'Mugabe Is Not President'

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The Botswana government does not recognise Robert Mugabe as president of Zimbabwe, but the citizens of the two countries will continue with their ties, says Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Phandu Skelemani.

"We have no problem with the people of Zimbabwe, but we have a problem with someone who will beat up other people on the run-up to elections," he said.  Skelemani was briefing the press on Friday after the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) observer mission reported that the  27 June presidential run-off elections were not free and fair, as they did not conform with the SADC, African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) principles.

Skelemani said that the government of Zimbabwe had shown no respect for institutions like SADC, the AU and UN by going ahead with the balloting despite calls for postponement to make the environment conducive for elections.  The run-off was held despite the withdrawal of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, citing intimidation and violence against his supporters.  An estimated 90 people were killed, tens of thousands displaced from their homes and scores abducted during the run-up to elections.  This resulted in Mugabe going alone.

Editor's Comment
Routine child vaccination imperative

The recent Vaccination Day in Motokwe, orchestrated through collaborative efforts between UNICEF, USAID, BRCS, and the Ministry of Health, underscores a commendable stride towards fortifying child health services.The painful reality as reflected by the Ministry of Health's data regarding the decline in routine immunisation coverage since the onset of the pandemic, is a cause for concern.It underscores the urgent need to address the...

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