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?
