Zimbabwe lashes out at Botswana president for anti-Mugabe comment

The Zimbabwean government has lashed out at the president of Botswana for his statement against Robert Mugabe’s leadership asking him to step aside.

The Minister of Information, Chris Mushohwe, expressed resentment at the sentiments of Botswana’s leader Ian Khama who’s country is a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) like Mugabe’s.

“The Government of Zimbabwe is shocked by this uncharacteristic behaviour on the part of President Khama who until last month, was at the helm of Sadc and should know better that you don’t use the media platform to criticise fellow Sadc leaders,” he said in a statement on Friday.

He described Khama’s statement as a taboo which “would serve to strengthen the hand of Western imperialism at the expense of African unity”.

The minister also hit out that those who supported the statement referring to them as hypocrites who are against the betterment of Zimbabwe and the sub-region.

“They are agents of regime change driving a foreign political agenda against national and regional interests,” he alleged while emphasizing that Mugabe’s constitutional term runs until 2018.

63-year-old President Ian Khama said in an interview last week that 92-year-old Mugabe cannot provide leadership to get Zimbabwe out of its economic tumble. “They have got plenty of people there who have got good leadership qualities who could take over,” he suggested.