WHY IS SADC SO SAD?

C O N F I D E N T I A L GABORONE 001103 STATE FOR AF/S, ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/17/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID SOCI BC ZI SUBJECT: WHY IS SADC SO SAD? Classified By: DCM Philip R. Drouin; Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: It is now "Festive Season" holiday time in Botswana and across Southern Africa, but it is also silly season when it comes to SADC. The SADC Organ on Politics, Defense, and Security's insistence on a full-scale investigation of and report on GOZ allegations that Botswana is helping harbor and train teams of Zimbabwean opposition (mainly MDC-T) members underscores the increasingly ineffective nature of the Southern African Development Community. Meanwhile, no such SADC scrutiny is being directed Mugabe's way, while Zimbabwe melts down deeper into crisis and despair. 'Tis the season for mirth and merriment, but not when it comes SADC's leadership, or lack thereof, on Zimbabwe. So sad. End Summary. ¶2. (C) As Southern Africa descends into its annual self-imposed "Festive Season" slumber, officials from most Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states and the Gaborone-based SADC Secretariat have already largely checked out when it comes to any positive action related to Zimbabwe. However, apart from the human tragedy and the widespread cholera outbreak now underway in Botswana's neighbor to the east, another SADC-induced outrage lingers here -- the GOB is spending a lot of time and effort refuting Zimbabwe's petition to SADC's Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security that Botswana is harboring training camps for "MDC Terrorists" to promote a violent state of emergency and chaos across the border into Zimbabwe. The GOB has attempted to deflect these specious claims in a lawyerly and responsible manner, even though the SADC Organ troika of Swaziland, Mozambique, and Angola appears to have dumped a "guilty until proven innocent" load on Botswana's doorstep, while Mugabe's Zimbabwe seems to have received a free pass. There has been no SADC mention of or impetus to investigate the disappearance of 18 MDC officials/members, or the actual extent of the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe. And now Mugabe has proclaimed Zimbabwe "cholera free," while the disease's death toll mounts to nearly 1,000, yet no one at the Secretariat or among the SADC leaders (most notably current SADC Chair Motlanthe) will contradict his brazen denial of reality. ¶3. (C) On December 12 GOB Foreign Minister Phandu Skelemani shared with Western diplomats (UK, France, Germany, EU Chiefs �0A;of Mission and the U.S. Charge/DCM) his concerns and exasperation over the fallacy of this entire SADC process. With nothing to hide and in the spirit of full transparency and respect for rule of law, Botswana's former Attorney General Skelemani informed us that his Ministry (with many in the MFA Task Force having labored long hours and over weekends recently) has compiled a detailed, 32-page "Response By Botswana to the Allegations by Zimbabwe," dated December 10, 2008. Skelemani gave us a copy (marked GOB "Secret" throughout),and we will send a copy to AF/S. He had hoped to deliver this report to SADC Ministerial-level counterparts whom he expected to arrive in Gaborone on December 11, but Foreign Ministers did not come representing the SADC Organ troika members and Zimbabwe, rather a much more junior delegation showed up instead. This did not sit well with Skelemani -- the GOB has taken this exercise seriously, but SADC and Zimbabwe do not appear to be doing the same, even though it is nothing but an attempt to divert attention away from Mugabe. It is our understanding that Skelemani wants to present Botswana's findings and defense to a more senior board of examiners, and he has conveyed his displeasure about this in correspondence back to SADC and the Organ. ¶4. (C) Some highlighted excerpts from Botswana's brief include the GOB's assertion that "By way of general observation, Zimbabwe's submission hinges not only on generalised accusations which are not backed up with tangible facts, but also on distorted and/or manufactured evidence." The GOB points also to doctored photos and the coerced testimony of GOZ "witnesses," and continues that "the DVDs presented by Zimbabwe as part of the evidence cannot, by any standard be considered admissible and authentic evidence. They merely present poorly stage-managed interviews." Nowhere does the GOB report attempt to hide the fact that Morgan Tsvangirai has spent quite a bit of time of late in Botswana (he is here now and has been seen out and about around Gaborone, albeit discreetly). Rather the GOB suggests that Tsvangirai's visits to Botswana, much like his stops in "other SADC and African countries (are) to brief the authorities about the unfolding political and economic situation in Zimbabwe. Representatives of ZANU-PF have also done the same." The GOB's official "Response" also dismisses the GOZ's contention that Botswana harbors "hostile radio stations," noting that VOA in Selebi-Phikwe is a relay station for an international broadcaster much like BBC, RFI, Radio Netherlands, and Deutsche Welle, which all have presence in other African countries and is "an internationally established and accepted norm." ¶5. (C) Comment: Many Batswana, NGOs, and other international observers posted here perceive moribund SADC as "not serious, useless, a joke" when it comes to anything related to Zimbabwe. This whole episode of SADC taking Botswana to task at Zimbabwe's behest, while Mugabe escapes more widespread SADC scrutiny or condemnation just serves to call into question SADC's own reputation as a credible regional entity. It does process-related protocol and donor-driven conferences/talkathons fairly well, not to mention the annual SADC Ministerial and Summit and extraodinary meetings, but it has "gone missing" in taking any true and meaningful leadership role on the political crisis in Zimbabwe. Mugabe has his liberation struggle era allies throughout the organization, so until this mindset evaporates do not expect much change from SADC vis-a-vis Zimbabwe. ¶6. (C) For its part, Botswana has continued, with support from Tanzania, Zambia, and Lesotho but also in isolation, its principled stand on Zimbabwe, while providing millions of pulas for humanitarian assistance there. The GOB has also called for a calming of the heated rhetoric between the two Southern African neighbors that share so much in family ties and common destiny, while advocating on behalf of the well-being of the Zimbabwean people. We understand that many expatriate Zimbabweans now resident here are preparing to travel, with loads of goods and supplies in tow, to try to bring some much needed holiday cheer back home. Meanwhile, the new SADC Secretariat headquarters continues to rise from its construction site in central Gaborone, with its scheduled occupancy later next year. But as we turn the page into 2009 all we seem to ask about SADC, is anybody home, is anybody there, does anybody care? So sad. End Comment. NOLAN