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South African businesswoman Bridgette Radebe found herself in the middle of Botswana's estate policy after details were revealed that an alleged meeting – between her and former President Ian Khama in Victoria Falls – would have been intercepted. If the worst case is true, these could create shadows that also affect the presidency of Cyril Ramaphosa.
The Democratic Party of Botswana has entered an unknown territory since the start of its electoral conference in Kang, 400 km northwest of the capital Gaborone. This is the first time in nearly six decades that the party exists that the power is fiercely disputed. President Mokgweetsi Masisi was opposed to former Foreign Minister Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi for the leadership of the party, but the latter withdrew after most of her supporters were prevented from joining the party. attend the conference. the conference to happen.
Masisi, the former vice president, replaced Ian Khama as the country's president almost exactly one year after the end of his ten-year term. Soon, however, a power struggle ensued between the two party members. Khama later declared his support for Venson-Moitoi, who was dismissed as Foreign Minister after being transferred. tweeted in December, she would come to Masisi. Masisi is likely to become the BDP leader after the weekend's congress and Botswana's party presidential candidate in the Botswana national elections later this year.
The businesswoman and president of the South African Mining Association, Bridgette Radebe, was found in the middle of last weekend, when the Botswana Sunday Standard published an article. claiming that she and her brother Patrice Motsepe, also a businessman in the mining sector, financed the Venson – Moitoi campaign for millions of rand.
Radebe did not respond to phone calls or messages on Friday, but she read WhatsApp from Daily Maverick with questions about it.
the Standard Sunday Along with Zimbabwean MP Samson Guma Moyo and Dr Shadrack Baaitse, from the dominant society in Botswana, were expected to meet Khama and a delegation in Vic Falls, on the northwestern border of Zimbabwe and not far from the border with Botswana. They would be supposed to give him $ 5.5 million (about 80 million rand) of money that he was supposed to smuggle into Botswana to finance the Venson-Moitoi campaign. Zimbabwe's intelligence services reportedly received intelligence and intercepted them, questioning Radebe and his companions and briefly questioning them. They would have been unable to search his jet (the reason is uncertain, although a Daily Maverick A source speculated that diplomatic immunity might have applied) and sent him packing his bags.
Radebe would have landed in Zimbabwe in a private plane coming from Lanseria airport.
On Thursday, Khama denied any possibility of smuggling money on his Facebook page, calling the report "superficial lies," but admitted meeting Radebe. He denied, however, that he came with a delegation including Venson-Moitoi. Khama said that he flew from Shakawe to Botswana to travel to Vic Falls "for a meeting meeting with Ambbadador Andrew Young". The 87-year-old civil liberties activist and friend of Martin Luther King had just visited South Africa, where he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Johannesburg.
Khama also said: "There was no tragedy at all, contrary to the report that the honorable Guma Moyo and Bridgette Motsepe were harbaded and deported to the airport. The reunion took place as planned and the two left voluntarily, "he said." No one has ever been questioned, harbaded, detained or deported at any time during his stay in Victoria Falls. ".
Khama also said that it would not have been necessary to introduce money to Botswana, nobody has pledged $ 5.5 million to the Venson- campaign Well and even if they did, "there is no law prohibiting this, so there will be absolutely no reason to spend the money fraudulently".
Radebe is married to Jeff Radebe, Minister in the Presidency, and is also the sister of Tshepo Motsepe, wife of President Cyril Ramaphosa. His alleged involvement in the presidential succession fights in a neighboring country is therefore important and may suggest that his support for Venson-Moitoi is approved by Ramaphosa. The South African government's policy is not to interfere in the internal policies of other countries.
A South African official confirmed that the government was aware of the information and was considering the matter. the Standard Sunday indicated that the government did not support Bridgette Radebe's support for Venson-Moitoi.
Venson-Moitoi was also the candidate of the Southern Africa Development Community for the presidency of the African Union Commission when Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma retired in 2017, but unofficially, South Africa's support would have been lukewarm.
Minister Jeff Radebe did not respond to a WhatsApp message requesting a comment.
Ramaphosa spokesman Khusela Sangoni was not immediately available for comment.
Dakota Legoete, ANC spokesperson, and Lindiwe Zulu, subcommittee on international relations, did not answer the question of whether the ANC would send a representative to the BDP conference this weekend, as it is customary. DM
Watch Pauli van Wyk's cat play the piano here!
Not really. But now that we have your attention, we wanted to talk to you a bit about what happened to SARS.
Tom Moyane and his acolytes bequeathed South Africa with a Tax deficit of 48 billion rand, in February 2018. It's the only thing that grew up under the Moyane mandate … the year before, the hole was 30.7 billion rand. And to fund these gaps, you know who has to cough? You – the South African taxpayer.
It was the remarkable work of a team of investigative journalists, Pauli van Wyk and Marianne Thamm of Scorpion as well as our great friends at amaBhungane, the SARS captors were finally emptied of the system. Moyane, Makwakwa … a lot of them … gone.
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