Botswana denies Mugabe, Khama rift

Botswana has denied that there was bad blood between President Robert Mugabe and his counterpart Ian Khama, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation minister Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi has said.

Venson-Moitoi took a swipe at the media on Tuesday while waiting for Mugabe’s arrival at the Sir Seretse Khama Airport (SSKA), accusing the press of deliberately creating animosity between the two leaders.

Venson-Moitoi’s outbursts followed media reports suggesting that Khama had snubbed Mugabe who jetted into the country for a visit to the Sadc Secretariat.

She said she was disturbed by reports that Mugabe was not accorded an honour befitting a head of State.

“President Mugabe is visiting in his capacity as the Sadc chairman,” she said.

“This is not a government or a State visit and this is why as a Foreign Affairs minister I have to protocol him. That is why we do not have any guard of honour or hoisting of flags on street poles. The same would happen if our president was visiting Zimbabwe.”

The Foreign Affairs minister, not president Khama, welcomed Mugabe at the airport ostensibly because the latter is on a work-related mission not a State visit.

“It is a normal practice throughout the world that as a minister responsible, I protocol his visit and not the president,” Venson-Moitoi said. “I also afford him the necessary protocols linked with visits of other heads of State visiting the country on other official capacities.”

Therefore, President Khama’s absence at the airport should not be viewed as lack of respect for Mugabe, she said.

After Khama’s last visit to the Sadc summit in Harare early this month, the Zimbabwean media reported that Mugabe watched in consternation as Khama sided with South African President Jacob Zuma as the pair partly blamed the nonagenarian’s misrule in Zimbabwe for the crisis regarding illegal migrants in the region.

When asked to provide clarity on the alleged Harare confrontation, Venson-Moitoi dismissed allegations that Khama was annoyed and had to leave the meeting early.

“President Khama did not walk out of the meeting. He got permission and he had made it known that he would leave early,” she said.

“President Khama, in his comments on the issue of xenophobia, was that we cannot condone killings. He said each African country has to work hard at creating employment. He also said we cannot expect South Africa to provide employment for the rest of Africa.”

Mugabe was expected to address a press conference at the Grand Palm Hotel yesterday afternoon.

Mugabe was also scheduled to meet Sadc staff, have private lunch at State House and pay a courtesy call on President Seretse Khama Ian Khama. Agencies