Thobile Jiwulane

It’s a matter of time before the new Botswana government decides to expel the American troops harboured in a military base in the country – the only nation in the Southern Africa Development Council (SADC) to have agreed to host a foreign military base on its soil.

Few countries on the continent have American bases and those were Kenya, Djibouti and Seychelles. Djibouti has the largest US regional Command military base in Africa in Camp Lemonnier. Each country decides on its own whether to let the American troops within its borders but there is general apprehension towards a country that agreed to take the US troops into its soil.

The purpose of a foreign military base in another country is always touted as a means to promote regional security and stability. Host countries are convinced that the presence of US military would help to ensure the exchange of training and to combat terrorism. What is not discussed is the fact that it’s about expanding US hegemony in the world and to counter the  Russian and Chinese influence in those areas.

Indeed, joint military drills do take place between Botswana and the US and other countries that harbour US bases as the Americans train them in, among others,  tactics of survival in the battle against an enemy and as the US says to “combat terrorism” where there is a threat.

However, with SADC is a relatively peaceful region but after the outbreak of jihadist terrorism in northern Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado Province, there had been increased alert against the scourge. Even with that the African countries saw no need to involve external military intervention because countries in SADC had been able to send their own peace keeping forces to the area. Otherwise before the Cabo Delgado situation, due to the peaceful co-existence within and among the SADC states, there was a laissez-faire approach to security in the region and the countries were satisfied with the situation.

Off course threat to security was always there often due to the slack of border control where the transportation of illicit goods and movement of undocumented immigrants posed security risk to the host country. Terrorists always saw an opportunity where strict regulation of human and goods movement was lacking.

To Botswana’s past government, the presence of US troops was important for strengthening its forces and prepare them for future war. Botswana and the US. Special Operations Command Africa conducted joint exchange training between 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) Green Berets and the Botswana Defence Force at Thebephatshwa Air Base, last July. The joint exchange had become a norm between the US forces and the BDF since the US base was established in 2007.

But other than training in preparation for non-existent terrorism, it is not clear why the US has a based in Botswana. Botswana itself was criticised for allowing the US base in the region.

Way back in 2007, opposition parties in Botswana expressed concern about the planned set up of the US base in the country without Batswana people consulted. Sunday Standard in Botswana at the time reported that then Vice President of the Botswana Congress Party, Dr Kesitegile Gobotswamang, was rallying behind the call by another opposition Botswana National Front’s call urging all Batswana, irrespective of their political affiliations, to condemn the ruling Botswana Democratic Party’s its plan to allow the US army to set up a military base in the country.

According to the paper’s online report, Gobotswamang said that the ruling Botswana Democratic Party government had not consulted either Batswana in general or their representatives in Parliament on this very sensitive matter.

When it was finally established, the based was initially hidden from the public eye. The Americans were found to be operating from the Sir Seretse Khama Airport. The opposition were concerned that the base was set up after the Botswana government had signed an agreement with the US agreeing that it would not prosecute or hand over to the International Criminal Court American security personnel who commit crimes whilst in Botswana.

Gobotswamang said the presence of the American military base in the country would drastically threaten Botswana’s independence in that “we will then not be able to question American government decisions that wrongly affect us”.

The base was also seen as threat to the neighbouring South Africa, Namibia, Angola and Zimbabwe that had all obtained their independences long after Botswana. Angola became independent from Portugal in 1975, Zimbabwe in 1980 and Namibia in 1982 while South Africa obtained its freedom and democracy in 1994.

The US supported none of these countries during their fight against their colonising powers. Instead, it backed the rebel movements like UNITA movement of the late Jonas Savimbi against the Angolan government. It was the main supporter of the white apartheid regime of South Africa that occupied Namibia and oppressed the black majority in South Africa. The West also supported Mozambique National Resistance Movement of Alfonso Dlakama in Mozambique against the FRELIMO government for many years.

Britain, also propped up the Ian Smith regime in Rhodesia against the struggle for freedom by the exiled black liberation movements in the country. Instead, it was the Soviet Union and in some instances China that supported the struggle against white rule in SADC and elsewhere in Africa through providing military training for and equipping the African freedom fighters.

But after these countries became free, the former backer of their oppressors, the US was the one that jumped to the fore to want to establish military bases in the same countries instead of it being Russia and China. But all of the SADC nations refused except Botswana. To date there is much apprehension among SADC countries about the continued presence of the US base in Botswana.

Some in South Africa saw the base as a threat to the country especially after the US was accused of possibly conducting spying on the country following allegations made by US Ambassador to South Africa that the country was supplying Russia with weapons in the ongoing war in Ukraine. The ambassador in late December 2023 claimed weapons were seen being loaded on a Russian vessel in a Cape Town harbour, something that South Africa vehemently refuted. Pretoria even established a commission to investigate the matter, and the probe found no basis for the US claim.

The same ambassador had earlier warned South Africa about a possible bomb explosion in the rich business suburb of Sandton, north of Johannesburg on weekend. This surprised many because even the South African authorities were unaware of the bomb scare nor terrorism activities within the country’s borders. This was the first suspicions that the US was spying on South Africa or even other neighbouring countries.

The left-leaning opposition Economic Freedom Fighters’ leader, Julius Malema always expressed concern about the US military base in the neighbouring country, he had been consistent in condemning the Botswana for harbouring the Americans. He called for an overthrow of the Botswana government so that a friendly government is installed that would remove the US base in Botswana.

“Our position as the EFF is that that the army base must be removed because it poses a threat to SADC,” Malema told a Youtube channel interview. The fiery leader strongly felt that the base was an even the biggest threat to South Africa quoting a research that indicated that a fighter-jet launched from that base by the Americans would reach and hit the Union Buildings, South Africa’s administrative state building within minutes and destroy it completely.

According to Malema, the South African situation was similar to that of Russia which was uncomfortable with NATO moving closer towards the east inside Ukraine a move that clearly posed threat to Russian security. The EFF leader is known for saying things that the South African government wouldn’t dare to say in order to keep good relations with its neighbouring countries.

The US knew that South Africa was a friend of Russia and the Left groups in South Africa identified the danger posed by the US presence in a neighbouring country like Botswana. It is well known to many that US established its presence to counter any Russian involvement in the region since it had good relations with South Africa.

But the change of government in the diamond-rich Botswana following the recent national elections where the Botswana Democratic Party lost power for the first time since the party attained power after leading the country to independence in 1966.

Now the former opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change is in power and its leader and founder, Duma Boko is the new president of Botswana. An advocate by profession and born in Mahalapye, Botswana, Boko is of the Xhosa tribe with his ancestral roots in South Africa. Xhosas is a politically strong nation within South Africa from which former presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki and other freedom fighters like Steve Biko and Robert Sobukwe came from.

Although he had yet to make it official, Boko had indicated his intention to close down the US military base in his country. It’s a question of when that would be announced.

Unlike his predecessor President Mokgweetsi Masisi, the new leader, Boko has adopted a strong Pan-Africanist approach believing that Africa should stand on its own and determine its destiny without external interference. He has denounced both Capitalism and Socialism as ideologies that have not worked for Africa and he vowed to implement a system that would suit the African conditions.

Boko is the first Southern Africa leader to extend relationship beyond his region to other parts of Africa in the spirit of Pan-Africanism. This was seen as a first move towards moving away from practising the Western values of governance towards homebrewed way of governance that takes into account local prevailing circumstances. He appears to be opposed to anything that had to do with the Western influence including the Western style democracy. This extended beyond ideology but also in cultural and developmental terms.

Although he denounced both capitalism and socialism for his country, analysts described Boko as leaning towards the left but driven by Pan-Africanism.

On top of that his co-operation with the Sahel region got some in the West worried because Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso had fired French and American troops where they existed in their respective countries and Chad had given notice of its intention to get the French army out of the country.  Observers in SADC commented that it’s a matter of time before Boko followed in the foot-steps Sahel leaders to ask the American troops in his country to pack and go and close their military base in Botswana.

But whether his move would influence the entire SADC leadership to shake themselves of the Western influence remains to be seen. But one thing for sure, the winds of change are blowing through Africa with a determination to rid the continent of neo-colonialism and Western imperialism. With it genuine independence and freedom for Africa are guaranteed.