ZIMBABWE accused Botswana of overreacting in what has turned into a major diplomatic spat following the arrest of its three armed game rangers who crossed the border into Zimbabwe illegally.
Zimbabwe’s Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi said the January 19 arrest of the rangers in the Kazungula area near Victoria Falls was an “administrative issue”.
“It is only the courts that are going to release them, that is if they are not found guilty. As the government of Zimbabwe, we have played our part of upholding the Zimbabwean law," Mohadi said at a joint news conference with his co-minister Giles Mutsekwa.
Botswana has threatened to withdraw two political attaches at its embassy in Zimbabwe in protest and asked its neighbour to do the same.
Mohadi said: “Botswana has overreacted over a simple administrative issue that could have been resolved amicably without including the issue of diplomatic relations between our two countries.
“Justice should be done because as far as we are concerned, what the three game rangers did was illegal.”
Mohadi rejected explanations by Botswana that the rangers, who are facing immigration and firearms charges, inadvertently entered Zimbabwean territory while in pursuit of lions that had killed cattle in a Botswana village.
Once the lions entered Zimbabwe, Mohadi said, “they ceased to be their animals”.
Game rangers, Mohadi said, have a better understanding of national boundaries and the idea they accidentally strayed into Zimbabwe “is unfounded”.
"They knew what they were doing because the border between Zimbabwe and Botswana is clearly marked,” the minister insisted.
It has been revealed that last year, Botswana detained two Zimbabwean police officers who entered the country illegally, raising fears that Zimbabwe’s move was a retaliatory action.
Mohadi said: “Members of the Botswana Air Force have crossed the Zimbabwean border before and the matter was resolved administratively.
“Last year, our two police officers strayed into Botswana and were arrested and taken to Gaborone for trial. They were released after fully satisfying the Botswana courts that they had no case to answer.
“Along the Shashi River, our people and cattle are often shot even if they have not crossed into Botswana and we are concerned why Botswana is overreacting over the arrest of its nationals who crossed our border armed with two shotguns and ammunition for that matter."
Mutsekwa said Zimbabwe has no intention of escalating the hostilities with Botswana.
"As the Zimbabwean Government, we have no intentions of straining relations between ourselves and Botswana because we share the same border and we belong to the same continent."