Africa · Southern Africa · Sovereign state
Current time in Botswana
A single time zone at UTC+02:00.
Friday, June 5, 2026
About Botswana's time
A single time zone.
Botswana keeps things simple with a single timezone — Central Africa Time (UTC+2) — and has never observed daylight saving time.
Major cities
Cities of Botswana.
History
How Botswana keeps time.
Botswana, then the Bechuanaland Protectorate under British administration, adopted GMT+2 (now UTC+2) around the time of its independence in 1966, aligning with the broader Southern and Central Africa time standard already in use across neighboring territories. The colonial administration had settled on this offset in the early 20th century as railway networks and administrative coordination across the region converged on a shared time. Since independence, Botswana has maintained CAT without interruption, opting against daylight saving time — a choice shared with most of continental sub-Saharan Africa, where the relatively consistent daylight hours near the equator make DST pointless. The timezone has been stable and unchanging for the country's entire modern history.
Did you know?
Things about Botswana's time.
Botswana shares Central Africa Time with a cluster of neighbors including South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, making cross-border coordination straightforward across much of the region. Despite stretching from roughly 20°E to 29°E longitude — meaning the western parts of the country see sunsets noticeably earlier than the eastern border — the entire nation runs on a single offset, a common arrangement for countries of moderate east-west span in Africa. One small quirk: when Botswana synchronizes clocks with Pretoria or Harare, the sun can set as early as 5:15 p.m. in the far west (Ghanzi district) in winter months, while the east near Francistown catches a few extra minutes of light. For the most part though, life in Gaborone and the rest of the country follows a schedule that feels well matched to local solar time.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Botswana's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- What time zone is Botswana in?
- Botswana uses Central Africa Time (CAT), which is UTC+2, year-round. The IANA timezone identifier is Africa/Gaborone.
- Does Botswana observe daylight saving time?
- No. Botswana has never observed daylight saving time and stays on UTC+2 throughout the entire year.
- What time is it in Botswana compared to the UK?
- In Botswana is two hours ahead of the UK during British winter (GMT). During British Summer Time (BST), the UK moves to UTC+1, so Botswana is only one hour ahead.
- Is Botswana in the same time zone as South Africa?
- Yes. Botswana, South Africa, and several other Southern African countries all use UTC+2 and do not observe daylight saving, so they stay perfectly synchronized year-round.
- How many time zones does Botswana have?
- Just one — the entire country runs on Africa/Gaborone (UTC+2), despite being roughly 900 km wide from east to west.
- What UTC offset does Gaborone use?
- Gaborone (central reference for Botswana) uses UTC+2 all year under the CAT designation.
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