A reflection of SADC as Ian Khama takes the deputy chairmanship

The 34th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit of Heads of State and Government which ended recently in Victoria Falls, under the newly chairmanship of the bloc, President Robert Mugabe steering forward the wheels of SADC's agenda and programmes will only be fruitful and successful if the new deputy chairperson who is also the President of Botswana Ian Khama becomes more serious and committed to SADC affairs in the African region.

The SADC summit which ran under the theme, "SADC Strategy for Economic Transformation: Leveraging the Region's Diverse Resources for Sustainable Economic and Social Development through Beneficiation and Value Addition" was a success as 13 heads of State out of 15 managed to attended the meeting.

It is saddening and surprising that the new deputy of SADC Ian Khama could not make it on time to the swearing in process of the new SADC leader President Mugabe who was handed 12 months of chairmanship. It also boggles the mind to hear that President Khama did not attend the bouquet that was attended by almost all heads of states that were at the summit.
 
Many questions can then be asked, as to why President Khama failed to attend some of these important sessions. One may ask was Mr Khama sick? Was he not happy that President Mugabe was now the new chairman of SADC or was he too busy in his hotel room that he failed to attend the dinner?

It boggles the mind when the one who is the second in charge of SADC becomes the last to attend the summit and also the first to leave the summit.

This alone depicts a bad character and a negative approach by the vice chairman of SADC President Khama.

Following that, it then becomes a big threat to the gains of SADC. President Mugabe in his acceptance speech highlighted that SADC nations should neglect the dependency syndrome as this affects the programmes of SADC. Usually Western countries appear to African countries as donors, who are willing to offer assistance to 3rd world countries but factually their aim will be to spearhead regime change.

"Our continued over-reliance on the generosity and goodwill of our cooperating partners tends to compromise our ownership and sustainability of our SADC programmes. How can we proudly claim SADC to be our own organization when close to sixty percent of the programmes are externally funded?" President Mugabe said.

In this regard, Botswana President Khama might find it challenging to work with other SADC heads of state. If President Khama fails to change his approach towards ensuring the interests of Africa and SADC his working relationship with the SADC executives will not be harmonious.

It is infamous that President Khama is well linked to Britain. Seretse Khama's wife-Ruth Williams Khama who happens to be the mother of President Khama was British. In other words, President Ian Khama is half African and half British. It is for that reason that the Botswana president is strongly linked to the westerners who are the core drivers of regime change.

Sadly, President Khama's relationship with the westerners will likely to cripple the economic development of SADC. The westerners have only single agenda in Africa which is regime change. If President Khama continues to work hand in glove with Britain and Americans President Mugabe's chairmanship will be prone to diminish as his SADC visions and programmes are far much against westerners.

Then President of Botswana, Seretse Khama married a British wife who happens to be the mother of President Khama. In other words, President Ian Khama is partly African and partly British. It is for that reason that the Botswana president is strongly linked to the westerners who are the core drivers of regime change.  

SADC seeks to promote self-sustaining development on the basis of collective self-reliance and interdependence of member states as well as to promote and defend peace and security.

It is worrisome that Botswana through their President has been hosting American transmitters like studio 7 which are very hostile to the nation to broadcast into Zimbabwe in contravention of our laws. Also, Botswana has been used as a recipient of regime change funds by western nations.

The new deputy chairman of SADC has been opposing SADC decisions on a number of occasions. At one point, President Khama criticized SADC claiming that it had not pointed out irregularities in the July 31 harmonised elections uttering that the elections were not free and fair. Surely, if President Khama fails to change his behaviour during his tenure as the deputy chairman of SADC, the end result will be undermined.

Heads of states in SADC should work with President Khama at their own risk. Botswana once agreed to work with Britain to oust President Mugabe's government. As a country in SADC, Botswana should have rejected to be in that deal of allowing an imperialist country to use its territory as a base for aggression against a member state.

The depressing performance by the Botswana President explains better why this man is still single at the age of 61years. It is alleged that Mr Khama is never been married mainly because his top requirement for a future wife that he needs must be tall, slim and beautiful.  It also reported that President Khama claims that he will be to busy running country affairs that he lacks ample time to find a wife.

Mr Khama should improve on his working relationship with other SADC heads of state for the economic development and betterment of African countries.