THE Botswana government has sarcastically hit back at President Robert Mugabe for “wrongly” insinuating that that country’s Foreign Affairs minister Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi lost her bid to land the Africa Union chairperson’s post due lack of support from President Ian Khama.
BY OBEY MANAYITI
Mugabe early this week told the Zimbabwe-South Africa Bi-national Commission in Pretoria that Venson-Moitoi lost because Khama did not support her candidature.
The remarks did not go down well with Khama’s government, which yesterday hit back in a sarcastic statement, insinuating that Mugabe’s advanced age was taking a toll on him.
“The International Affairs and Co-operation ministry wishes to respond to the recent media reports in which His Excellency Robert Mugabe, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, blamed the loss of the candidature bid of Botswana’s Foreign minister Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi for the position of the chairperson of the African Union Commission, on the lack of support by His Excellency, Lieutenant General Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama, President of the Republic of Botswana,” the Botswana government said in a statement.
“In this connection, the government of Botswana has taken note of the comments and regrets these inaccurate and unfortunate remarks.
“However, the ministry chooses not to comment any further out of respect for President Mugabe’s advanced age and, as such, understands that allowances need to be made.”
Mugabe and Khama have had frosty relations for some time.
