“In December 1986 the Botswana Government announced its decision to suspend indefinitely its projected take-over of a section of the railways from Zimbabwe because of a stalemate over a new train exchange arrangement with the Governments of Zimbabwe, South Africa and Bophuthatswana. The most plausible explanation for the Bophuthatswana Government’s sudden demand for Botswanan and Zimbabwean train crews to obtain visas before entering its territory is that it is an attempt to gain de facto recognition from the other states in the region. Transport politics allow Mmabatho an opportunity to demonstrate its independence of Pretoria.”
