'Ian Khama should shut up,' says Mugabe's spokesman

PRESIDENTIAL spokesperson George Charamba has lashed out at Botswana President Ian Khama over his recent calls for President Mugabe to step down saying he has recklessly exceeded the bounds of both geography and authority and has become a continental misfit.

In response to questions by the Sunday News, after Reuters reported President Khama saying President Mugabe should step down, Charamba said, "If the sentiments attributed to President Khama are accurate and true, then the Batswana President has certainly exceeded the bounds of both geography and authority."

He said President Khama was not a citizen of Zimbabwe and therefore has neither the right nor moral standing to call for an elected President to step down.

"He is not a citizen of Zimbabwe; not even a resident. That means he does not vote, itself the only democratic way of determining the term of a sitting President in Zimbabwe. That makes his views on the matter not just impertinent, but impudent as well," said Charamba.

He added that it was unfortunate that President Khama was trying so hard to serve his Western friends and that was making him a misfit on the continent.

"No one takes notice, save those he strives so hard to serve and please. Not even his own predecessors agree with him, which is why he sticks out as an oddity on the continent," said Charamba.

Information, Media and Broadcasting Minister Dr Chris Mushohwe said the Government was shocked by the strange behaviour of the Botswana President.

"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 as he has just done with President Mugabe. It is taboo in African etiquette and diplomacy. Mugabe has all times cautioned African leaders against attacking each other in public as this would serve to strengthen the hand of Western imperialism at the expense of African unity…All those patting him (President Khama) on the back for a job well done are hypocrites who have sold their souls to the devil and do not mean well neither for Zimbabwe nor this sub-region," he said.

Zanu-PF Politburo member who is also Higher Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo weighed in his article published by The Southern Times and said President Mugabe's leadership of the country and Government was an intrinsic product of the new constitution which provides in Section 88(1) that, "executive authority derives from the people of Zimbabwe and must be exercised in accordance with this constitution."

He added that consequently, the motley crew of regime changists who thoughtlessly say President Mugabe must go are enemies of Zimbabwe's new constitution.

"As such the Khamas of this world and their hopeless lot must be told in no uncertain terms to go hang. This is because their stance seeks to subvert constitutional democracy in Zimbabwe by overturning not just constitutionality in terms of the letter of the law, but also by undermining constitutionalism in terms of the spirit of the law and its supportive conventional practice.

"Sadc leaders, like Khama, who want to promote and support unconstitutional calls in Zimbabwe, are an embarrassment to the regional bloc which worked tirelessly and in a dignified way to facilitate the making of Zimbabwe's new constitution between 2009 and 2013," said Prof Moyo.

He said citizens must stand up and defend the constitution as an expression of Zimbabwe's moment of truth.

President Khama was quoted by Reuters saying President Mugabe should step aside without delay and allow new leadership, claiming the country's political and economic challenges since 2000 were dragging down the whole of Southern Africa.

"They have got plenty of people there who have got good leadership qualities who could take over," Khama, the UK-born son of Botswana's first president, Seretse Khama, and his British wife, Ruth, continued.