Phandu Skelemani

Phandu Tombola Chaka Skelemani (born 5 January 1945) is a Motswana politician who is the former speaker of the National Assembly of Botswana having served from 2018 to 2024. He served in the government of Botswana as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2008 to 2014. A member of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Skelemani was a Member of Parliament in the National Assembly of Botswana, a position he vacated following the defeat of the Botswana Democratic Party in November 2024, and a member of the Pan-African Parliament from Botswana, and he served as Attorney-General of Botswana from 1992 to 2003.

Career Skelemani was born in Mapoka Village. and worked in the civil service for 30 years, beginning when he became a State Counsel in 1973. Subsequently he became Senior State Counsel in 1975, Principal State Counsel in 1978, and Deputy Attorney-General in 1980. and stood as the BDP candidate in the by-election held in Phumaphi's former constituency, Francistown East. In campaigning for the seat, Skelemani pointed to his background in the area, saying that this would enable him to represent it well in Parliament. A year later, on November 9, 2004, he was appointed to the Cabinet as Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration. When Ian Khama took office as President on 1 April 2008, he appointed Skelemani as Minister of Foreign Affairs instead.

On November 5, 2019 he was elected as speaker of the National Assembly of Botswana by the parliament.