Zim fines and releases officers

BAME PIET
Staff Writer | Tuesday February 9, 2010 00:00

Speaking from Zimbabwe yesterday, Ambassador of Botswana to Zimbabwe Gladys Kokorwe said the three were fined USD100 each for the first count of illegal entry into the country. 'The two other charges were dropped, and we have already paid the fine,' she said with a voice filled with relief. The other two charges related to smuggling of a vehicle into the country and possession of firearms and ammunition without a licence.

Kokorwe said the vehicle and the firearms were returned to them and that she was now heading for her office in Harare, while the officers were now rejoicing with their families. She could not immediately say what the reaction of the Zimbabwe government was because there were no government officials at the court proceedings.

The three officers spent the past three weeks in jail after mistakenly crossing into Zimbabwe when tracking lions that had killed cattle at Lesoma village along the border of the two countries. There is no border fence between the two countries and it is said that a road is used to separate them. It is said that the three officers were recently deployed to the area and were not familiar with the borderline.

Their arrest has resulted in a diplomatic row between Botswana and Zimbabwe, with the former recalling both its Defence and Intelligence Attaches last Friday. The Botswana government also said that it expects Zimbabwe government to recall its Defence and Intelligence Attaches before the end of this month. 'That recall still stands,' Kokorwe confirmed yesterday.

Unconfirmed reports say that officials from the two countries are scheduled to meet this week to resolve the soured relations. The meeting follows another one held by defence officials over the weekend to inspect the Botswana-Zimbabwe 500km boarderline.

Our attempts to speak to Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Phandu Skelemani were futile at the time of going to press, as his phone rang  unanswered.