President enthralled by Botswana’s natural beauty
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has expressed awe and deep admiration for Botswana’s rich natural wonders and diverse wildlife following a two-day retreat in the neighbouring country’s breathtaking Okavango Delta.
The retreat, hosted by his counterpart President Mokgweetsi Masisi, capped off a high-level meeting between the two leaders on Friday, under the Fourth Session of the Zimbabwe-Botswana Bi-National Commission.
President Mnangagwa immersed himself in the tranquil beauty of the delta, surrounded by its iconic scenery and abundant wildlife.
The retreat wasn’t merely a leisure trip; it served as a symbolic gesture of the strengthening relationship between Zimbabwe and Botswana.
The Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site boasting a unique ecosystem, teeming with diverse animal and plant life, offered a powerful reminder of the SADC region’s diverse natural heritage.
In an interview ahead of his departure for Harare from Maun yesterday, President Mnangagwa was effusive in describing his experience.
“Where we were; every animal you have in your mind is there,” he said. “Wherever you drive, left, right and centre animals and animals.
“But most importantly, we spent many hours seeing families of animals . . . five metres away.
“You know I am lion (the President’s totem is Shumba Murambwi) but then that time if you get close . . . ”
Asked about whether there were plans to twin the Okavango Delta with some of Zimbabwe’s own tourist offerings, President Mnangagwa said the proposal was “good”.
“Botswana is rich in terms of wildlife,” he said. “In the morning we went out and found every type of animal; hippos, giraffes; but most importantly lion families.
“Some of them were about five metres away; you are about five metres away, but of course in the car.
“They don’t bother you and don’t even think you are there; they feed their babies and you are looking . . . one hour and you are enjoying yourself.
“They are unconcerned. They pass through where you are and they never look at you.”
He continued: “We don’t have that in Zimbabwe; families of lions are sitting there on some high place and hardly 100 metres away.
“There is plenty of game; you can’t even count it.”
President Masisi, who had accompanied the President on the retreat, said the excursion was meant to reciprocate his own tour of tourist sites in the Eastern Highlands, two years ago, when he was on a State Visit to Zimbabwe.
“I have always wished this visit by my beloved senior brother, President Mnangagwa, and you know why in part?
“He provoked me by sending me to near-heaven in Nyanga. So I thought, let me revenge. I thought I would give him something as close to near-heaven in Botswana as we have.
“And the best thing was to give him God’s creation. It is nature and the ecosystem almost as God wanted it to be.”
President Mnangagwa was in Botswana for the high-level BNC Summit.
Meanwhile, the President returned home yesterday and was welcomed at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport by his two Vice Presidents Dr Constantino Chiwenga and Cde Kembo Mohadi and senior Government officials.