Bame Piet
1 April 2009
After 10 years of failed silent diplomacy on Zimbabwe, Batswana and other regional taxpayers will be required to pay for the damage President Robert Mugabe has caused to his country's economy.
First, Southern African Development Community (SADC) citizens will have to pop out funds to get the country going for the coming months before digging deeper to lobby Western countries like United States of America, (US), United Kingdom (UK), and Germany, including China and Russia, to assist Zimbabwe to move forward.
The West will also be requested to lift the sanctions against Zimbabwe, said Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Phandu Skelemani in Gaborone yesterday.
Skelemani attended a special SADC Summit in Mbabane, Swaziland, on Monday.
Zimbabwe needs at least US8.4 billion (about P67billion) to get the economy running again. At the moment, he said, the country makes US20 million per month from tobacco and alcohol sales while the public service needs US30 million per month. "This is a US1 0million deficit and hospitals and schools need to be functional," he said. Zimbabwe now pays all its citizens in US dollars.
Skelemani said the summit appointed a committee comprising Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to go around the world lobbying the big countries and international financial institutions like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) to bail out Zimbabwe.
SADC finance ministers will also meet to discuss what their countries can pledge for the collapsed Zimbabwean economy.
Skelemani said that they still have to brief President Ian Khama on what to do but things might be tough for the region because of the impact of the global recession on their economies. "We all agreed that we should do everything possible," he said. Botswana will talk to her friends to assist Zimbabwe, even if it means loans with conditions, he added.
Skelemani is confident that they will get a positive response from the big countries especially since assuming power, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has brought hope for economic recovery. He also expressed satisfaction at the cooperation President Mugabe showed during the Mbabane summit. He denied reports that there are farm invasions in Zimbabwe saying it was just a misunderstanding that the unity government has agreed to deal with as a matter of urgency.
He further said that the unity government is sorting out issues of political prisoners and Mugabe has promised cooperation on many others.
Meanwhile, the minister sent a stern warning to Andry Rajoelina, who recently assumed power illegally in Madagascar, saying that he must step down and return power to President Marc Ravalomanana as a matter of urgency.
"It is unacceptable, he must go back to the mayorship and hand over power to a constitutionally elected leader," Skelemani said. He accused the 34-year-old Rajoelina of using the military to take the presidency, only to claim that Ravalomanana had resigned.
"He shouldn't be recognised by anybody, he is illegitimate. He must go immediately," the minister said.
Skelemani said that SADC and the African Union (AU) will take serious steps against Rajoelina if he does not comply immediately, but ruled out military intervention. "There is no need for military intervention because people in Madagascar are now rising against him. If you look at our protocol you will see that military intervention is the last resort," he said. He cited the Comoros Islands and Lesotho as examples where SADC and AU military interventions succeeded without being challenged. "Rajoelina is aware of SADC capabilities," he said.
Botswana and Madagascar have non-residential relations.
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It does not surprise me that most stupid and hyperbolic writers on Zimbabwe are a small white minority community in SADC. Their goal is to define life for the Africans. In Botswana they are busy stirring resentments toward all things Zimbabwean. A few black Batswana are beginning to realize the contributions of resident Zimbabweans in Botswana. There is virtually no major entity in Botswana where Zimbabweans do not play a role. FrancisTown is practically supported by Zimbabweans, and not the loud mouthed white minorites. This has nothing to do with Robert Mugabe. Soccer coaches in Botswana are Zimbabweans and so are a few players. Zimbabwe economic revival will do more for Botswana than for Zimbabweans. Piet stop being a liar!!! I have seen your articles and they are rubbish!!
Racist drivel again from you Phiri. Maybe you pathetic Zimbabweans should get off your arses and start helping yourselves. You made the mess so start doing something to fix it. Being a typical black racist does not help.
jrr, a lot of us do try, but we are all called enemies of the state, so it is ransacked by the green bombers, because they do not like anyone helping themselves. According to ZanyPooF,everything belongs to Bob-oon.
U ALL SHOULD GUESS WHO THIS IS - HIS NAME SPELT BACKWARDS - EBAGUM!!!! instead i shall use this now instead of uncle bob
N/a, Maybe Muga's is that Rhodist Yorkshireman afterall, E-ba-gum, whale oil be damned. ha ha ha ha ha ha .
Zola looks like u wet your pants with laughter what about Muga the Mugger the next door neighgbour from hell!!
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Botswana, be wary of where your money is going. There is a 30 year history of money going missing in Zimbabwe and it is all down to one person and his cohorts. The west will be asked to lift the targeted sanctions, why would they lift sanctions on the people that have destroyed Zimbabwe? If anyone can answer that i would like to hear it.