Botswana denies training youth militias
November 13, 2008
Patrick Chinamasa accused Botswana of training MDC militias.
By Tanonoka Joseph Whande
GABORONE – Zimbabwe’s neighbour, Botswana, has vehemently denied accusations by officials in Harare that Botswana was training MDC youths for purposes of effecting regime change in Zimbabwe.
Addressing the Parliament of Botswana on Wednesday afternoon, Phandu Skelemani, Botswana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said such accusations were meant to divert attention from the real issues at hand. Zimbabwe’s former Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa has said that the MDC is training youth militias in Botswana for purposes of fighting the government in Zimbabwe.
Said Skelemani: “The allegations that the Government of Botswana would wish to train foreign nationals on its territory to effect regime change is ridiculous and all who are aware of Botswana’s longstanding commitment to the principles of good neighbourliness, non-interference in the internal affairs of others, and peaceful resolution of disputes in our region and elsewhere would no doubt attest to this.”
He said the government of Botswana totally rejects these unsubstantiated allegations, “which are obviously nothing more than an excuse to engage in acts of intimidation and harassment of innocent Zimbabweans and a desperate attempt to divert attention from the real issues facing Zimbabwe”.
He denied that Botswana was interfering in the internal affairs of Zimbabwe.
“Botswana has no choice but to openly express her concern about the deteriorating political situation, and make calls for authorities in that country to take necessary steps to end the unnecessary suffering of the people of Zimbabwe,” said Skelemani. “We do not accept that by doing so, we are interfering in the internal affairs of the Republic of Zimbabwe because the situation in that country adversely affects us.”
Skelemani said, while respecting governments’ consensus in the Southern African Development Community, the government of Botswana wanted to make it clear that it differs with SADC on some of the decisions passed at the SADC Extra Ordinary Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on November 9, 2008.
He described SADC’s decision to order the co-management of a ministry by two ministers from different parties as “unrealistic, impracticable and unworkable”.
At the Johannesburg summit, SADC decided that Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Home Affairs, which is in charge of the police, should be run by two ministers from Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF and Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change.
“This does not reflect a genuine and credible commitment to equitable power-sharing,” Skelemani said, adding that the full and effective implementation of the Global Political Agreement signed in Harare on September 15, 2008 is crucial to ending the crisis of legitimacy in Zimbabwe.
“It is regrettable that Zanu-PF continues to act as if they are the senior partner in the negotiations wielding the power of veto on the implementation of the Agreement,” Skelemani said.
He pointed out that Botswana recognizes that decisions in SADC are reached by consensus, after which they reflect the collective position of the organization.
“However, it would be remiss of us if we did not express our strong reservations or disagreements, as we did during the summit, regarding the co-management of the Ministry of Home Affairs.”
In answer to a question from a member, Skelemani defended the MDC’s announcement that they would not be taking part in any SADC recommendations by saying that the MDC came to SADC with hope but were terribly disappointed when SADC turned against them and forced them to accept something else other than what they felt they deserved.
“They responded in shock. They were surprised by SADC’s stand. It is my hope that after they settle down, they will want to take part in what SADC recommended,” the minister said.
Turning to the agreement, Skelemani said that Botswana wished to reiterate its strongly held view that if the Agreement cannot be implemented as soon as possible, the international community should demand a re-run of the Presidential election in Zimbabwe “under international supervision so that the long suffering people of Zimbabwe can resolve the impasse by voting to decide who their true leaders should be”.
On sanctions against Zimbabwe, Skelemani said that Botswana would never consider such a move or support it as “it would only hurt the ordinary Zimbabwean”.
“As an immediate neighbour to Zimbabwe, sharing more than 600 km of common border, with a high level of people to people contact between the two countries, Botswana naturally takes a keen interest in developments in Zimbabwe…Botswana will not impose or support sanctions. Today, Zimbabweans are crossing the border into Botswana and imagine our soldiers feeding them. They are dropping at the feet of our soldiers…”
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Botwana seems to be the only “voice of reason” in the whole SADC. Its unfortunate that at that neutered SADC meeting, Botswana was handicapped by that SADC policy of “unanimous” decision making. If this stupid “unanimous” clause did not exist in SADC’s protocols it is clear that Botswana would have emerged as the strongest voice for democracy and rationality. All the other SADC heads of state have now unashamedly accepted the position of being Mugabe’s surrogates. Shame on SADC!
Thank you! This is the truth. Let the PEOPLE of ZIMBABWE decide their destiny in a free and fair election with soldiers in their Barracks being well fed. Who is afraid of free and fair elections? Lets go for it!! Botswana please start a fund to finance this rerun and our Mugabe has no money!!! 1 (one) USD = ZWD 2.8 Quadrillion………..Maiweeeeeee….Taperaaaa
Only God knows why MDC-T signed a blank cheque on which Matibili is writing what he thinks the cheque should contain. I do not know if its approapriate to say ZANU PF is playing games with Zimbabweans or the MDC executive. I’m sure MDC-T executive is regretting why they signed a blank cheque that is now in the hands of a mad man Mugabe who is now giving unrealistic demands. Mutambara can not wait to be deputy prime minister so what ever is on offer, he accepts with two hands because he has no clue on what it entails… he does not care about the people and what they will offer the people. ZANU PF and Mutambara’s factions are scared to death about elections so they want to jump into power at what ever costs and they do not are about the outcome.
I think MDC should just announce an official pull-out of the talks. In the GNU Mutambara is listed as deputy so he is going to deputize himself. After all, whats the point of being part of a GNU that will not change a thing? We all know that the key lies in investor confidence and who holds power. If Mugabe still holds power then its better for MDC-T to let him continue running a collapsed economy. Credible free and fair elections are the answer to the squables. The other alternative route is civil unrest. The other sweet route is to have a Mwalimu Nyerere remove the Idi Amini in our beloved Zimbabwe.
But I still have a question to SA president and chair of SADC, Mothlante. Why did they proceed with deliberations when Mugabe refused to get out of the room? They are the ones who give him more power than he gets from Zimbabwean voters and more power than he deserves. Since Matibili had broken the ‘rule’, they should have just stopped or called in Morgan (Mutambara could have been left out since he was represented by Matibili). Mothlante has shown lack of spine just like Mbeki. Zimbabweans are suffering today because MDC chose the democratic way of removing Mugabe. SADC has been an accomplice to Mugabe’s crimes against Zimbabweans. It is in this view that I think all those heads of state who voted for our suffering should be also listed on targeted sanctions including AGO. AGO has been against the people’s wishes.
PAMBERI NEBOTSWANA,PASI NACHINAMASA(UNELECTED OFFICIAL)
(Forward with Botswana, down with Chinamasa).
If you rule over unhappy people who can’t remove you by the ballot and you are worried they may consider the bullet, blame it all on your neighbour and the internal issues will fall away. Very similar to Rhodesian philosophy during UDI: Smith ruled the happiest Africans,…. (-:) …. if only it were not for the communists stirring unnecessary trouble!
ZANU PF really amazes me. Would they prefer it if Botswana bars Zimbabweans from making food-sourcing trips to the former? After all, the ZANU PF guys themselves are the ones who make more frequent trips to Botswana than anybody else. Hadn’t Zvayi even relocated there?
Maybe Botswana shops should start asking for party cards; we can’t have people making serious allegations like that and then making such frequent trips into ‘enemy territory’. I hope it’s not Jonathan Moyo mis-advising them again. Remember how he took a jibe at Botswana for having “more cattle than people”, which was really surprising coming from someone who should have had a better sense of how to interpret that: more cattle than people is, and has always been proof of a thriving economy! Any average-minded peasant knows that but for some reason the wisdom evaded our so-called ‘muzvinafundo’.
Anyway, to the matter of Botswana and the ZANU PF regime, if it were not for the fact that people can still go to Botswana once in a while to replenish their food resources, Mugabe would have been overthrown by hungry Zimbabweans a very long time ago.
How strange it is that the same people who drive their fancy brand new cars into Botswana raise such malicious lies about a country that is ruled on morals, principle and democracy. These people like Moyo, Chinamisa, zvayi thrive on pettiness, lies brutality, How they live such luxurious lifestyles comes from their exploitation and trampling on peoples human rights. To all Zimbabweans, I say, keep all that evidence. these people aught to face the tribunals and should be locked up, and the keys thrown into the ocean.