<p>Khama is the first African political leader to publicly denounce the crisis in Zimbabwe. He has called <a href="https://allafrica.com/stories/202009210431.html" target="_blank">Zimbabwe's government a poor performance</a> wherein only the name of the country has changed, but the oppression still remains.</p><p><div class="preroll-video"></div><ora-player></ora-player></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><em>"In plain English, there is a crisis in Zimbabwe, not just challenges with extreme difficulties all man-made and growing in intensity and long lasting," Khama scathingly stated. </em></p><p> Zimbabwe came under international scrutiny earlier in the year after the arrest of political journalist <strong>Hopewell Chin'ono</strong> which sparked countrywide protest demonstrations. The demonstrations included the arrests of opposition party leader <strong>Jacob Ngarivhume</strong> and famous Zimbabwean author<strong> </strong><a href="https://www.okayafrica.com/tsitsi-dangarembga-and-maaza-mengiste-make-2020-booker-prize-longlist/"><strong>Tsitsi Dangarembga</strong></a><strong>. </strong>The arrests fueled <a href="https://www.okayafrica.com/zimbabweanlivesmatter-ausouth-africa/" target="_blank">#ZimbabweanLivesMatter</a> on Twitter and calls for the African Union to intervene soon trended but there was no official response. However, South Africa sent a presidential envoy which only met with Mnangagwa leaving out opposition party members and civil organisations. <span></span></p><blockquote> "A leader has one responsibility and one only, and that is to mobilise, motivate programmes and policies in the best interests of citizens not in their self-interest. People's lives matter, Zimbabweans lives matter." Khama went on to state. </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.okayafrica.com/hopewell-chinono-jacob-ngarivhume-released-from-prison/" target="_blank">Hopewell Chin'ono and Jacob Ngarivhume were released</a> in the beginning of September. Regional bodies, African Union and SADC have supported Mnangagwa's continued denial of the crisis. There has been no further intervention in Zimbabwe other than South African <a href="https://www.enca.com/news/sa-send-new-envoys-crisis-hit-zimbabwe" target="_blank"><strong>President Cyril Ramaphosa's</strong> plan to send another envoy</a>.</p><p><div class="dfp_atf-slot" data-not-loaded="true"></div><script type="text/javascript">
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</script></p><p>Listen to the full clip on <a href="https://www.enca.com/news/ian-khama-zimbabwean-lives-matter" target="_blank">YouTube</a>.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="744952afbdc0f114d6219553a5ac0f45"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QPpAZBD3o4w?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Ian Khama: Zimbabwean lives matter</small>
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<a href="https://youtu.be/QPpAZBD3o4w" target="_blank">youtu.be</a>
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