S.Africa's ANC rebukes Youth League leader over comment on Botswana

S.Africa's ANC rebukes Youth League leader over comment on Botswana
Collins Atohengbe, Pretoria

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) has rebuked the leadership of its Youth League for its comment on the administration of President Ian Khama of Botswana.

The leadership of the Youth League had promised to assist the opposition effect a regime change in Gaborone.

A spokesman of the ANC, Mr. Jackson Mthembu, said the party totally rejects and publicly rebuke the Youth League’s extremely thoughtless and embarrassing pronouncements in which it declared the desire to send men to assist the opposition to effect a regime change in Botswana.

Evidence of indiscipline

The party said the insult and disrespect to the person of President Ian Khama, the government and the people of Botswana and a threat to destabilize and effect regime change in Botswana was a clear demonstration that the Youth League lacked discipline and had clearly crossed the political line.

The ANC also distanced itself from the League's claims that authorities in Gaborone was cooperating with the imperialists, that it had undermined the African agenda and also that the African Union and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) had veered off the African agenda in pursuit of other interests.

Mthembu said this was a total deviation from the policies of the South African ruling party which does not support any act of destabilization of regimes anywhere in the continent or in the world, and stressed that it was totally unimaginable that the Youth League of the ANC could think of such, let alone put it in a public domain.

He reminded leaders of the youth league and its members that the league was set up as a mass movement organ of the ruling party which functions as an autonomous body which is not independent but an arm which is based on the political and ideological objectives of the ANC without any desire to undermine any government or leadership institutions.

Strengthening relations

Jackson Mthembu pointed out that the ANC had enjoyed a very good relations with the government and the people of Botswana, forged over many years of the liberation struggle and that the party would continue to strengthen these relations towards the common goals of reconstruction and development of both South Africa and Botswana.

He said: “If it were not for countries like Botswana South Africa would not be a democracy today. Therefore, the ANC will continue to respects Botswana’s sovereignty and its strong democracy, the freedom and right of the people to elect their own government.”

Mthembu dismissed the ANCYL's criticism of the AU and SADC, saying both bodies are strong and had been performing their functions "with distinction" particularly with regard to advancing the African agenda which has manifested in the efforts to achieve an enduring continental peace and security as could be seen in the case of Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Libya, Somalia and the Sudan.

Williams