23 Nov 2022

-Botswana played a crucial role in helping Southern African counterparts attain their liberation, despite being met with hostility and criticism from other countries.

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi made the remarks after receiving an offer letter from Zimbabwe special envoy, Ambassador Simbarashe Mumbengegwi in Gaborone Tuesday. Zimbabwe has offered Botswana an acre from the 100-hectar Africa’s liberation museum planned for Harare. President Dr Masisi said Botswana fought with everything it had to help Southern African countries. 

“I can’t think of any country that would have attained liberation without the assistance of Botswana. We pulled the trigger of strategy, the trigger of suaveness and smartness” to ensure protection of the liberation leaders, he said. 

Dr Masisi noted that the two countries were intertwined by their quest for progress adding that the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) was responsible for the country’s foreign policy enunciation which was articulated eloquently by various diplomats among them his late father. 

He noted that Botswana harboured political asylum seekers from surrounding countries while maintaining her stance against racism in the midst of unrest caused by the white minority rule in Southern Africa. 

Regarding the liberation museum President Masisi said he was proud of the proposed project saying “we will support it all the way. We will play our part”, adding “we are particularly intrigued by its Africanist perspective”.

 He assured Mr Mumbengegwi that Botswana story would be an Africanist one, be it on narration or design. 

Presenting the offer earlier, Mr Mumbengegwi said the project, which came into being through the tutelage of the Institute of African Knowledge, would not be complete without the inclusion of Botswana’s role in the liberation struggle. ENDS