23 Nov 2017

President Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama says Botswana will play an active role in international matters and give guidance on anything she deems wrong.

In an interview following resignation of former Zimbabwean president, Mr Robert Mugabe, President Khama said Botswana, as part of the international community, under the United Nations, should play a role in improving the welfare and wellbeing of citizens that elected leaders into office to represent.

“I have been guided by the fact that I am not here for self-interest, but I am here because I need to do my best and the same should apply to other countries, when you see some leaders departing from that and governing in the form of dictatorship that leads to declining quality of life, year by year, then you have to stand up to say this is wrong,” he said.

He said that was why he differed with the rest of SADC members and came out to regard the previous elections as rigged, hence considered Mr Mugabe as no longer in a position to lead Zimbabwe and ready to relinquish power due to his old age.  

He said if SADC had spoken out earlier as to what happened in Zimbabwe, the people of that country would have not suffered for as long as they did.

Asked as to whether SADC failed Zimbabwe, he said it was the responsibility for the Zimbabwean government to its own people and SADC was not in the business of running other countries.

“We are members of an organisation and we decided to integrate, through which we can collectively improve livelihoods of our respective citizens and when we have a country like Zimbabwe that has been in economic chaos for so long, it was worrying that the country has not been able to come to the table to contribute,” he said.

President Khama said Zimbabwe had been on the SADC agenda specifically because of the political intolerance which had existed in the country and led to the instability that existed, adding that Zimbabwe had only been a burden on SADC.

He further said SADC was constrained into what degree they could intervene other than mediating.

President Khama said there had been lessons overflowing with regard to Zimbabwe situation on how to run a country.

He however expressed optimism that Zimbabwe would recover despite that they have had problems brewing for 37 years without a solution.

Asked whether the transitional government was a coup, he said the world might have to invent a name for what transpired in Zimbabwe because literally a coup would have been a situation whereby the head of army declared himself as the Head of State.

“We did not see the head of army declaring himself as the Head of State or army formation in control of the state to replace the cabinet, nor the bloodshed in the streets. This was a very surgical manner of trying to bring about a change that it did. From that perspective, we will have to invent a name of what happened in Zimbabwe,” he said.

He said what transpired in Zimbabwe came as a surprise, but added that one could sense that something great was going to happen after Vice President was relieved of his position by Mr Mugabe, who also tried to engineer for his wife to come in.

“That was definitely going to be some kind of backlash and how exactly the backlash would have taken place, I was assuming it was going to happen at the ZANU-PF congress next month, but as it happened it came out the way it did,” he said.

President Khama said it was normal for ZANU-PF and people of Zimbabwe that the country be run by people who played a role in the liberation struggle of Zimbabwe, but noted that after some years when the new generation came through, they could not feel the sense of belonging because they did not know what took place.

“That is why there comes a clash of who should now be in charge. But I think in a democracy, it is up to the people, even if you had a role in bringing about the liberation, being good at liberation struggle does not always translate to being good in government, which is what we saw in Zimbabwe,” he said.

President Kham further noted that he was hopeful that Zimbabweans would be ready to hold elections next year, although he was aware that some of the opposition members called for electoral reforms.

“When you have elections every five years, the Electoral Commission has got five years to prepare, so there will be no reason not to be ready,” he said.

President Khama expressed hope that countries that imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe would lift such, adding however that other countries might adopt a 'wait-and-see' stance. ENDS