Botswana star reflects on divorce, losses and grief after presidential hug

Botswana music star Vee Mampeezy has opened up about years of personal, financial and emotional struggles after receiving an emotional embrace from President Duma Boko.

The emotional moment unfolded at the Botswana Music Union (BOMU) Awards in Gaborone on Friday evening, 28 August 2026, where Vee also won the Best House Kwasa Record award.

During the ceremony, President Boko warmly embraced the musician, who later revealed just how deeply the gesture affected him.

The singer said the hug meant far more to him than a simple greeting, revealing that he had gone through several difficult moments without being able to publicly ask for emotional support.

“God used you to hug me,” Vee Mampeezy said in a social media post thanking President Boko.

The artist said he now felt better after being hugged by what he described as the “first Citizen of the country”.

His emotional post detailed a turbulent journey stretching back to his divorce in 2022, followed by financial difficulties, political losses and bereavement.

Vee Mampeezy recalls his difficult years

According to Vee Mampeezy, his struggles began in 2022 when he went through a divorce.

He said he did not receive the emotional support he needed during that period, instead facing what he described as bad publicity and public scrutiny.

The singer said his circumstances changed again in 2023 when he met his partner, whom he described as his “beloved babe”.

However, he said his happiness was followed by another major setback.

Vee claimed that he lost his business, cars and house and found himself “swimming in debts”.

Despite the difficulties, he said he kept his struggles largely to himself because of his public profile.

Vee Mampeezy says he lost close to 2 million

The singer said 2024 brought another major financial setback when he became involved in politics.

According to Vee, he lost close to 2 million in politics.

Again, he said he did not receive the hug or emotional support he needed.

His account is particularly striking because it shows the difference between the public image of a successful entertainer and the private struggles he said he was experiencing.

Vee Mampeezy says he recovered in 2025

Vee said his fortunes changed in 2025 when he recovered what he had lost.

He claimed that his debts were cancelled and that he acquired a new house, multiple properties, Range Rovers and other assets.

The singer also reflected on his business success.

In December 2025, Botswana’s DailyNews reported on the expansion of his VEETRO’S restaurant business, describing it as part of his evolution from musician to entrepreneur.

But despite rebuilding his material wealth, Vee said he later realised that there were some things money could not fix.

‘I really, really need a hug’

Vee said 2026 brought another painful chapter when he lost his grandmother and a friend.

It was then, he said, that he realised he “really, really” needed a hug.

But as a superstar, he explained that he could not easily tell people how he was feeling.

“I couldn’t tell any one because I’m a superstar,” he wrote.

That made President Boko’s embrace particularly meaningful for him.

Why President Boko’s hug meant so much

For Vee Mampeezy, the hug appears to have represented something much bigger than a moment with Botswana’s head of state.

After years of divorce, financial difficulties, political losses and grief, the singer interpreted the embrace as the emotional reassurance he had been missing.

“God used you to hug me,” he told Boko.

He ended his message with a declaration that captured just how much the moment meant to him:

“I have been hugged by the first Citizen of the country. I made it.”

President Boko has himself spoken publicly about the importance of emotional maturity, relationships and healing.

In a speech to members of the Botswana Defence Force in May 2026, he addressed divorce, rejection and the need to handle emotional difficulties without violence.