Lobatse Clayworks turns into another white elephant

Operations have completely halted at Lobatse Clayworks. Once the pride of the town, the company has died a slow painful death and a vigil is being held for it if the mood at the company premises is anything to go by. The Midweek Sun recently went to the company premises and there was not a soul in sight save for a security man who seemed to be in the dark about what was happening. He could only say the place was closed and he had been told not to let anyone in. A source who spoke on condition of anonymity said there are claims that the company would be sold. “I used to work there and the company went through a financial challenge. They expected BDC to bail them out but that did not happen. Apparently they are looking for a buyer.” Before things went downhill, Lobatse Clayworks had a workforce estimated at 500. The company had anticipated a P60 million cash injection from Botswana Opportunities Partnership, which is owned by Botswana Development Corporation (BDC). However the deal never saw the light of day. Last year workers were told that operations at the plant would be suspended but they have been stuck in limbo for several months now. They also received their salaries late and for some months did not even get any dues. In October, November and early December some workers flocked the facilities hoping that it would open but nothing happened. They stopped going in December with some resorting to looking for jobs elsewhere. There has been no official statement on what could be happening there. Last week enquiries were sent to BDC communications and marketing department but they had still not responded at the time of going to print. However last year communication and marketing manager Boitshwarelo Lebang had promised to tell this publication what was happening once she had the go-ahead. She had indicated that something was “happening” as Lobatse Clayworks is undergoing transformation following strategic redirection but three months later that “something” is still brewing and there is no word on whether Lobatse Clayworks will go under the hammer or operations would restart. Speculation of Lobatse Clayworks shutting down started in 2012; however operations held on by the skin of the teeth until 2017 when cracks began to show. The company was established in 1992 wholly owned by BDC to manufacture clay products such as bricks and pavers to export to the southern Africa region.