Go home and vote, Batswana tell Zimbabweans

JACOB MAKUSHA
Correspondent | Friday February 15, 2008 00:00

'I am quite surprised with you Zimbabweans. Can you not just vote Mugabe out and stop coming to our country? As soon as you vote him out, your problems will be over,' a visibly irritated young Motswana woman shopkeeper at Tsamaya says.

A random survey in Old Naledi yielded similar responses. Many Batswana believe Zimbabweans now have the last chance to use the ballot to effect change in their country.

But some Zimbabweans working in Botswana are adamant that they do not need to go back because comrades back home will do the job.

This attitude sparked a hot discussion between a young Motswana, Andrew Moremi, and five Zimbabwean tenants at a residence in Old Naledi, popularly called 'parliament'.

Moremi was quite perplexed as to why Zimbabweans continue to come in droves to Botswana, saying he wondered why almost everyone he has discussions with supports President Robert Mugabe.

'You guys, are you not some of the youths from the Border Gezi Youth Training programme? Otherwise I find it hard that you are not willing to go back and vote out Mugabe,' an angry Moremi enquired. 

A young Zimbabwean man, Jonathan Kusema, noted that if someone were to record an album titled 'Vote Mugabe Out', it would definitely sell like hot buns in Botswana.

'For a start, Andrew, you must never expect us to castigate Mugabe. He is the president no matter what some people say. You can climb over the mountain, go under the sea or to the middle of the Kgalagadi Desert, shout yourself to a standstill, Mugabe is still the man,' Kusema went on.

'Let me state the obvious, which is really pertinent to our discussion. In my opinion Mugabe is the only president in Africa who has the guts to take the West head-on and face other issues affecting the marginalised in so far as the land issue is concerned,' joined in a cool Darlington Murefu.

Moremi was still unconvinced. 'Let me tell you why I think you are reluctant to return home and vote: most of you people, your immigration permits are not in order. You are illegal immigrants. Your Emergency Travel documents are fake and you do not even have the capital to till the land. Your homes were destroyed in Operation Murambatsvina. You risk limb-and-soul crossing the crocodile-infested Limpopo River in order to do menial jobs here and South Africa. Above all you are causing unemployment by doing work reserved for Batswana here,' said Moremi.

But Murefu interrupted him to and give their version of the Zimbabwean crisis. 'Mugabe is a liberation war hero, the sufferings he went through, would not allow him to relinquish power so easily. Botswana, to my knowledge, was never won through the barrel of the gun. So, most people here don't understand the Zimbabwean scenario. The battle to control our destiny, as Africans, has just begun. Zimbabwe is leading the way,' added Murefu, who sounded like a ZANU-PF sympathiser.

'If Mugabe was here this Old Naledi location would be history,' said Murefu. Moremi was more mad at this assertion.

'Why are you still here?' Murefu responded: 'Cost cutting measures brother. Have you ever heard of cost management?' The two were almost trading punches.

Murefu talked about resilience of the Zimbabweans'. He said the people have now learnt to make ends meet in the current environment because they know that continuing to grumble will not take them anywhere.

He said ZANU-PF would be hard to dislodge because the war of liberation has had a long lasting impact on the villagers.

When Mugabe goes around the countryside campaigning, he reminds the people that ZANU-PF fought to liberate their country.

The ZANU-PF leaders also tell peasants that the MDC - Movement for Democratic Change - is a white-sponsored organisation and that the dispossessed white farmers are spoiling for a confrontation in order to get the land back. 

Murefi argued that the 'brothers and sisters in the Diaspora would return and help reconstruct the country.

Zimbabwe goes to the polls next month but Murefu said removing Mugabe and ZANU-PF would not be easy.

He recalled that in 1998 there were food riots, stay aways, and various demonstrations that characterised the run-up to the 2002 presidential elections.

All failed to remove ZANU-PF from office. Some men actually said they regretted ever taking part in the said demonstrations. 

'In 2002, when we went to the polling station to vote, it was so frustrating as things were not quite in place. I ended up abandoning the whole exercise after waiting for close to 11 hours in the queue. We were so frustrated. What guarantee is there that situation will not be the same?' added an elderly Zimbabwean Sekeramayi Munatsi. 

'You tell us to go back and vote against Mugabe. what guarantee do you have your preferred candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC leader, will do any better?' asked Munatsi.

But to Moremi that was an irrelevant question. He just wants Mugabe out because he is a stumbling block to everyone in the SADC region.

The Zimbabwean pair insisted that 'those still inside Zimbabwe will do the job. Their voting is our voice. We are here working for them sending groceries so that they can have the energy to go and vote'.

But Moremi was still unconvinced, echoing the sentiment of most Batswana: 'There are far too many Zimbabweans on this side of the border. If you all went back your vote would make a difference'.

But Murefu, shouting after the departing Moremi, said: 'Why are you assuming that everyone is going to vote against Mugabe? My vote is secret'.

The name of Simba Makoni, the former finance minister who says he will run against Mugabe as an independent, did not crop up in the discussion.
(Sila Press Agency)