Publications
Partners
- Former president of Botswana Ian Khama says he is ready to dispatch one of his brothers to meet President Mokgweetsi Masisi's representatives.
- Khama says reconciliation with Masisi will be in the best interests of Botswana.
- His statements come after the High Court in Gaborone upheld his warrant of arrest a fortnight ago.
Former president Ian Khama of Botswana says he is ready to dispatch his younger brother, Tshekedi Khama, to meet with representatives of President Mokgweetsi Masisi in their latest attempt at reconciliation.
Khama, who has been in self-imposed exile in South Africa since November 2021, said he was taking this avenue after receiving information from numerous sources that Masisi had publicly spoken about wanting to sit down with him.
"I have asked my brother, honourable Tshekedi Khama, to return to Botswana and meet with President Masisi, or whoever the president may appoint to meet with him, in order to commence the process of reconciliation in our and the nation's interests," read part of a Facebook post by Khama late on Monday.
He said previous attempts at reconciliation had failed.
READ | Majority of Botswana citizens want government to do more for gender equality - Afrobarometer
Since leaving Botswana and living in exile in South Africa, Khama has travelled across Africa and has been to the United Kingdom on two occasions.
His planned envoy, Tshekedi, is the member of Parliament for Serowe for the opposition Botswana Patriotic Front, which was formed in July 2019 by disgruntled members of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party, who broke away because of the rift between Masisi and Khama.
Khama is facing 14 charges ranging from unlawful possession of firearms to money laundering, and an arrest warrant was issued for him in late December.
Two weeks ago, he tried to have the charges thrown out in the High Court in Gaborone, but the court upheld it and said Khama's appearance in court was an urgent matter.
The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
