Addressing Parliament on Thursday, Phandu Skelemani, Botswana’s
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, 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, 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 added 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/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 thought they deserved.
“They (MDC) 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 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…”
Skelemani then turned to the accusations by Zimbabwean officials that
Botswana was training some MDC youths to effect a regime change in
Zimbabwe and said that it was meant to divert attention from the real
issues at hand.
“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 is 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.” by John Regonamanye and Tanonoka Whande