Former president of Botswana, Ian Khama, has pledged to campaign to oust his successor Mokgweetsi Masisi in next year's elections, accusing him of threatening democracy.

Khama governed Botswana until 2018, when he handed over power to his former deputy, Masisi, yet now says he regrets appointing him as his successor.

The unrest began straight after Khama resigned as Masisi started to reverse some of the key policies introduced during Khama's presidency.

A number of months later, and in the lead-up to the last elections, Khama left the Botswana Democratic Party, which was co-founded by Botswana's first president, his father Seretse Khama, Daily Mail reports.

As such, with elections coming up in 2024, Khama is planning to boost the opposition into a coalition in a bid to oust Masisi.

"I have to fix the mistake I made in appointing Masisi to be my successor," Khama told AFP, going on to say he plans to "join with other parties to ensure that he (Masisi) and his party lose the elections.

"It was a huge mistake, one that we are regretting as a country because he's totally undermined democracy, human rights, the rule of law, interfered with the judiciary," he continued.

Khama went on to add: "Botswana has been a democracy right from independence, we had a very good reputation for democracy, we were a shining light on the African continent, we were renowned worldwide for our adherence to democracy, and then you get this one man who comes in one day and just overturns everything.

"And this is the Botswana version of Donald Trump in Masisi."

When Khama retired in 2018, he said he was planning to carry out conservation charity work, and politics was not part of his plan.

"When I left office, I intended to completely leave politics, but here I'm now more involved in politics than even when I was president because I'm determined to make sure this man (Masisi) goes," he stated.