- The Commonwealth Foundation has apologised for a social media blunder.
- It posted an image of the outline of South Africa when it wished Botswana a happy Independence Day.
The Commonwealth Foundation has apologised for a blunder it made on social media when it posted an image of the outline of South Africa to congratulate Botswana on the anniversary of its independence.
After 80 years as a British protectorate, Botswana became an independent republic on 30 September 1966. This made Saturday the 57th anniversary of the establishment of the republic. To mark the occasion, the foundation shared the post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, with the words: “Happy Independence Day Botswana”.
But, just over 24 hours later, it apologised.
In the apology, signed by the director-general, Dr Anne Gallagher, and deputy director-general, Shem Ochola, the foundation acknowledged the mistake.
“On behalf of the Commonwealth Foundation, we extend our sincere apologies for this error. Most especially, we apologise to the citizens of Botswana and South Africa for the misidentification in the image.”
The foundation added that it would review its social media policies to prevent such an error from occurring again.
The Commonwealth Foundation is an intergovernmental organisation established to “advance the principles and ideals of the Commonwealth” to nurture the “growth of vibrant and free civil societies in all Commonwealth countries” and to support the active and constructive participation of Commonwealth citizens in all aspects of their governance”.
