October 12, 2009 – Gaborone. Civil society leaders have said that in Botswana there is no freedom of expression. At the launch of the African Media Barometer (AMB) in Botswana booklet in Gaborone last Friday, the leaders said that people are not free to express themselves.

Botswana Council of Non-Government Organisations (BOCONGO) executive secretary, Reverend Mosweu Simane said that nowadays people are not free to critique government and its leadership. This he said, is borne out of fear that in workshops and conferences, people are afraid those close to the leadership will finger them, something which they say would bring retribution from those in power. He cited an incident in Francistown where they were discussing the National Development Plan 10, whereupon one presenter, who was on the floor presenting a point, which faulted government and all of a sudden “the man panicked, mumbled and later in his discussion changed his subject.  

Later one colleague confided that a certain person, who is known to be close to the leadership, had walked into the conference room as the presenter was on the floor, hence the poor man panicked. That is how bad it is, people are not free to express their views any more,” he said.

MISA director, Thapelo Ndlovu also pointed out that the registration of SIM cards has proved to be a monster especially to civil society leaders and other opinion leaders. He said that there are a lot of cases of trade unionists and some ruling party politicians whose cell phone conversations were being tapped.

Botswana Federation of Trade Unions (BFTU) secretary general Gadzani Mhotsha said that “we are not free at all. Sometimes when you are talking on your phone, you hear some clicks as if someone is switching on a listening device. It is true that nowadays even in events people are not free to express themselves about the government,” he said.

However, Lifeline Botswana director Maungo Mooki, who was involved in the drafting of the (AMB) booklet, blamed civil society and opposition leaders for the prevailing state of affairs. She said that the civil society is inactive and at it is best reactionary, as it only talks about an issue once it happens “and afterwards you will keep quiet about it. I know that after today you will not pursue this matter any more”.

The AMB, among other things, the draconian Media Practitioners Act, which government intends to use to dictate to the private media how it should operate. It also talks about the government public relations officers, who are “not allowed to speak to the media directly and their only function seems to be the dissemination of approved press releases,” it reads in part.

Radio Free Africa thanks Gina Robbins for locating this story.