GABORONE – Botswana has said it no longer listens to complaints from Zimbabwe over the Voice of America broadcasts relayed
through its territory.
Botswana government Communications and Information Services (BGCIS), Dr Jeff Ramsay
Zimbabwe government newspaper – The Herald – published a story this week acussing Botswana of hosting what it called ‘pirate radio station’ from Voice of America (VOA).
The paper said that Zimbabwe will make a formal complaint to Botswana over VOA. Zimbabwe accuses VOA of beaming hate messages to its people, in violation of the power-sharing agreement. Zimbabwe says this threatens the survival of its coalition government. The Herald accused the Botswana government of lobbying for regime change in Zimbabwe.
However, the coordinator of Botswana government Communications and Information Services (BGCIS), Dr Jeff Ramsay said yesterday that they are used to the threats but they can do little because nothing illegal is going on.
He said that VOA does its broadcasting from Washington in the United States and Botswana is only hosting its relay station in Selebi-Phikwe. He said that there are many European, American, French, and Chinese Short Wave and Medium Wave radio stations with relays in Africa.
“For instance, South Africa is hosting a relay for BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation),” he said. He said that he is aware that the VOA programme (Studio 7) that Zimbabwe is complaining about is produced in Washington by Zimbabweans and it touches on the situation in that country and to some extent it is critical.
He stated that Botswana will not just terminate the agreement it has with VOA for as long as it is in the best interest of the country. The VOA has had a relay station in Botswana since the early 1970s but Zimbabwe started complaining about it in 2003.
The Herald reported that Zimbabwe made a formal complaint about the VOA broadcasts last year through the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation and it would soon raise the matter with Gaborone.
“We made a complaint and the Organ said the issues should be addressed bilaterally through the Committee on Defence and Security and the Joint Permanent Commission,” the paper quoted a Zimbabwe Foreign Affairs official as saying.
The Herald reported that the matter is set to be discussed at the next meeting of the committee on Defence and Security and the Botswana-Zimbabwe Joint Permanent Commission on a date yet to be announced. Attempts to get a comment from newly appointed High Commissioner of Botswana to Zimbabwe, Gladys Kokorwe did not bear fruit as her mobile phone was off.
Additional Reporting: The Zimbabwe mail
I think Botswana now needs six lashes of the bast as we called them at school. Trying to act big in a small town.
Free up the media and the issue of outside broadcasters will just fizzle out the same way it came. Even my twin Abel would happily start posting from Zimbabwe!
I was not aware that I could post to a pirate radion station my twin sister.
Abel, you a misguided missile, Botswana will never be under any threat form Zmbabwe, we have a toothless army , airforce and police who can only show their wrath on unarmed civilians. Those so called generala are not clever but not very foolishly adventurous too. They know what is in the package when it comes to trying to give Botswana “six basts”, yes you acknowledge it’s primary school talk, here , it is the world stage boy.
I said “media” there Abel and I assumed you would know that the term is not exclusive to radio. Aren’t Zanu also crying about non pro-Zanu-aligned websites?
ana mat,uzvi adona!!!!!
Without help from the American army based in Botswana, we would invade those boys after breakfast and by tea time the job will be done.Dont fool yourself because of the Americans there my boet.
Its primary school talk because we will be dealing with primary school material in Botswana.
so …abi u acknowledge tha t hamuna door ne boyz dzeU.S.A kana iyo Botswana hamuchina pfuti,only 2+48 barrel chete 4 the whole country mapera machewe ndaitombovawo ku int.
Abel,do u believe that there are some in the army,that are not happy with the status-Quo ,especially the “CANON FODDER”that Matibili referred to,during the liberation struggle?
We had the same radio stations in the 70s when we were in the war of liberation and Smith had a problem with them too.
This really is familiar they also started making noise about them at about the same time they were loosing power.
Talk of history repeating itself.
You got it right Baba Tee. The phrase you just mentioned “history repeats itself” was coined for a good reason and the evidence is there to see. To think that Zanu has been reduced to crying about ‘pirate radio stations’ above everything else speaks volume of what this ancient party has become. They have abandoned the ’sovereignty’ shenanigans and placed all their stock on pirate radio stations, paying out their creepy-crawly disciples to cry on fora all over the web about it ad nauseam. Sorry manhingi.
If you could see a little further than your nose, you would have realised that Zanu has not been reduced to crying about radio stations and sanctions, but rather that they are just buying time to recoup. Zanu knows the West will NEVER drop those sanctions and that MDC has no power to stop any radio stations beaming into Zimbabwe.The thing is they scored when they made Morgan sign the GPA with those clauses.Now they will just make him chase his tail and in so doing give the Junta machine time to regroup properly. But no, some people dont see it that way, to them Zanu yapererwa, sorry maningi.
Tsvangirai refused to sign the first edition of the GNU, this one that he signed has a lot of loopholes. The first edition was therefore useless but some people were equating Morgan to Savimbi. Mbeki was not a genuine referee no wonder why Simon Mann implicated him in Equatorial Guinea plot.
Morgan cannot ‘chase his tail’ on something he has no control over. Contrary to your time-buying philosophy, Zanu is coming out of this looking like fools. Even the once toothless SADC are slowly getting embarrased for the cancerous party and it won’t be long before they point it out to the dictator “remove the noose on the media and the pirate radios will disapper naturally” and “comply with the GPA and the sanctions will disappear”. Morgan does not have anything to do with the two issues, Mugabe has everything to do with them. Capiche?
I think the moment you see the name Abel, you rush to the form to froth, periodically looking up to see bits and pieces of what I would have written.
You are telling me what i told you, that Morgan has nothing to do with those two issues. You just missed the part where I said he put himself in a knot by agreeing to them in the GPA. Now he wants to revise what has been signed. You think Matibili is a child to agree to such an arrangment?
Despite what you claim my sister, time is moving and your 30 day ultimatum is over with nothing happening to matibili. Zuma has not even visited Zimbabwe.You and fellow cheerleaders are now trying to save face by claiming that pressure is on Mugabe, in your dreams!!!! If for a moment, your leaders could believe in themselves insted of foreigners, you would be suprised at the outcome.
Well then, take it further and tell your paymaster what you know- that Morgan has nothing to do with Instead of focusing and getting excited about “Morgan putting himself in a knot”. You show your inverted logic by pointing out what you think are Morgan’s weaknesses at every turn and ignore what the other side is doing to destroy the once beautiful country Zimbabwe, which is a shame really. On the contrary you actually CHUCKLE or LOL on the thought that your dictator can outwit Morgan or MDC, how sadistic can one be. I would be frothing, LOL or CHUCKLING if I was paid to do this!
My sister, there is more to life than being paid. I come here for certain personal fulfilments which you might not understand.
When I get amused at how your boss is outsmarted, I dont necessary approve of the actions but one must marvel at the way he is outfoxed by the geriatric. Why do you want people to concerntarate on an 86 year old timer? Its Morgan that people must be carefull about because he is the one who is expected to take over by people so people expect better from him. Robert will meet his maker soon and we dont need to get hot under the collar for him.but on Morgan,faka pressure.Diamonds are made under pressure.
They shut down a couple of independent stations in Zimbabwe not very long ago and turned ZBC into a propaganda joke. Bloody warped bullies!! Botswana is doing right ignoring their nosnsensical complaints. They think they can muzzle everyone; who are they to dictate to another country what to/not to broadcast. Thank goodness for Botswana we have a bit of variety; we dont have to watch/listen to crappy ZBC/ZTV stuff. Whats next blood-thirst muggers?!! It wont surprise me if they soon start rounding up, jailing and torturing people on suspicion of listening to VOA!! Wait until Jonathan Moyo is back at the Information Ministry!!
Mugabe keep your Zimbabwe and I will keep my Botswana. We do not need your interference, we are a sovereign country.