Africa-Press – Botswana. Revenue from the transportation of goods by rail in Botswana amounted to P47.5 million in the first quarter of 2025.
According to the latest Transport and Infrastructure Stats Brief by Statistics Botswana, 32.4 percent of the revenue was generated from exports, 27.3 percent from imports, 24.4 percent from local traffic, and 15.9 percent from transit traffic.
The highest share of rail revenue was recorded in March, contributing 40.4 percent of the quarterly total.
Drop in rail volumes
“A total of 196,637 net tonnes of goods were transported by rail this quarter,” the report states, marking a 24.1 percent decline compared to the previous quarter.
Transit traffic accounted for 12.9 percent of the total volume, while local traffic made up 21.7 percent. Imports and exports contributed 32.9 percent and 32.4 percent, respectively.
Passenger cars top registrations
Meanwhile, motor vehicle first registrations in Q1 2025 stood at 11,583, reflecting a 12.5 percent increase compared to 13,244 in the previous quarter.
Passenger cars dominated the new registrations, accounting for 71.6 percent, followed by vans (10.9 percent) and trailers (5.2 percent).
Used vehicles constituted 77.4 percent of all first-time registrations, with 85 percent of these imported from Japan. Brand new vehicles made up 22.4 percent, while rebuilt vehicles represented only 0.2 percent.
Toyota leads
“Of the brand-new vehicles registered, 77.5 percent were imported from South Africa,” the report notes.
Toyota made up the largest share of vehicle registrations at 21.6 percent, followed by Honda (19.0 percent) and Mazda (18.3 percent).
Used passenger cars comprised 83.3 percent of all used vehicle registrations, while rebuilt trailers dominated that category with 84.2 percent.
Aircraft activity declines
Vans and passenger cars each made up just over a third of all brand-new vehicle registrations.
The report also shows that aircraft movements dropped by 22.4 percent in Q1 2025, falling from 17,706 in the previous quarter to 13,745. Domestic movements represented 76.8 percent, while international ones made up 23.2 percent.
“Both categories experienced decreases compared to the previous quarter,” it reads, noting domestic activity fell 24.8 percent and international by 13.2 percent.
Maun Airport the busiest
Maun Airport recorded the highest share of aircraft movement, accounting for 66.1 percent. It was followed by Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (19.5%), Kasane (12.5%), Phillip Matante (1.7%), and both Selibe-Phikwe and Ghanzi at 0.1% each.
Air passenger movements stood at 168,933 for the quarter, down 19.9 percent. International passengers accounted for 61.8 percent of the total, while domestic travellers made up 38.2 percent.
Domestic passenger traffic declined 23.4 percent, while international numbers dropped by 17.5 percent.
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