State papers lie about Mugabe's praise for his Sadc Chair term of office achievements

The MDC-T MP for Binga Prince Dubeko Sibanda has accused the public media for lying that President Robert Mugabe recieved overwhelming praise for his performance as the Sadc Chairman during his term of office which ended on Monday when Botswana President Ian Seretse Khama took over from him.

 "Nothing mentioned about the so called "achievements of the outgoing chairperson" as we see in the ZANU PF press," said Sibanda. "Even the welcome bundled him among other delegates. And I am sure His Excellency, the Commander In Chief of the ZDF, Chancellor of all State Universities, Dear Leader is not amused."

In his welcome of delegates remarks Khama said, "It is my honour and privilege to welcome you all to Botswana, and in particular to the City of Gaborone, the headquarters of our regional body, SADC. I trust that the arrangements put at your disposal will meet your expectations and enable you to execute your duties diligently in accordance with our regional development agenda."

"Allow me to extend a special welcome to Their Excellencies Heads of State and Government that are joining us for the first time after their successful elections, from the Republic of Mauritius, Republic of Mozambique, the Kingdom of Lesotho, Republic of Namibia and the Republic of Zambia. I wish to congratulate you and welcome you to this Summit. For our colleague, His Excellency the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, we wish you well as you attend for the last time as your country goes to elections in October, being fully aware that peaceful, free and fair elections have always been the hallmark of your United Republic."

He said more than thirty five years ago, our founding fathers inspired by common values and principles committed themselves to harnessing the region's comparative strengths and resources, towards a shared vision of peace, prosperity and development of its entire people.

"They recognized that no single country can prosper on its own, or address the myriad of development challenges ranging from poverty eradication, under-development, food security, climate change, unemployment, as well as peace and security. They thus unreservedly committed to deepening integration and strengthening regional cooperation in an effort to advance the region's socio-economic development," said Khama.

"Today marks yet another critical milestone in that important regional journey, as we the current leaders reaffirm our collective resolve to this legacy. I am pleased that we remain committed to continuing to work together to carry this baton towards attainment of the desired development goals and regional stability.
Your presence here is a true demonstration of your commitment to the growth and prosperity of our region."

"As you are aware, our region continues to be afflicted by multifaceted challenges which undermine our development efforts towards improvement of lives and wellbeing of our citizens. We are therefore compelled to come up with innovative strategies and holistic responses to create enabling environments for our economies to prosper and grow," he added.

He said deepening the SADC integration agenda and the attainment of other development goals remain key.

"In conclusion, I trust that during this 35th SADC Ordinary Summit we will, as in the past, concentrate on these tasks at hand and thus transform our economies for the better," he said.

We in Botswana are more than optimistic that the short time you will spend with us over the next few days will be prolific and serve as a living memorial as well as a worthwhile experience for Your Excellencies and Spouses, all distinguished guest, representatives and delegates. Please do not hesitate to call upon us to attend to any particular needs that you may have and we will gladly respond, subject to our abilities. I wish to take this opportunity to wish you an enjoyable stay in Gaborone. I trust that wherever you go, Botswana will receive you with their warm hospitable nature that they are known for."

Sibanda said in this statement there are no praises for Mugabe as alleged by the public press aligned to Zanu PF meaning the whole thing was a fabrication.