Journalists 'left out' of the royal cemetery visit

Thalefang Charles
Staff Writer | Thursday August 12, 2010 00:00

 

Only Zambian journalists were allowed to go to the cemetery with the two presidents on the request of Banda.

Botswana journalists, including government reporters were denied transport, while their Zambian counterparts got lucky. 

Botswana Office of the President chief of protocol, Daphne Kadiwa told Mmegi that all media were invited to the event that was put in the programme at the last minute. 'As the two presidents were leaving, President Banda requested HE (Ian Khama) to invite his (Zambian) journalists. All journalists were then quickly invited to climb into one of the presidential escort vehicles, which could only hold a few people,' explained Kadiwa.

She said local journalists were not barred from the event because there was a crew from the state-owned Btv among the pressmen that squeezed in with the presidential security team. 'It (coverage of the event) was on Btv news on Tuesday night. Where did they get the footage?

Khama, the Bangwato chief, invited Banda to the royal cemetery after the official opening of Serowe Institute of Health Sciences.

The graveyard is the resting place of famous names like Botswana's first president, Sir Seretse Khama, his wife Ruth, Kgosi Khama III and Tshekedi Khama.