Why is Botswana so much more conervative than South Africa?

[SFdude]

Because Botswana was granted independence peacefully. It was an orderly transfer of power from a conservative colonial administration to a local conservative party. The average Batswana barely noticed the difference.

In contrast, most of the other countries in Africa had a civil war or other serious unrest. During these conflicts, the African guerilla fighters were typically getting support from the political left in the West. Whereas the white minority governments were generally supported by the right.

We all know how that turned out. And to the victors goes the spoils. Those former guerillas established themselves as the new ruling class under the rubric of "social democracy." Some, such as Nelson Mandela, did so through legitimate and democratic means. However, most went the Robert Mugabe route and became little more than petty dictators. Their policies certainly have nothing to do with "socialism" as it is known in France, Spain, and the Nordic countries.

Of course, Mugabe and his ilk were never loyal socialists. They were opportunists who tricked naive, gullible foreign leftists into giving them everything they wanted (e.g. weapons, money).