Phandu Skelemani - HardTalk Interview 2/3

Why is confronting Mugabe such a taboo in Southern Africa?

Phandu Skelemani, the Botswana Foreign Affairs Minister, answers this and other difficult questions on Zimbabwe.

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News & Politics

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• Botswana
• SADAC
• Zimbabwe
• MDC
• Zanu
• Tsvangirai
• Mugabe
• Mbeki
• South
• Africa
• Mozambique
• Foreign
• Minister
• Phandu
• Skelemani
• Southern
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• HardTalk
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• Talk

[bemaniac2]

@msimelelo1000 what does sellout mean? because they want the letters and procedures of the law that all the nation members of SADC jointly laid down to be followed they are sellouts? u r not making sense. the sellout is Mugabe who brutalises his own people and then wants to say because I liberated you I must be president for life no matter what. he is not interested in african people he is interested in himself. that is a sellout.

[msimelelo1000]

Botswana is a sellout country they should not not badge in zimbabwe internal politics

[Plions22]

point of correction, its Southern African countries, not South African.

[sguardian870]

ya the land collapsed along side 40 othe r mega companies which were sanctioned by the west that causes problem to the economy as well. there were black farmers in the country too and doing well at it as well so that doesnt add up 100%. the land of whites taken away cannot just collapse in a day and the cronies didnt just sit and expect the farm to grow the west stopped trading. im not justifying mugabe but the west need to stop pretending that their current actions arent affectin the country

[sguardian870]

well not blaming any1 is going keep it from moving as well u realised the west told morgan not to share power with mugabe. by doing that, that prolongs the sickness and problems in the country is the white west caring about the ppl of zimbabwe then. the west refuse to release the sanction they have on 40 mega companies etc white get their land back which mean the econmy can not change and the ppl will remain hungry and below living standards is that a fair thing to do. u judge

[bemaniac2]

I never said anything about hungry black people, or white tried to predict white peoples motives, in fact, I dont care about white people or the western world, I think that as african's we should wait on the west all the time and we should demand more from our leaders. mugabe is a megalomaniac, genocidal dictator that is destroying that country. no question.

[bemaniac2]

I think the western world is totally irrelevant to the discussion. regardless of any colonialism of the past does not excuse mugabes behaviour today. skelemani is standing up and saying, this is wrong, and it is wrong. and as far as the land, well, mugabe took the land by force, distributed it among his cronies, meaning the farming sector collapsed and leading to famine across the country. now who did that benefit?

[sguardian870]

shldnt it be the fact that they would removed the snactions when the poor blks are given better condition if thats possible at all with the very narrow sanction on 40 companies and 207 power and rich individuals in the country that control the governement. be honest do u really think this is abt the blk hungry ppl

[sguardian870]

im blk african and mugabe is not doing a good job, BUT mugabe in the height of his dictatorship in 1995 was made a knight by the queen of the uk. he was good pals with the uk a DICTATOR by the way. also other african countries have gone through this were was the western world then or white ppl. now my question do u think the western world is a part of this bcos they care abt the blks or bcos the white lost their land bcos the uk keeps saying sanctions will not go unless land is returned

[frasiaw]

how about not blaming white or black at this time. People are jobless, hungry and dying of cholera, so the question is "What needs to be done", coz currently no one is doing anything