Zimbabwe: How Botswana's Khama Made Volte-Face to Accept Poll Results

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe's election victory was endorsed at the just-ended Sadc summit in Lilongwe, Malawi, only after marathon canvassing by Malawian President Joyce Banda to convince sceptical regional leaders, especially Botswana's President Seretse Khama Ian Khama, it has been learnt.

Sources told the Zimbabwe Independent -- which first reported on Harare and Lilongwe's deal on elections months ago -- that it took Banda three days to canvass support for Mugabe starting with negotiations with the Botswana Foreign Affairs minister Phandu Skelemani culminating in a tense one-on-one meeting between Mugabe and Khama last Sunday.

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