Thanks, But Why Take This Long To Deport

Editor | Monday August 11, 2008 00:00

Why did the government have to wait all this long to take action against people whose stay in the country was not desirable? One of them, Pastor Edmore Chaka of Abundant Life Ministries had encouraged people to stop taking ARV drugs. The other cleric, Chris Chissana was running Christ Embassy Church yet it was not registered. The third Zimbabwean deportee, Ceasar Zvayi was a rabid ZANU-PF loyalist whose stay as a media studies lecturer at the University of Botswana did not sit well with Botswana's democratic credentials and stand on the ZANU-PF regime.

The deportations will send a strong message to pastors like Chaka and Chissana and elements like Zvayi that Botswana has no place for people of their ilk. The action taken against the trio is a pointer that Botswana will not tolerate lawlessness, irresponsibility and undesirable political associations from any quarter. However, there is the element of timing and caution. For example, did the University of Botswana authorities know about Zvayi's political associations? If so, then why did they hire him? If not, then what do they look for when hiring?

It is justified to expect that the university should have known that Zvayi is a top ZANU-PF man who has been blacklisted by the European Union. In any case, his writings are very clear about his political leanings.

How the university dared to employ such a character still baffles the mind. Even after he was exposed, it took some time for the government to act. There seemed to be some reluctance to send the man packing and it is possible that the authorities acted when they did because of public pressure.

We wonder how long he has been in hiding here, and how his presence in Botswana escaped the eyes of the security agents. Who else could be hiding in Botswana, we wonder.

Pastor Chaka, famous for forcing his people to quit ARV treatment, has been in the news for over two years now. Yet it is only now that the government has acted. The same thing can be said about Chissana and Christ Embassy.

The church has been operating in Botswana for over four years yet it is now that the government is acting against it. There is need to speed up surveillance, and act swiftly where national security seems to be compromised.

For the likes of UB which seem not interested in investigating the background of their potential staff members, the Zvayi's case hopefully has been an eye-opener.