Botswana’s Foreign Affairs Minister says no evidence of terrorist training camps has been presented to the authorities in Gaborone to support allegations made last year by President Mugabe’s government.

Phandu Skelemani said the allegations of so-called camps where saboteurs were receiving training to distabilise Zimbabwe were nothing but “distorted, manufactured and generalized accusations which were not backed by tangible facts”.

The allegations were made during the Extra-Ordinary Summit of the Organ Troika of SADC Heads of State and Government on October 27, 2008, in Harare. The SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation then mandated an investigation to be conducted, a report of which would then be submitted to the Ministerial Committee of the Organ.

“To the best of my knowledge, the team completed its investigations both in Zimbabwe and Botswana late in December 2008,” said Ms Leefa Penehupifo Martin, speaking on behalf of SADC’s Executive Secretary Tomaz Salomão. “I am not sure it has reported back to the commissioning authority that is the Ministerial Committee of the Organ Troika. As such, we have no clue of the content of their findings.”

Asked what SADC itself had to say since there were still people being incarcerated or prosecuted in Zimbabwe on charges relating to terrorism training in Botswana, she responded, “We are not privy to the evidence nor to the incarcerations you are alleging.”

Dozens of people were abducted for having been involved in such training or of assisting such trainees. They included human rights activist Jestina Mukoko and former Tsvangirai aide Gandhi Mudzingwa. While the majority were granted bail two weeks ago a few are still being held, some in unknown locations.

Andrew Makoni, a lawyer for some of the abductees told reporters in Harare on Thursday that from October 2008, when the abductions started, to December at least 31 people had been kidnapped.

“Twenty-two, including a two-year old baby, have now been accounted for but the whereabouts of the others are still unknown,” he said.

He said it was no longer known if the missing were still in police custody or had disappeared completely.

Skelemani told The Zimbabwe Times Friday that Zimbabwe’s accusations had been put to Botswana for her response.

“Botswana totally rejects the unsubstantiated allegations which were made and are clearly nothing more than an exercise to engage in acts of intimidation and harassment of the innocent people of Zimbabwe,” he said. “The Zimbabwean authorities will do themselves good by releasing those people.”

Asked when the investigation would close and if Botswana would be happy to let the accusation die without publicly addressing the accusations levelled against the country by Zimbabwe, the minister said, “That is for the SADC Organ Troika to determine as they were tasked to investigate the matter. Botswana awaits the feedback from the SADC Organ Troika on this matter.

“We have expressed our concern about the undue delay in determining this issue.”

Skelemani went on to say that, generally speaking, Botswana’s position on Zimbabwe had not changed. He said it remained the official position of the government of Botswana that, in the event of the Global Political Agreement being rendered unworkable, a re-run of the presidential election should be held under international supervision.

Three days ago, Botswana President Ian Khama told the Financial Times that Botswana had not always agreed to “this sharing of power”, just like they didn’t agree to the Kenyan model either because they felt that what should be done on the continent was to ensure that credible elections were always held.

“This power-sharing thing is a bad precedent for the continent,” Khama said.

Asked to state Botswana’s official view on Zimbabwe’s Government of National Unity and whether satisfactory progress was being achieved, Skelemani said: “The inclusive government formed in Zimbabwe has, to some degree, addressed the crisis of legitimacy in that country and this is a welcome development.

“Botswana had hoped that all the parties in government would seize this opportunity and genuinely work towards the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the country’s economy. Regrettably, some elements in government, notably, Zanu-PF, continue to encourage and engage in irresponsible acts and make provocative statements which are likely to discourage the international community from extending a helping hand to Zimbabwe for the benefit of its long suffering people.”

At the SADC Secretariat Martin said, “At the risk of sounding banal, I wish to state for a fact that the Zimbabwe government of national unity was only inaugurated on February 13, 2009, which is less than a month today and, in my opinion, it is exceptionally too short a period by any measure to assess anything less complex, let alone a government of national unity.”

Early last week, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Social Welfare, Pauline Mpariwa, officially opened the Plumtree Reception and Support Centre, the second of its kind which has been established in Zimbabwe by the International Organisation on Migration (IOM) to provide humanitarian assistance to irregular (illegal) Zimbabwean migrants being deported back home. The first centre was established in Chiredzi.

“We look at the centre as an important facility which will help in the documentation of returnees and therefore should provide data as maybe needed,” said Botswana’s Labour Minister, Lethlogonolo Siele, during the opening ceremony.

Asked if the opening of this transit camp in Plumtree was an indication that Botswana still expects continuing traffic of illegal migrants into the country, Skelemani said: “The difficult economic conditions in Zimbabwe are still there. As long as this remains the case, people will continue to cross the border into Botswana to seek opportunities for a better livelihood.”

Could he cite any issue in particular that Botswana was not happy about with regard to the current situation surrounding the Zimbabwe government?

“Yes,” said Skelemani, “the continued detention of MDC activists, which can only serve to undermine implementation of the Global Political Agreement and efforts to attract international goodwill and the much needed economic, financial and technical assistance for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the economy of Zimbabwe.”

“ZANU PF should end unilateralism and create an atmosphere conducive to building mutual trust and confidence as well as to live up to the spirit of the Global Political Agreement, wherein the parties committed themselves to bring an end to the polarization, divisions, conflict and intolerance which have characterised Zimbabwean politics and society in the recent past.

“The continued detention of MDC activists is a sign of bad faith on the part of ZANU PF.”

(Source)