Ian Khama

"I don’t think anyone should be President for that amount of time. We are Presidents, we are not monarchs. It’s just common sense"

"If you've been somewhere for too long, you become complacent and take things for granted"

"The country's economy has been rundown, and people expect the party's manifesto to be applied immediately, but it doesn't work like that."

"We thought it would be a quantitative change, where the opposition wins but not to this extent. This was a dramatic turn of events."

"Ban the import of hunting trophies"

"I am not sick, stressed or depressed. In fact, I recently had my annual medical check and all was good. The only thing that depresses me is when people who don’t know me say I am depressed"

"Unlike some who twist the concept of democracy to suit themselves, we have stuck to these principles in that everything we do should be in the interest of our citizens"

"Always starting from a bad situation you can make good"

"Also, there is a dependency syndrome on government since we were once so poor and have done a lot through social interventions. Today many people probably get assistance who should be looking after themselves – this is a trend. The question they have always is “What is government going to do for me?"

"Maybe what we have achieved through diamond revenues has made us complacent. But we have to remember, that diamonds are not forever."

"I didn’t enjoy politics, the rough and tumble of political life"

"I have to fix the mistake I made in appointing Masisi to be my successor"

"Botswana has been a democracy, right from independence, we had a very good reputation for democracy, we were a shining light on the African continent, we were renowned worldwide for our adherence to democracy and then you get this one man who comes in one day and just overturns everything"

"It is totally unacceptable when an African leader, in order to stay in power, will resort to killing his or her own people."

"We thought we had built enough foundation that could not be rocked when it came to our democracy, but we have found out that it just takes one man in that position to reverse all the gains that we have made and sweated for many years"

"When I left office, I intended to completely leave politics but here I'm now more involved in politics than even when I was president because I'm determined to make sure this man (Masisi) goes"

"And this is the Botswana version of Donald Trump in Masisi"

"When you have a country with millions of people, for any leader to think they are the only ones who can be president is pathetic."

"The Africa we dream of - peaceful, prosperous and respected- will only emerge when our governance is guided by our values and not by our interests."

"It would not be appropriate to indicate my position with any political party publicly"

"Fast forward to 2018 to the character betrayal, and vindictiveness, this time not by the British but our very own raised its ugly head"

"My father would have been shocked and disgusted at the abandonment of the rule of law, and human rights that we and many other Batswana were subjected to."

"When he looked north, across the Kalahari to this land of brave and dignified people, he saw not a neighbour but a brother"

"He understood the destiny of Botswana was bound to that of Namibia, that our futures like our rivers and deserts flow together"

"It was a mistake to choose Masisi as my successor"

"I came here to tell you that I am cutting ties with the BDP as I do not recognise this party anymore"

"The problem with some leaders is that they hide behind the rhetoric of Pan-Africanism while denying their citizens basic democratic rights"