The curious nature of former President Lt Gen Ian Khama’s relationship with three unnamed international spy organisations is becoming fodder for conspiracy theories.
In his complaint to The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions, Khama claimed that, “three intelligence agencies from states outside Botswana” have issued credible warnings of threats to his life. The warnings were allegedly partially based on intercepted communications, including those of the authorities.
Attempts to engage Khama on the nature of his relationship with the three spy agencies and the identity of the spy organisations drew a blank.
There are speculations that the three spy agencies are from Israel, South Africa and UK and have sleeper cells in Botswana. Former Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services Director General, Isaac Kgosi was instrumental in helping the Israel Secret Service, Mossad to set up a sleeper cell in Botswana. A local lawyer who was engaged as a conveyancer by Kgosi for the controversial plot at Sentlhane farms told the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) that the former spy chief informed him that he was buying the plot on behalf of the Israeli Secret Service which was planning to set up a sleeper cell in Botswana.
The Sunday Standard paper trail has revealed that Israeli businessman and Botswana honorary consulate in Israel Vladimir Cizeij made a SWIFT transfer of P687, 000 into the Collins Newman & Co trust account with Barclays Bank for the purchase of Sentlhane farm on 3rdAugust 2009. The paper however could not establish any link between Vladimir Cizeij and the Israeli Secret Service.
Sunday Standard investigations however turned up information that the Botswana Defence Force in 2000 tried to do a background check on Vladimir Cizeij whom they code-named Mr V. In one detailed statement that has been passed to the Sunday Standard, a BDF informer states that, Vladimir Cizeij, “made it clear to me in our initial meetings that he was very well connected with the Israeli defence Industry, which of course was of great interest.”
Another letter dated 10th July 2000 relayed information to the BDF that the Israeli Ministry of Defence, SIBAT stated that, “they are not able to tell us classified information but they are willing to confirm that Mr V is known to them; his company is known to them; Mr V has no security clearance and Mr V is therefore not permitted to represent any company or product in our line of business.”
Masisi however cut ties with Israel when he ascended to office. Botswana was a few weeks ago a rare African voice of criticism against Israel, underling Masisi’s resolve to abandon Botswana’s traditional position as a lynchpin of the Zionist plan to stem the tide of Israel’s growing international isolation over its violation of human rights.
A brief by the United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution reported that Botswana was one of the African nations which were vocal in supporting an international investigation into alleged crimes and human rights violations committed by Israel against Palestinian groups in Gaza and into “systematic” abuses in the occupied Palestinian territories and inside Israel.
While Botswana has in the past voted alongside other pro Zionist countries, in favour of a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Israel and Palestine, for the first time, the UN resolution last week mentioned Botswana as one of the nations that were vocal in denouncing the recent violent attacks against Palestinians.
The report states that Botswana representatives were among those intervening during the discussion and condemned the recent attacks against Palestinians in the strongest terms.
Prior to the adoption of the resolution by the UN human rights body, Botswana signalled its intensions to break with its tradition of adopting a soft diplomatic stance when dealing with Israel when, in press statement, “noted with concern the ongoing fighting between the Israeli military forces and the Palestinian militants (Hamas) in the Gaza strip of Jerusalem.”
In addition, for the first time, the “Government of Botswana strongly condemned the escalation of the attacks and calls for a ceasefire.” Botswana added that this was necessary to avoid any further causalities in the conflict which risks developing into a fully-fledged war.
The report suggests that diplomatic representatives from Botswana were among those that denounced the “unjustified escalation of violence against Palestinians.”
Opening the session, UN’s human rights boss Michelle Bachelet condemned Israel’s recent attacks warning that the attacks which reportedly killed more than 200 Palestinians are likely to constitute war crimes.
The tradition had been that Botswana bucked the growing international trend to boycott Israel.
During former President Ian Khama’s administration, while the international community seemed to be moving away from Israel, Botswana on the other hand strengthened its relationship with the Benjamin Netanyahu led government.
The military diplomacy between Botswana Israel proceeded with the same mantras as in the sixties and seventies: military support, intelligence logistics and agricultural technology as a bonus.
The second intelligence agency that is working with Khama is believed to be from South Africa. There are whispered fears that South Africa may have launched a grey zone attack against Botswana. A grey zone attack is a below the radar offensive which does not cross the threshold of formalized state-level aggression. State-based actors use proxies such as cut-outs and criminals to conduct their objectives through a third party. This affords them deniability, cover and concealment, and obfuscation of their true intentions. In grey-zone conflicts, participants may rely entirely on unconventional tools and tactics, such as disinformation, propaganda, psychological operations and economic pressure to render an opposing country ungovernable without engaging in open hostilities.
Rattled by the apparent disinformation and propaganda campaign, the Botswana Police Service Public Relations Unit met the Botswana Editors Forum recently to express their concern. Among the names that came up during the discussions was Daniel Kenosi, an incendiary online scribe currently on self-imposed exile in South Africa from where he has been taking pot shots at the Masisi administration.
Kenosi’s South African residence status has been a subject of curiosity, spawning speculations that he may be a pawn in the apparent grey zone campaign. Another wild card is Khama’s close associate and Botswana patriotic Front founding member Samson Guma Moyo who is also based in South Africa and has been using the country as a launching pad to attack the Masisi administration. The duo is believed to be enjoying executive protection in South Africa.
The third country is believed to be the United Kingdom.
