MPs fear Zim invasion in Masisi -Mnangagwa Omang agreement

Monday, December 25, 2023 | 900 Views |

Botswana is continually exploring options and possibilities of facilitating free movement through the use of national identity card PIC: KENNEDY RAMOKONE

Following a gentlemen’s agreement between President Mokgweetsi Masisi and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa for citizens to use national identity cards to cross borders, legislators expressed concerns over the lack of consultation, fearing a potential Zimbabwean invasion.

The Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Anna Mokgethi defended the agreement in Parliament, stating that technocrats would finalise the issue at the instruction of both presidents.

The agreement, made during the Kusi Ideas Festival, proposes that Batswana and Zimbabweans can cross into both countries using national identity cards, similar to Botswana's arrangement with Namibia. Mnangagwa’s Kusi Ideas Festival statement has led to confusion, with some Zimbabweans reportedly heading to Botswana borders with national identity cards.

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