‘A good measure of sacrifice’: Botswana and the liberation struggles of southern Africa (1965–1985)

Abstract

The government of Botswana had to strike a fine balance between not isolating the liberation movements, not letting them use Botswana as a military base and not appearing to harbour ‘terrorists’. The government realised that overtly supporting the liberation movements was potentially suicidal, for the country could easily be punished by South Africa: trade links could be severed and communication networks paralysed. The settler regimes did try to infiltrate and weaken the liberation movements in Botswana and carried out acts such as kidnapping, intimidation and deportation, to try to prevent the liberation movements from threatening the status quo in southern Africa. Using evidence from the Botswana National Archives, oral interviews, and newspaper reports, the article examines the means the Botswana government adopted to deal with the situation and safeguard the security of its citizens.

Keywords:

• Botswana government
• refugees
• liberation movements
• kidnappings
• deportation intimidations

Notes

1. Botswana National Archives, hereafter BNA. OP/26/4 Report on meeting with Mishake Muyongo and three others of CANU, Gaborone, 14 October 1980.

2. Ibid.

3. BNA 01/26/4 N.C. Tibone, Permanent Secretary to the President to Botswana High Commissioner to Zambia, 3 November 1978; Interview with N. Mmono, 13 July 2007.

4. Ibid., L.M. Mpotokwane, Secretary of External Affairs to Permanent Secretary to the President, 6 January 1978.

5. 9 BNA OP/26/4 D.D.D. Mantshontsho to Administrative Secretary of the President, August 1978.

6. Ibid., Summary record of a meeting with Representatives (present were Duma Bokwe, P. Montshabi, Isaack Makopo, M.C. Tibone and L.M. Mpotokwane) of the ANC (South) on 11 March 1976.

7. BNA OP/27/19 S. Grant to M. Ennals, General Secretary, National Council for Civil Liberties, London, 4 May 1965.

8. Ibid.

9. BNA OP/27/19 S.M. Khama to the Ministry of Home Affairs, 6 April 1965.

10. Ibid.

11. BNA OP/27/19 Commissioner of Police to Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, 31 March 1965; Interview with D. Mophuting, former police officer, February 2007; Interview with G Phatudi, 13 June 2007. Mr Phatudi is a Motswana teacher who helped refugees to cross the border into Botswana in the early‐ to mid‐1960s.

12. BNA OP/26/3 Finlay to G.D. Anderson, British High Commission in Gaborone, 11 January 1972. Also see a newspaper clipping on the Guardian of 4/10/71 titled ‘Prisoner dies in Rhodesia’.

13. BNA OP/26/3 Secretary General of Amnesty International, Amsterdam, to D. Finlay, Secretary to the President, Government of Botswana, 27 January 1972.

14. BNA OP/26/4 Permanent Secretary to the President M.C. Tibone to Botswana High Commission, Lusaka, 29 September 1977 (Gaborone).

15. Ibid.

16. BNA OP/26/4 Newspaper clip from Chronicle Africa News entitled ‘Botswana expels six ZAPU officials after Battle’; Interview with S. Mpuchane, 25 February 2007.

17. BNA OP/27/11/6 Commissioner of Police to Permanent Secretary to the President in Minutes of the Francistown Districts Intelligence Committee Meeting, 27 August 1973.

18. Ibid.

19. BNA OP/28/13 Commissioner of Police …

20. BNA OP/28/13 Commissioner of Police, S.A. Hirschfeld to Permanent Secretary to the President, 12 November 1975; Interview with E. Ndhlovu, April 2007; also see the Botswana Daily News (BDN) no. 228, Wednesday 30 November 1977. The Botswana police held three men of Rhodesian extract for subversive activities in Francistown. The men were believed to be members of the notorious Rhodesian Selous Scouts.

21. BNA OP/28/13 Attorney General’s Chambers, PTC Skelemani, to Commissioner of Police, 21 November 1977; for other kidnapped victims in the North East District village of Mapoka were Semela Dube and Philemon Dube see BDN, no. 197, Monday 17 October 1977, p. 1. Also, interview with S. George, February 2007.

22. BNA OP/28/13 District Commissioner, Mochudi, I.I. Zebe to Permanent Secretary, Office of the President, 19 June 1979.

23. BNA OP/27/11/6 Government Security Officer for District Commissioner, Francistown, 20 July 1971.

24. BNA OP/27/11/1(24) District Commissioner, Kazane, I.I. Zebe to Permanent Secretary to the President, 17 October 1977; BDN, 7 November 1977.

25. BDN, 8 November 1977.

26. BNA OP/9/19 Commissioner of Police to Permanent Secretary to the President, Operation of Rhodesian Soldier in Botswana, 13 October 1976.

27. Ibid.; BDN, 18 March 1977.

28. BNA OP/9/19 Intelligence Report on Solly Essack 1976.

29. BNA OP/9/19 A brief for the Minister for discussion in Parliament from Commissioner of Police to Permanent Secretary to the President, 12 November 1975; BDN, 31 March 1977. Entry into Botswana with illegal possession of arms carried a maximum penalty of five years. Subsequently however, this was changed to death as it was regarded as treason. BDN, 30 November 1977, 2 December 1977; Interview with S. Mpuchane, 25 February 2007.

30. BNA OP/19/17 Letter written and signed by an old Rhodesian and addressed to President Sir Seretse Khama, 18 September 1976.

31. The Star, ‘Assassination of Student Leader in Botswana’, 1974.

32. BNA OP/9/19 Acting Commissioner of Police, M.S. Merafe to Permanent Secretary to the President, 20 August 1975.

33. Ibid., Commissioner of Police Hirschfeld to Permanent Secretary to the President in a brief for the Minister, 12 November 1975; also see Kutlwano, January 1977 indicating two successive raids by Rhodesian Security Forces in Maitengwe, three raids in Matsiloje, Sergeant Kgari shot dead, cattle farmer Ramonwana shot dead at Kobojango and 10 people kidnapped.

34. BNA OP 21/11/1 District Commissioner, Kasane, A.B. Masalila to Permanent Secretary to the President, 9 July 1976; Interview with S. George, Former High Commissioner to Lusaka, February 2007.

35. BNA OP/9/19 Head of Special Branch S. Hirschfeld to Permanent Secretary, 1976.

36. Ibid.; Interview with Lithely Maine, former government of Botswana Ombudsman, June 2007.

37. BNA OP 28/13 Statement by Sergeant Ramoilwa, October 1977. South Africa had refused to extradite the four soldiers to be tried in Botswana, see BDN 21 and 31 October 1977.

38. BDN, 14 June 1985.