Making Africa great again
Friday, November 04, 2016
Friends or foes: Khama and Mugabe PIC: TSELE TSEBETSAME
The African history is littered with examples of leaders who had no respect for human rights, rule of law, and the international community. Since the winds of change that swept through Africa in the 1960s, when many African states got their independence from their former European colonial masters, the continent has not enjoyed political stability.
Dictatorships, civil wars, cross border conflicts, as well as rebel movements have dominated the continent’s features. Angola, Mozambique, Great Lakes conflicts, the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Egypt’s one-man rule, military rule in Nigeria in the 1980s and 1990s, and fraudulent elections were some of the things that made Africa a great continent for despots.
That should concern every Motswana. The implications extend far beyond cattle and farmers. Botswana’s beef industry is a critical pillar of the economy, supporting thousands of households and sustaining businesses along the value chain.The loss of access to lucrative export markets has already demonstrated how quickly an animal-health crisis can become an economic crisis.This is, therefore, not the time for complacency, blame, or political...