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DE RUEHOR #0551/01 1961625
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R 151625Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY GABORONE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5893
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GABORONE 000551 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR AF/S, AF/RSA, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM BC
SUBJECT: BOTSWANA: POLITICAL UPDATES FOR JULY 2009. 
 
Botswana: African Union fails the continent 
------------------------------------------- 
¶1. (U) Botswana's Vice-President Mompati Merafhe and Minister of 
Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Phandu Skelemani 
attended the African Union (AU) Summit held in Sirte, Libya July 1-3 
and described it as "a near circus."  Addressing a press conference 
in Gaborone after returning from Libya, the two ministers said that 
"nothing from summit can benefit Botswana."  The theme of the summit 
was "Investing in Agriculture for Economic Growth and Food 
Security," but Merafhe and Skelemani complained that there were very 
few discussions or new initiatives pertaining to the topic.  Rather, 
delegates were "given wrong documents despite our complaints and we 
were not able to debate systematically."  (Note: The inability to 
debate and discuss items is antithetical to long standing tradition 
of community discussion and consent in Botswana. End Note.) 
 
¶2. (U) The two ministers also said that Libyan leader, Colonel 
Muammar Gadaffi is a difficult person to work with and that he does 
not accommodate other people's views.   For instance, VP Merafhe 
said Gadaffi did not allow the summit to debate the issue of 
Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, for whom the International 
Criminal Court (ICC) has issued a warrant of arrest for human rights 
abuses.  Merafhe stated that Gadaffi made a unilateral decision that 
the AU would oppose the arrest warrant.  This decision stifled the 
debate and at the meeting only two countries, Chad and Botswana, 
publically announced their position on the matter, which is that 
Bashir should go to the ICC to clear his name.  In regards to the 
formation of the United States of Africa, another idea piloted by 
Libyan President Gadaffi, Botswana has said that it does not feel 
that Africa is ready to establish the United States of Africa. 
Further, Merafhe stated that if a United States of Africa is formed 
Botswana would not join for years or "perhaps generations." 
 
¶3. (SBU) Comment:  The willingness of Botswana to speak out against 
the AU is very rare on the African continent.  Typically, African 
countries keep any issues among them out of the public eye.  This 
willingness to speak out against leaders, policies and now meetings 
that the GOB sees as ineffective is becoming increasingly common, 
but is coming at a price as other African countries are beginning to 
view Botswana as a troublemaker and far too outspoken.  End Comment. 
 
 
 
Critics Allege Khama Wants to Create a Dynasty 
--------------------------------------------- - 
¶4. (U) A local newspaper has alleged that President Ian Khama wants 
to remove Daniel Kwelagobe from the chairmanship of the ruling 
Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) because Kwelagobe is against 
"automatic succession" in the presidency.  Kwelagobe has said that 
automatic succession is no longer acceptable and must be reviewed. 
In Botswana the president is not directly elected by the voters, but 
is instead chosen by the Parliament after each general election. 
The term "automatic succession" refers to the practice in which has 
evolved in Botswana whereby the sitting President resigns in the 
last year of his term and hands over the reins of power to his Vice 
President.  The new President thus "automatically" assumes office 
for one year before facing a general election, at which point given 
his incumbency he can presumably retain the presidency should his 
party retain the Parliamentary majority.  Since the Botswana 
Democratic Party has been in power since 1966, there has been no 
real challenge to this practice. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Some within the BDP believe that President Khama wants to 
have his cousin Dikgakgamatso Seretse, currently Minister of 
Defense, Justice and Security, or Kitso Mokaila, Minister of 
Environment and Tourism to ascend to the Vice Presidency in 2009. 
They also claim that once Khama's new VP becomes president in 2018, 
President Khama's brother, Tshekedi, currently the MP for Serowe 
North West should become Vice President.  This would allow Tshekedi 
Khama to eventually become President himself, following the 
tradition of "automatic succession." 
 
¶6. (U) BDP chairman Kwelagobe has gone on record to say that the law 
allowing automatic succession must be repealed.  (Note: it is 
actually a constitutional provision as amended in 1997 that allows 
succession, not an ordinary law.  End note.)  President Khama is now 
campaigning for Tebelelo Seretse, the former head of the BDP women's 
wing, to be elected to replace Kwelagobe as party chairperson at the 
BDP Congress July 18-21.  Tebelelo, it is argued, would not disturb 
Khama's alleged grand plan to create a "Khama dynasty." 
 
No Independent Inquiry into Killings 
------------------------------------ 
¶7. (U) The Minister for Defense, Justice and Security Dikgakgamatso 
Seretse has told Parliament that there is no need to set up an 
independent inquiry to investigate extra-judicial killings by state 
security forces.  This statement was made in response to a question 
 
GABORONE 00000551  002 OF 002 
 
 
by Akanyang Magama, the MP for Gaborone South (BNF party), as to 
whether the "increasing number of extra-judicial killings of 
suspects by state security forces necessitated an independent 
inquiry to restore confidence in the law enforcement agencies." 
 
¶8. (U) 14 suspected criminals have been shot and killed by security 
agents since April 2008 (the start of the Khama administration). 
The latest killing, which is still under investigation, involved 
John Kalafatis, 33, who was shot by security agents on May 13.  No 
security agents have yet been brought before the courts in any of 
the 14 incidents.  The Minister said if there is any drop in the 
public's confidence in law enforcement, it is due to the general 
increase in crime.  He said existing legal processes can be used to 
address the alleged extra-judicial killings.  Seretse explained that 
police have different units through which they can investigate all 
the cases.  The GOB is also in the process of establishing a 
National Human Rights Institution to deal broadly with human rights 
questions. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Comment: While Minister Seretse says that the drop in 
public confidence is due to a general increase in crime, Embassy 
officers have heard contacts express concerns that the Government 
has not been handling the Kalafatis investigation in a transparent 
manner.  This does not mean that it is not being handled properly, 
but that there is a lack of openness which breeds suspicion.  This 
coupled with the number of shootings have led some people to ask 
whether the problem is a lack of training for Directorate of 
Intelligence and Security Services 
(DISS) officers, a view by the DISS that they are above the law, or 
an improper use of DISS officers to perform duties customarily 
performed by, and in the past assigned, to the Botswana Police 
Force.  End Comment. 
 
 
Nolan