Caesar Zvayi, who was deported from Botswana narrated his ordeal in a piece titled “Ordeal at the hands of Western Khama” he tells of how he felt humiliated being driven in an open truck and being detained.
Zvayi has in the past openly called for the alienation of the opposition and celebrated the violent crackdown on MDC supporters and last year used a racial slur against the US Ambassador calling him a “house Ni***r”.
Here we reproduce Zvayi ‘s article originally published in The Herald.
WHEN I bade farewell to the driver behind the wheel of the hotel shuttle that day, I reminded him to come a bit earlier, preferably around 4pm as I wanted to watch the opening ceremony of the ongoing Beijing Olympics.
That was around 8am; 12 hours later everything had changed. I was, instead, staring at the dark green walls of a stinking prison cell at Tshesebe Police Station, just 50km shy of Plumtree Border Post, awaiting deportation from Botswana to Zimbabwe.
My crime? I had been placed on EU sanctions list and the president of a sovereign African country, Rtd Lt-Gen Seretse Khama Ian Khama of Botswana, had seen it fit to act on EU sanctions even though Botswana is in Southern Africa, a 12-hour flight from the closest EU state, by today’s fast jets.
It all began when I was offered a lectureship post by the University of Botswana in the Media Studies Department in March. As soon as news of my appointment filtered to opposition circles, some MDC functionaries and activists wrote a flurry of letters and e-mails to the university expressing outrage at my appointment accusing me of trampling on the rights of Zimbabweans by writing in support of the Government.
The university naturally ignored them, after which they turned to the students trying to incite them to boycott my classes. When that failed, they took the campaign to the newspapers, which appeared reluctant to swallow their story as they could not find anything newsworthy in the allegations.
Their big break came when I was included on the EU sanctions list ‘‘for stifling democracy’’ in Zimbabwe. From there the campaign was directed to the House of Chiefs, of which Ian Khama (Khama IV) is a member, having descended from Khama III, one of the Kgosi (chiefs), who along with two others — Bathoen 1 and Sebele 1 — approached the Queen of England, Queen Victoria, in October 1895, to ask for protection from Boer encroachment as other African countries selflessly fought colonialism in the region.
The trio’s actions saw Botswana become a British protectorate sworn to the politics of Western appeasement, and the trio venerated as Batswana heroes to this day.
The EU sanctions list, which was released on July 23, was a big story in the Botswana media, which picked it a week later. Many of the papers wrote defamatory pieces about me without even bothering to ask me for my comment. Only one of the papers, The Botswana Gazette, called me for comment, and I told them in no uncertain terms that I made no apologies for being Zimbabwean and backing the Government’s pan-Africanist values and empowerment policies.
Through it all, the university was behind me, telling the lobby that it does not employ people on political grounds.
First off the block was Barclays Bank Botswana which gave me a letter advising me that they were closing my account within 30 days and I had to make alternative banking arrangements. Though the reason for the closure was not in the letter, as he handed me the letter, the bank manager said they were a British bank and that I could no longer be their client on account of the sanctions.
After that, the campaign appeared to falter.
Save for a few hysterical letters in some newspapers, urging Khama to send me packing, the dogs of war, it appeared, had backed off.
It was a total surprise therefore when, last Friday, August 8, four men — an immigration official and three security agents — burst into my office just after 11am and asked me to accompany them to the Immigration Department.
I asked them why, as I had my residence and work permits which were valid till June 30 2010 and a valid passport that expires in 2011.
Their response was: “You will know when we get there.”
After asking for some IDs and calling the embassy to get me a lawyer, I accompanied the four men to their van at the students’ car park where, as a precautionary measure, I called the embassy to give them the vehicle registration number, colour and make in case the guys were not what they claimed to be.
Ten minutes later, we were at the Immigration Office were a stone-faced middle-aged woman handed me a letter signed by Khama and bearing his office stamp declaring me ‘‘an undesirable inhabitant of and prohibited visitor to Botswana’’.
The letter is reproduced on this page. On asking the reasons for the prohibition; I was told: ‘‘The reasons are known to the President.’’
A few minutes later, a trendy man was brought in to receive a similar letter. I soon learnt he was my countryman by the name Edmore Chijena, a pastor with Christ Embassy Church Botswana.
We were both told we were to be physically removed from Botswana that day, as soon as the paperwork was completed and from that moment on we couldn’t even visit the bathroom without an escort.
I tried to call several Zimbabwean lawyers practising in Botswana, but could not find them as they had left for Zimbabwe for the Heroes holidays.
Fortunately, Pastor Chijena got hold of his lawyer who, soon after reading Section 6 of the Notice of Determination as a Prohibited Immigrant that came with Khama’s letter, advised us that it would be futile to challenge the order as it was a presidential decree and particularly as Section 6 of the determination stipulated that ‘‘no appeal shall lie under any notice that a person is a prohibited immigrant by reason of any declaration by the President under Section 7 (f) and no court shall question the adequacy of the grounds for any such declaration’’.
Thereafter our fingerprints and photographs were taken and we were made to fill a stack of forms after which were driven to our respective residences to pack a few personal effects, thrown into the back of a pick-up truck and driven to the border.
The visit to Pastor Chijena’s residence in Block 9 was without incident. However, all hell broke loose when we got to Planet Lodge were I was booked.
There, we found a team of journalists waiting, and they began clicking away as I disembarked from the back of the heavily fortified truck.
I was given five minutes to pack my things, which I duly did with the assistance of an embassy official and another concerned Zimbabwean, Dr George Chingarande, an oncologist at Gaborone Private Hospital.
The journalists were busy clicking away as I emerged from the lobby and continued for effect as a crowd of onlookers jostled for a glimpse.
I was again ordered into the back of the truck, and this time we headed for the university campus were I intended to drop some library books that were in my room. I couldn’t get out of the car on account of the journalists who had trailed us from the lodge, and reports that many others were waiting at my office.
One of the immigration officials offered to return the books. I surrendered them to him along with my office keys.
That bit done, we finally embarked on the 500km journey to the border, which we were told closed at 2100 hours.
We sped along. The time was around 1630 hours. Our protestations for recess along the way fell on deaf ears.
On the way we overtook three 4.5 tonne lorries transporting other Zimbabwean deportees, among them border jumpers.
We arrived at Ramokgwebana Border Post at exactly 2100 hours, a whole hour before closing time.
One of the immigration officials accompanying us took our passports for stamping. When he came back and just when we believed we were finally on our way to Plumtree Border Post — the Zimbabwean side — a police officer sped up in a Landcruiser and informed our escorts that he had received a call from Gaborone, advising him to issue a detention warrant, and we were to accompany him to Tshesebe Police Station.
Our protestations that we be allowed to cross to the Zimbabwean side were brushed off, and we were driven back.
When we got to the police station, we were ordered to remove our shoes and belts and to empty our pockets. Our effects were put in large envelopes and the officers filled in ‘‘prisoner detail’’ forms.
We asked why we were being classified as prisoners when we had not been charged with any crime, but the answer was the same: ‘‘The reason is known to the President.’’
Why we couldn’t cross that day, when we had been even denied time to visit our banks, the answer: ‘‘The reason is known to the President.’’
We tried to stand our ground by refusing to enter the cells but a group of policemen soon gathered relishing the prospect of pummelling us into submission and we decided to comply. We were frog-marched to the cells within the complex, and made to share a tiny cell that was pervaded by the smell of excrement and urine emanating from an overflowing, blocked toilet seat in one corner of the cell.
For bedding, there were two dirty mats and a stack of equally dirty stinking blankets in one corner.
We decided to give them a wide berth and spent the night on the cold, hard prison floor, even though our backsides were numb from protracted contact with the hard pick-up floor.
At 6am, the next day, two young officers appeared and handed us brooms to sweep our cell and a neighbouring cell. We declined and told them we were not prisoners but deportees and had no reason to clean cells that we did not want to be in, in the first place.
They retreated, and the doors clanged shut.
We were left alone for the entire morning, without food or water. Our frantic banging on the doors went unnoticed.
After what seemed an eternity, we heard footfalls in the corridors, the sound of a heavy key in the lock and the doors were opened by a burly bloodshot-eyed officer who told us to get out.
It was just after midday.
After getting our personal effects, we were ordered into the truck and driven to the border where we filled in more forms, that the officials said would be used as evidence against us if ever we were to set foot in Botswana again.
My crime? I stood accused — by a country purporting to be a democracy — of supporting the Government of my country and writing ill of the opposition they prefer.(Editor’s note:Really Zvayi?)
Time to smoke out Dr George Chingarande, an oncologist at Gaborone Private Hospital he must be CIO!
Zvayi this is nothing MDC activists have been through worse than this! don’t even start.
The principle of his deportation is that he was part of a regime that collapsed his country. Incase he didnt realise we in Botswana BELEIVE IN JUSTICE. We hang white murders, we deport white extremists. Were not interested in your skin colour we we will hang black murders and we will DEPORT BLACK EXTREMISTS.
He can go and hang for all we care! he wants us to become another Zimbabwe by tolerating the likes bo Zvayi-cum-Mugabe. These are the guys who are directly responsible for turning Zimbabwe into hell. We dont care what kind of gibberish this goat bloats out, but we remain adamant not to encourage the “political masturbation” that they have done to the Zimbabwean people.
Zvayi can go and suck his ****! A re ka tshwana le Mugabe tota! I was against an US base in Botswana now I have changed my mind. These idiots may consider an attck against us and we need to ready to deal with them with assistance from our friends!
We are waiting for Jonathan Moyo who called us goats!Don’t shop in our shops if you support Mugabe
mogabe yo wa gago o kgauthlantse Zimbabwe now he is trying to drag the whites in his mess. Zimbos should just be brave and remove him permanently from the society, and if that can happen i wish his soul to go to hell.
Botswana’s take on Zimbabwe is not influenced by any other country but it is aresult of the foreign policy determined by the 4 D’s adopted by President Ian Khama…which one of them is democracy…and as such Botswana supports democracy throughout the world. Merafhe and Khama, respectively were BDF commanders during the time when Mugabe led purges/killings on Joshua Nkomo’s supporters, as such they know what he is a cruel being and they know that he has to be stopped. Khama and Merafhe are well aware of the capabilities of our army and for trhem to consider war…they know that we can win.Zimbabwe weaponary is rusty, there is shortage of fuel, they dont have the funds and resources to sustain a war and the soldiers are not motivated. Some of the criterias of a just war is
1. a war fought to defend a just system
2. a war which result in peace and stability
So we have the legal grounds to go to war with Zimbabwe and the policy we adopt towards Zimbabwe is determined by the our values as a nation. 1. a war fought to defend a just system
2. a war which result in peace and stability
So we have the legal grounds to go to war with Zimbabwe and the policy we adopt towards Zimbabwe is determined by the our values as a nation.
pina ya ga mugabe ene e opelwa ke Saddam, ofeletse a tshabetse mo mosimeng wa thakadu, mme ene o ne a na le dibetsa eseng dikgoropa. jaanong lona ditsala tsaga Bob mmoleleleng gore us le uk di tla mo nesetsa pula ya sefako.
taiti hamurwadziwewo isu opposition supporters are going through that every day in the hands of zan upf
dindingwe rinonaka richakweva rimwe kana iro rokweva roti mavara azarevhu !!!
Zvayi.Stop complaining.You got off lightly.Congratulations to the Botswana President and his loyal people.Keep up the good work and flush these zanu bigots out of your country.The world looks up to you for standing against this evil monster and his idiot followers.You make mbeki look like a little girl.
Many people exprienced this humiliation during their journey, not back home but journey to death at the hands of Zvayi’s president
What a moron! Surely he didn’t expect flowers and gifts for the vitriol he’s been handing out in the Herald against the people of Zimbabwe.
Ordeal? What ordeal?
I applaued the Botswana government for standing firm against the evil regime and those that patronise it.
Zvaipa ka Zavai it is nice to know you love zimbabwe so much and that you have seen now that prison is not a comfortable place and maybe now you will have sympathy and maybe empathize with those who are thrown into dirty cells in Mbare and all over Zimbabwe for expressing their views on MUGABE and his ZANU PF in what you call a democratic Zimbabwe.
Chawakadya chamuka.
Very sorry baba hope you also get a job Ku UZ and lecture in our home country, Thanks to the Batswana for reversing the brain drain we need you in Zim its their loss our gain, advantage UZ loooool
thweet!!
Ceaser , i am really really amazed by your insunuations of abuse at the hands of the authorities in Botswana. Think of the evil you have done to your brothers , sisters , sekurus and mbuyas back home through your very irresponsible reporting and yet unoenda kunotsvaga basa ikoko. dzokera kumusha unopihwa baccossi ya sekuru robert who should be telling ngano kuvazukuru vake , if he has any and not ****ing this country any more. taneta nemimose.
Mr. Zvayi is an ordinary Zimbabwean who has been unfortunate to have been deported from Botswana. However, this a daily routine for thousands or hundreds of thousands of other patrotic Zimbabweans that have faced the same predicament in other countries Botswana, SA, UK, you name them. Even Mr. Zvayi saw some of them on their way back from the same country where he was. What is surprising is the attention and interest that Mr. Zvayi’s case draws from the Zimbabwe government to the extent of summoning the Botswana’s representives to explain. What is so special with Mr. Zvayi’s case that it may have prejudiced the Zim government’s and indeed Botswana goverment’s interests. Why does the Zim government not angrily protest other daily deportation of other Zimbabweans from the same country or any other country for that matter. Indeed there is more to Mr. Zvayi’s standing and to his case of deportation that what meets the eye.
zwayi you are total nut case do you really expect any sympathy from anyone.why did you leave your land of milk and honey in the first place.you are totally confused you support a murderer and complain about deportation go get your head checked.
“When a country has more goats than people it suffers a serious leadership deficiency, as is happening in Botswana where a primitive and intolerant military junta is masquerading as a democracy.
Somebody should tell the reckless ruling elite in Botswana not to be too excited about selling the Kalahari Desert which makes up most of their sorry country to the Yankees, who have turned it into a hopeless military base….
I suppose because what Uncle Sam does Uncle Tom follows!”
What goes around comes around!!!Now you know what it feels like Zvayi.
I think Botswana is becoming a stubborn child or nation, what ever you call it because they fail to realise that this didn`t hold free and fare election for Ian Khama to become President there they have no right to be so vocal about Zimbabwe`s democratic credentials. I think it`s unfortunate that some Zimbabweans have this culture of revenge against fellow black Zimbabweans, but when the white R**** & British journalist were not reporting the mistreating black people in Zimbabwe between 1964 to 1979, they never punished or we never campaigned for the them to be deported. The smae white Rhodesians journalist they set-up their own radio stations and online newpapers outside Zimbabwe from year 2000 onwards to act as human rights activist but during the Rhodesian days these same journalist they were not reporting anything about the human rights abuse during these dark days because they were part of the Rhodesian culture. People like Zvayi are journalists they should be allowed to publish their views in a democratic country so as those independent journalists as well. I think it will take some years for most Zimbabweans to realise that being democratic means respecting other people`s views because most of you folks you think that if one supports Zanu pf and it`s ideology one is not democratic.
I believe majority of black Zimbabweans journalist are being bribed to fabricate news about Zimbabwe and this is seriously damaging our country, I remember one Zimbabwean journalist I grew up with in the Ghettos in Mbare telling potential Swedish tourists that they shouldn`t go to Victoria Falls because they be killed by Mugabe until when I challenged him and I told him that I never knew that he was such a devil in black skin. How many white tourists have been killed in Zimbabwe since year 2000, less than 10 maybe or even none. Basically I think Zimbabwean journalists needs to put national interest at heart before destroying the reputation of our country, Zimbabwe is one of the safest country in the world in the whole tourism industry. I think Zvayi is just being let down by us Zimbabweans being undemocratic in our inner soul because Zimbos in Botswana combined their voices with these colonial journalists to have him deported. We shall see what the future holds and truth will come one when you Botswana Police knocks your door to deport you. These guys are just like uneducated thugs in police uniform, they are very brutal to Zimbabweans and yet they are still Tswanas in Zimbabwean schools, the government will react and revenge because thus the game in this world.
Zvayi remember what your government did to the two innocent e-tv reporters who didn’t even cross to Zimbabwe. No one feels sorry for you my friend, you deserved it. Go back to Herald, Charamba will give a 50million percent pay increase.
what goes around comes around bro.Talk to the people that you have promoted/cheered all these years maybe they might feel sorry for you.I wish you all the luck in your search for a new job and remember not to set foot in Botswana.
i for one want to know what this moron is doing for a living back home and how much zim dollars he earns .is he a trillionire or what ?can zimmetro find out fos us
you just go and hang yourselt Zvayi.am a tax payer here in bots and the uni is run by our taxes so i will have been very sad if you could have continued to benefit from my contribution.please just grow up and be realistic we dont hate anyone in zim including mugabe we just dont like the way they treat zimbos. should you guys behave we are more than willing to embrase you bro.