Jabulani Makhanya's letter, "Botswana in bed with US, UK", in Sowetan of August 18 refers.
Jabulani Makhanya's letter, "Botswana in bed with US, UK", in Sowetan of August 18 refers.
He says he is not surprised that "Botswana leaders have declared publicly that they do not recognise Robert Mugabe as a legitimate president of Zimbabwe".
We are surprised that Makhanya does not know of a single person from South Africa whom Botswana accommodated during the struggle, when he says the Botswana authorities supplied the apartheid regime with names of freedom fighters from here. One of them was Mbuyisa Makhubu; the guy holding Hector Pieterson in Sam Nzima's famous June 16 photograph.
Why should Botswana recognise Mugabe? We have long hidden behind constructive criticism, hoping that Mugabe would catch a wake-up call and shape up. Wasn't it time that someone told him point blank that they do not recognise his presidency?
Makhanya says that Botswana has taken this stand "to intimidate its neighbours to appease Britain and the US". We disagree. What economic payback is Makhanya talking about when he says Botswana "is hoping for special recognition and an economic payback from the imperialists?"
Does that mean countries that do not say their mind about Zimbabwe are hoping for special recognition and economic payback from Zimbabwe?
Dikatso Selemogwe and Lesego Mainama, Pretoria