Monkagedi Gaotlhobogwe
24 November 2008
For the third time, Zimbabwe has failed to produce evidence that Botswana is training opposition youth to destabilise the government of President Robert Mugabe. Last week at a meeting of the SADC Task Force chosen to probe the matter, a Zimbabwe delegation led by Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Joey Bimha failed to produce documentary proof as requested.
The director of Research and Information at the Botswana Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Clifford Maribe told the Monitor on Saturday that the Zimbabweans came empty-handed at the meeting. Zimbabwe failed to provide evidence when it first made the allegations at a SADC meeting in Maputo last month. It was the same story when it repeated the allegations at another meeting in South Africa.
"They had three opportunities to provide SADC with evidence, especially when they first raised the allegations in Maputo, and then in South Africa. Now they were expected to help with some vital documents to support their stand, but they did not bring anything at the meeting last week," Maribe said.
It would appear the allegations are used by Mugabe to punish members of the opposition Movement For Democratic Change (MDC). This month, a Zimbabwean High Court judge, Charles Hungwe, issued four orders requiring Mugabe's government to immediately release 12 MDC activists held incommunicado since October 30 on charges of receiving training in sabotage, terrorism and banditry in Botswana.
The Zimbabwean Times report the state agents raided the homes of the MDC leadership and arrested members, including a two-year-old girl. During the arrests, police are said to have seized property including a computer and official party documents at the home of MDC's national official Concilia Chinanzvavana.
Together with her husband Emmanuel, a councillor in Banket, Chinanzvavana is alleged to be among the 12 MDC activists who received military training in Botswana. Others are MDC councillor, Fidelis Chiramba, the losing candidate in senatorial election for Zvimba, Fani Tembo; ward coordinator Lloyd Tambwa, Fidelis Musona, Ernest Mudimu, Jerry Musona, Fanuel Tembo and Theater Kaseke.
All of them have never been seen since their arrest and it is feared they have been executed by Mugabe.The Zimbabwean Times quoted a source saying the 12 were transferred from Banket to Harare and were initially held at Mabelreign Police Station before they were moved to Avondale Police Station. They were then released into the custody of the Officer Commanding the Homicide Section of the CID, Chrispen Makedenge who has moved them to an unknown location.
They are being charged with treason for allegedly undergoing training in banditry, which carries life imprisonment if convicted.The Zimbabwean Times reported early this month that the defence feared that the 12 could have been harmed or even murdered.
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The only funny part of it Mugabe never gets embarrassed with anything, are we dealing with a Zombie!! With this suffering he just does not care I wonder if he will be awake during any deliberations on Zimbabwe. Munhu andikona ini.
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You have to have shame to be embarrassed, Mugabe and regime have proved over and over for 20 years they have no shame and they will die and face there lord with that shame. Mugabe and regimes whole life over the last 20 years has been totally wrong and shameful, if you believe in god you know they are going to hell the second they die.
"For the third time, Zimbabwe has failed to produce evidence that Botswana is training opposition youth to destabilise the government of President Robert Mugabe" - nor will they ever!
This is the exact same pathetic claptrap Mugabe dreamt up at the SADC meeting in Dar es Salaam two years ago when the MDC camps were supposed to be in South Africa. For a while at that time zanu-pf's tame rag was talking about the 'military wing'of MDC until even they realised how lame they sounded.
Watch how Ndebvu and the other Mugabe apologists soon start dropping their references to the Botswana camps and pretend that it never happened.