Botswana denied on Monday it was involved in plans to topple the government of Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe. Reports of such a plan have proliferated since the visit to Botswana in July of US president George Bush.
”We are outraged by these statements of vilification,” Botswana foreign minister Mompati Merafhe said of the allegations, speaking in Maputo, at the fourth meeting of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ on Defence, Security and Politics. The text of his speech was released by the Botswana
government on Monday.
”This is a matter of serious concern to our government. We are being accused of working with the Americans and British to bring about a forceful regime change in a friendly SADC member state, our friendly neighbour Zimbabwe,” Merafhe said.
”It is alleged a US military base in Botswana will be used to launch such military attack.”
There have been press reports alleging meetings in Botswana between US assistant secretary of state for Africa Walter Kansteiner and British foreign secretary Jack Straw, to hatch the plan.
Kansteiner was in Gaborone in May to open a US trade office, but, said Merafhe: ”Jack Straw has never been to Botswana.”
The only visit on record of a British government minister this year is that in April of parliamentary under-secretary for foreign affairs and minister for Africa, Baroness Valerie Amos, who said there was increasing frustration in Africa over the failure to
resolve the situation in Zimbabwe.
Merafhe said that even if the Americans and the British were planning action to topple Mugabe, it would not be mounted from Botswana.
”Botswana would never allow itself to be used for such treacherous activities,” he said.
Since the Bush visit, Botswana has had to repeatedly deny any links between the US and a military air base about 100km north-west of Gaborone. The one-billion pula (then $350-million) Thebephatshwa base was opened in August 1995, by Merafhe, who was then Commander of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF).
Speculation that it had been funded by the US surfaced immediately.
”The US does not own any military base in Botswana. Thebephatshwa air base is wholly owned by the government of Botswana,” he said. ”It was constructed during my term as Commander of the BDF, with our own resources, without any assistance from the US or any other country.”
The US and Botswana cooperate in training of police to combat terror, disaster training and officer training for the BDF. The US has also provided military equipment to Botswana, though not on a scale that would promote conflict. – Sapa