The attitude of most Zimbabweans towards Batswana. I come from the northern part of Botswana and have interacted with people from Zimbabwe since childhood, even before the current crisis. A lot of you will agree with me that Zimbabweans have a very low opinion about Batswana. To them, we are lazy, illiterate and promiscuous people. In fact, Jonathan Moyo called us goats! Arthur Mutambara said we don't have an army, but rather an incompetent police service. I guess he was referring to the same BDF, which received accolades while undertaking peace-keeping duties in Somalia and Lesotho. The ordinary Zimbabweans , including those residing in Botswana, also undermine us a great deal. They behave as if we owe them a living! They don't want to adapt to the environment but rather they want us to adapt to their culture. They would rather respect South Africans than us. We all know what the South Africans did to them and I can assure you dear readers that Batswana are not capable of doing such a thing. Yet we continue being treated with contempt by people we symphathise with so much. Remember the Zimbabwean couple that was deported by the former president in 1998 after misbehaving towards Batswana?
Well, that is very typical of how most Zimbabweans regard us. It makes me very mad when some people insinuate that we should leave the Zimbabweans alone. Whether one likes it or not, they have completely altered our living patterns. Just go to Francistown and get a glimpse of what Botswana will become in the coming years. Gone are those days when one could simply get to any shop and buy anything without a hassle. The town is characterised by exorbitant prices, long queues, and empty shelves. It is not very different from Bulawayo or Plumtree. The streets are no longer safe! And yet our neighbours have the guts to go around boasting that their country has better infrastructure, is full of educated people, and is generally more habitable than our desert.
