Cattle

Cattle matter in the book chiefly as a source of wealth whose ownership shaped Botswana’s political coalition and development. Although Tswana land was held communally, cattle were private property: their owners had a direct stake in secure property rights, and the post-independence government built institutions that supported the cattle economy rather than dispossessing ranchers and owners.

Property and Political Interests

As Botswana approached independence, its Tswana chiefs and elites formed a coalition in favor of secure property rights. The economic basis of that interest was cattle, the major privately owned asset in a society where land itself was held communally. This arrangement gave influential groups a material reason to support rules protecting property, linking cattle ownership to the broader political choice of building inclusive institutions.

Building the Cattle Economy

Botswana’s independence, led by the Botswana Democratic Party, was comparatively orderly. The country lacked a colonial marketing board, reflecting Britain’s limited involvement in the territory. In 1967, the new government established the Botswana Meat Commission. Rather than expropriating ranchers and cattle owners, the Commission helped develop the cattle economy: it built fences to control foot-and-mouth disease and promoted exports. The policy supported production while also strengthening support for inclusive economic institutions.

From Livestock Exports to National Development

Early growth in Botswana relied on meat exports, before diamond discoveries transformed the country’s prospects. The book presents the cattle sector as part of a broader institutional pattern: private ownership and government support for production could reinforce one another, while public institutions helped manage a key economic activity. Cattle therefore connect the interests of domestic asset owners to export-led growth and to the political durability of Botswana’s inclusive market economy.