.com/capitalfmkenya<br />https://www.instagram.com/capitalfmkenya<br /><br />Subscribe to Capital FM News for More: https://goo.gl/um4AGk<br /><br />98.4 Capital FM<br />93.0 Western Kenya<br />98.5 Nakuru and Nyeri<br />104.5 Malindi<br />102.7 Garissa<br />103.9 Meru<br />106.5 Kitui<br />104.9 Voi<br /><br />#CapitalFmKenya
