By Pascal Ibe

Claim

A post on the X platform claimed that Botswana has “cut power supply to South Africa” and also closed its borders.

Verdict

These claims are FALSE.

Eskom is South Africa’s main supplier of electrical energy. It produces and distributes almost all of the electricity used in the country. It is also one of the largest electricity providers in Africa. Botswana depends on South Africa for its power supply. As for the borders, no news organisation in Botswana or South Africa reported it.

Full Text

An X user, @Iyoaiye, Alobarika, has made a claim that Botswana, a country in central southern Africa, cut off the power supply to South Africa, another nation in the region.

This claim followed a recent yet-to-end xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals from other African countries, especially Ghana and Nigeria.

In many videos which trended online in the last few weeks, South African citizens were seen brutalising other African migrants, ordering them to leave their country.

This act has generated tension in the region as countries like Nigeria and Ghana recently summoned South Africa’s envoys for questioning.

In the post, @Iyoaiye also claimed that Botswana has closed its borders against South Africa over the incidents.

The post reads : 

“President Duma Boko has declared a state of emergency and announced drastic measures against South Africa, amid escalating tensions fueled by accusations of xenophobia against Botswana citizens.

“Among the most striking decisions is the cutoff of electricity to several South African provinces—an unprecedented move that risks worsening the already severe energy crisis in the neighbouring country. In addition, the Botswana government has ordered the immediate closure of its borders and demanded the return of all its citizens currently in South Africa.

“In a firm speech, Duma Boko strongly criticised the treatment of Botswana nationals, recalling his country’s historical support during the struggle against apartheid.

“We helped you fight oppression, and today our children are being humiliated.”

The post garnered over 370 views and more than 200 reposts, as of the time of filing this check on Monday.

Verification

However, FACTWATCH Nigeria conducted research and found out that South Africa generates its electricity while Botswana, at some point, depends on Pretoria for its power supply.

Eskom is South Africa’s main supplier of electrical energy. It produces and distributes almost all of the electricity used in the country. It is also one of the largest electricity providers in Africa.

Eskom has been powering South Africa since 1923 when the Electricity Supply Commission was established.  It supplies more than 80% of the electricity generated in South Africa.

Eskom powers the grid with various types of power stations; from coal-fired to hydroelectric, nuclear, pumped storage, wind, and diesel. The first Eskom-designed station was the Sabie River Gorge hydro station, completed in 1927. 

The newest power station was the Medupi power station which was commissioned in 2021.

On the other hand,  Botswana has made significant strides in its energy production since gaining independence in 1966. The Botswana Power Corporation (BPC), established in 1970, is the primary entity responsible for electricity generation, transmission, and distribution. 

The main power source is the Morupule Power Plant, which generates approximately 80% of the country’s electricity and relies on coal from the nearby Morupule Colliery. 

But despite these resources, Botswana faces an energy supply gap, with estimated consumption surpassing production, leading to reliance on electricity imports from South Africa.

In 2025, the South African Broadcasting Corporation reported that Botswana was still heavily dependent on South Africa’s Eskom for electricity imports.

According to the report, in the final quarter of 2024, Eskom provided 70.6% of all imported electricity consumed in Botswana.

ZESCO, Zambia’s state-owned power company, contributed 19.3% during the same period. A further 7.7% was obtained through cross-border electricity trading, while 2.4% came from the Southern African Power Pool.

On the claim of border closure by Botswana against South Africa, no credible news organisation in the two countries corroborated this claim.

Conclusion

Botswana cannot cut off electricity from South Africa and has not closed its borders.