The Office of the President (OP) may have put the cart before the horse by prematurely announcing the ill-fated June visit by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Special Envoy Ayanda Dlodlo which was meant to be kept under wraps.
The South African envoy Dlodlo apparently was disappointed, if not angered, by the decision by OP to publicize her impending visit to President Mokgweetsi Masisi, The Telegraph has learnt.
The public announcement of Dlodlo’s visit by Press Secretary to the President Batlhalefi Leagajang, a day before the scheduled meeting, was the reason behind the cancellation.
The SA government had hoped Dlodlo’s visit (happening at the height of diplomatic tensions between the two governments over Bridget Motsepe’s controversial money laundering charges) would be kept under the radar but the OP must have missed the memo.
The visit attracted media attention with speculation about the purpose of the meeting centering on South Africa’s alleged refusal to provide Botswana with mutual legal assistance over money laundering charges against President Ramaphosa’s sister in law, Bridget Motsepe.
While initial communication from the two governments suggested the purpose of the meeting was to discuss Southern African Customs Union (SACU) many questioned why a South African Minister of State and Security (Dlodlo) would fly all the way to Gaborone to discuss matters that do not fall within her portfolio.
The only plausible explanation for the visit, many felt, was to discuss issues relating to some P100 billion allegedly siphoned from Bank of Botswana with Motsepe being used as a conduit for alleged money laundering.
The meeting was expected to be a first step towards mending seemingly soured relations between the two countries over the alleged reserve bank matter.
Dlodlo’s visit had come on the back of a recent announcement by Botswana’s Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), and AfriForum that the former has engaged the latter to help in putting pressure on the South African government to assist in their money laundering investigations over the alleged controversial heist.
But the SA Minister’s office denied the meeting was to discuss the serious allegations against Motsepe and the government.
The Ministry released a rebuttal over an SA online newspaper’s reports.
“The Presidency wishes to draw attention to a false report by online news service, Daily Maverick, which has distorted the purpose of a planned visit to Botswana,” the statement read.
It said the Minister was scheduled to meet with President Masisi in her capacity as a Special Envoy deployed by President Ramaphosa to engage on matters related to the Southern African Customs Union.
“Regrettably, Daily Maverick alleges today’s visit by the Special Envoy was to centre on developments between the Botswana government and South African businesswoman Ms. Bridgette Radebe. This is completely false, as President Ramaphosa has clearly mandated the Minister of State Security to engage on matters related to the Southern African Customs Union. In any event, Special Envoys are never deployed to deliver rebukes to governments with whom South Africa engages on any matter, as South Africa maintains the highest level of respect and decorum in all diplomatic engagements.”
No meeting has taken place in Botswana between Dlodlo and Masisi yet, to the best of our knowledge.
