Just how far will Ramaphosa go for Khama?
Did you see Ian Khama’s recent SABC interview? Nothing new, save for mistaking it for a promotional video of South Africa.
When he talks about South Africa, the man literally runs short of breath and adjectives to ‘glorify’ it. But that aside, there is nothing new. It is the same old cast; Khama with SABC’s Sophie Mokeana doubling as director and supporting cast.
The script is the same old; a grabastic soliloquy of a sociopath. How sad, for a man who was once starring in myths and legends. His fall from the once mystical ‘Ian’ who used to rule the world and seas would rise when he gave the word, to being Cyril Ramaphosa’s number one cheerleader, is a quantum one.
Khama has become a shadow of himself. All we can say is, the old king is dead, Long Live the King! As things stand, it goes without saying that Khama knows what side his bread is buttered. He cannot take the risk of biting the hand that feeds him. His comfort is at the disposal of the equally politically-embattled Ramaphosa.
South Africa’s desire to effect ‘regime-change’ in Botswana is no longer a matter of supposition or suspicion. It is so ardent that, even Bartimaeus, the blind man of Jericho, can see it. For some weird reason, they are convinced that Khama is the perfect fit for the ploy.
Khama declares in the interview that, “I am going to campaign very rigorously to ensure that there is regime-change in Botswana.” There is no longer doubt that Botswana-South Africa relations have gotten as cold as a razor and as dry as a funeral drum.
There is never a day that passes without the relationship turning grey like a skin of a dying man. The position of Ramaphosa in this Khama-Masisi political shenanigans is no longer a matter of supposition. It is unequivocal. He is rooting for Khama.
In fact, to borrow Bruno Mars’s lyrics, ‘He’ll catch a grenade for him.’ As we speak, Sir Seretse Khama’s children and their spouses have ‘fled persecution’ in Botswana to settle in ‘peaceful and democratic’ South Africa.
What is interesting is how Botswana skilfully exploited the situation to leave Ramaphosa with no option but show that they are fully behind Khama. Ramaphosa has been given a rope, as to how he uses it, it is entirely up to him.
As things stand, one would be out of touch with reality to think Ramaphosa would even entertain extradition of Khama to Botswana. It is a no-go zone; despite the cascading effect to the diplomatic relations, Ramaphosa will not budge.
Khama is their political pet, he is there to serve a strategic end goal. I do not even think Botswana would be filling the extradition papers with any expectations. They would just be satisfying a legal requirement.
Frankly speaking, the relationship between the two countries is very toxic. It is abundantly self-evident that whatever agenda Khama set out to pursue, has so far not materialised beyond hypocrisy-laced SABC interviews.
Khama has travelled the length and breadth of the world preaching his anti-Masisi and anti-Botswana gospel, but has gotten very few converts. Inversely, he has inflicted so much harm to his stature as former President and paramount chief of Bangwato.
I am of the view that Khama like Isaac Kgosi should have stayed home and fought his legal and political battles here. I do not think this proxy-like behaviour would yield any positive results for his ‘handlers;’ but never say never.
South Africa has made it a habit to host ‘political dissidents’ and later ‘weaponise’ them to serve their strategic end goals against perceived strategic adversaries. Rwanda is a classic example.
In 2008, they hosted Colonel Patrick Karegeya, the former Rwandan spy chief and top aide to President Paul Kagame who fled Rwanda after accusations of spying for foreign intelligence outfit.
In South Africa, Karegeya set up an opposition party, Rwandan National Congress (RNC). Leading to his assassination in 2014, Karegeya was said to be frequently meeting with foreign intelligence officials.
South Africa is also hosting former Rwandan Chief of Staff, spy chief, and current leader of RNC, Lieutenant General Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa. Gen Nyamwasa was in 2011 sentenced to 20 years in prison for threatening state security.