A decision by Government of Botswana to place extra Visa travel requirements on an American national Rick Hune was discussed by the cabinet intelligence committee (CIC), Sunday Standard can reveal.
CIC is a high level, security dominated committee of cabinet.
The committee is personally chaired by President Ian Khama. The Director General of DIS (Directorate of Intelligence Services) Isaac Kgosi acts as the committee’s Secretary.
Other members include Vice President, Ponatshego Kedikilwe, Commander of Botswana Defence Force Lt. Gen. G.G Galebotswe, Commissioner of Police Makgophe, Permanent Secretary to the president, Eric Molale and Attorney General Athaliah Molokomme.
Hune was due to attend the launch of campaign launch of Duma Boko, who is the President of both the Botswana National Front and the Umbrella for Democratic Change.
Boko and Hune met at Harvard University where the two studied.
Botswana Government fears are that Hune, a leading Hollywood personality is one of UDC financial backers.
Sunday Standard can also confirm that the decision to place Hune under strict travel requirements was not unanimous.
Some members of the CIC were of the view that the provision was being abused and that coming immediately in the wake of a diplomatic fallout between Botswana and America, time may not be right to have an American national placed under restrictions that will in any case be impossible to explain much less defend.
It is not the first time CIC has been badly split on a decision.
Last year some members of the subcommittee took issue with a decision to publish in the Government Daily News the names of people involved in drunken driving offences.
While securocrats that dominate CIC held that shaming the offenders was important, others doubted the legality and constitutionality of publishing such names.
Hune joins a fast growing list that include Julius Malema, Stephen Corry, Gordon Bennett to name but a few.
Malema is a South African opposition politician who holds very strong views about President Khama and Botswana Government.
Corry leads Survival International, a London based NGO, that has often criticized Botswana government policy on Basarwa.
Bennett is a British lawyer who in the past represented Basarwa at the High Court.
Bennett has won all his legal battles with Botswana government.
The list also includes academics that have published research papers that have not been charitable about Botswana’s much vaunted democratic credentials.
