Harare, September 1, 2022 (New Ziana) – Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi arrived in Harare on Thursday further assuring Zimbabwe that his country will continue campaigning for the lifting of illegal sanctions against it.
Masisi, who is accompanied by his wife Neo Jane and several Batswana government officials, is on a two-day state visit during which he will hold bilateral talks with President Emmerson Mnangagwa and also open the 112th edition of the Harare Agricultural Show on Friday.
Addressing a bumper crowd of Zanu PF supporters who turned up at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport to welcome him, President Masisi said sanctions against Zimbabwe should go.
“We are the ruling party in Botswana, the BDP, you are the ruling party in Zimbabwe, the two ruling parties have relations; they are friends and the two of us belong to a movement of the former liberation movements of Southern Africa and that is why Botswana continues to call for the removal of sanctions against Zimbabwe.
“These sanctions must go, and they must go forever (because) they are also sanctions against Botswana. If Zimbabwe is sanctioned, Botswana is also sanctioned; we do not like that so tell your friends that we do not like these sanctions.”
Masisi said he enjoys a wonderful working relationship and friendship with President Mnangagwa which manifests in the regular interactions between them.
At party level, President Masisi said relations were the same, and were recently on show when top Zanu PF officials led by secretary for administration Dr Obert Mpofu attended the BDPs elective congress in Botswana last month.
President Mnangagwa commended the crowd for showing up to welcome his counterpart.
“These people who are here, Zanu PF members, I am happy they have come to receive you. They just came, they heard you were coming and because of the good relations between Botswana and Zimbabwe they felt they must give our brother a resounding welcome,” he said.
– New Ziana
