Zambians demand apology from Ian Khama in Gaborone
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on The Maravi Post
Former Botswana president Ian Khama called Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema “Africa’s newest dictator”, sparking a diplomatic crisis between Botswana and Zambia. Zambians have submitted a petition to the Botswana High Commission in Lusaka demanding an apology from Khama and an end to what they consider interference in Zambian affairs, according to The Maravi Post.
Zambian MP Judith Kabemba Nkonge led a delegation on Wednesday to the Botswana High Commission in Lusaka to submit a petition asking the Botswana government to reprimand former president Ian Khama and have him apologise to President Hakainde Hichilema and Zambians, reports The Maravi Post. The signatories consider his statements interference in Zambia’s internal affairs.
The controversy concerns remarks made by Ian Khama, former president of Botswana and a traditional leader sitting in the Ntlo ya Dikgosi, the country’s House of Chiefs. During a session in Gaborone, he asked Botswana’s Minister of International Relations Phenyo Butale whether the government regretted sending a representative to Hakainde Hichilema’s inauguration, whom he called “Africa’s last dictator”, according to The Maravi Post. The move comes after calls for an apology from Ian Khama made by Zambian officials on 2 November.
