How can a Zimbabwean get respect in Botswana?
GALE NGAKANE
Correspondent
| Friday November 16, 2007 00:00
FRANCISTOWN: Every morning he opens the door of the office he shares with the school's coordinator, KTM College Headmaster for Primary Department, Jonathan Nyanungo sighs with relief.
Locals no longer treat him with scant regard, which they used to do when he first came to Botswana. Because he is now a professional who holds a respectable post of headmaster at a reputable private school, Batswana, notorious for their disdainful attitudes towards foreigners, especially Zimbabweans, are treating him with a lot of respect. When the father of three daughters first came to Botswana, a citizen of this country gave him a taste of the bitter pill of intolerance.
Nyanungo a motor mechanic by training and a teacher by profession, after arriving in Botswana in September 2006, sustained himself with piece jobs like fellow Zimbabweans coming to Botswana for the first time. So, when he was in Tutume, it happened that he was engaged by someone to fix his car. They had agreed on a price of P400. After finishing the assignment, his customer would not pay up.
'Instead, he went to report me to the police saying I was an illegal immigrant.
Fortunately, I had all my documents with me. The police ordered the man to pay me,' said Nyanungo.
Nyanungo adds, 'There is a perception that everything bad has to be done by a foreigner especially a Zimbabwean. Then there is this issue of name-calling where we are referred to as 'Makwerekwere''.
'I do not think I like that. Generally, when you are identified as a professional things change. They (locals) look at you differently. In short they give you a lot of respect.'
Nyanungo thinks the reason why Batswana exhibit such a high degree of intolerance towards foreigners is that they have not travelled internationally. They believe stories from the television and newspapers, he said, adding that because of that, Batswana's attitudes towards them (Zimbabweans) will take time to change. There are 12 Zimbabweans in a staff compliment of 24 at KTM College and Nyanongu said his compatriots have also adapted well to Botswana. Opposite Meriting Spar, Winston Mbewe, a pharmacist runs his own practice called Living Waters. He has been in Botswana since 2002. Regarding intolerance, Mbewe said it varies from individual to individual. There are some people in Botswana who are intolerant and there are those who are not, he said.
'Generally, I think Batswana's attitudes are changing Zimbabweans. There was a time when negative sentiments were the order of the day. But not now. Batswana are getting used to seeing Zimbabweans around,' he said.
But another Zimbabwean who did not want to identify himself did not agree with Mbewe.
He told Mmegi that Batswana still exhibit a great deal of intolerance.'I was travelling on the train the other day. There was a man stretching on the train's three-seater couch and two elderly Zimbabwean women were trying to plead with him to give them space so that they too could sit, but he refused. 'He was telling them that if they need to be comfortable they should take a hike on a Zimbabwe Railways train. That made me angry, but there was nothing that I could do about it. 'Just a few days ago at the Ramokgwebana border post, I saw a bus conductor whipping my compatriots forcing them to board his bus. Fortunately, they protested and the police intervened.
'The police confiscated the man's sjambok. But it goes to show how some Batswana can be intolerant towards Zimbabweans. They treat them as nothing but trash,' said the fellow who was getting heated by the minute.