Botswana and Zimbabwe will remain steadfast to working in collaboration on responding to the outbreak of COVID-19, Botswana’s international cooperation minister said Friday.
Unity Dow, Botswana’s minister of international affairs and cooperation, said the two neighboring countries are working to ensure that the COVID-19 pandemic is fought from both fronts.
“The ministry wishes to underscore that Botswana and Zimbabwe remain committed to work closely together in responding to the outbreak of COVID-19 and mitigating its impact on both countries as well as on the livelihood of their nationals,” Dow said in a statement.
In the context, the two countries will continue to collaborate and coordinate voluntary repatriations when necessary, she said when dismissing unsubstantiated allegations by some western media that Botswana had embarked on a forceful deportation of Zimbabwean nationals.
“In the spirit of solidarity and the excellent relations between the two countries, 255 Zimbabwean nationals were on April 16, 2020, voluntarily repatriated from Botswana by road and received by Zimbabwean authorities at the Botswana/Zimbabwe border,” she said.
Meanwhile, Botswana is also working with other governments across the globe to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of their citizens.Botswana declared a six-month-long state of public emergency earlier this month-a development that practically brought the southern African country’s economic activity to a grinding halt.
This resulted in some foreign nationals willing to repatriate to their native countries because there is absolutely nothing to do at the moment.
