Tshekedi Khama rattles Eswatini
Former Minister of Tourism, Tshekedi Stanford Khama, younger brother to former President Lt. Gen Ian Khama, reportedly plans to offer his expertise to the Eswatini government as a tourism specialist to promote the Kingdom as a top destination.
This move has not only divided the nation but has also attracted strong opposition from political movement, PUDEMO
In an exclusive interview with Botswana Guardian, Mlungisi Makhanya, the exiled President of Eswatini's Peoples United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) who resides in South Africa did not mince his words, stating his movement’s concern and their intention to vehemently and vigorously oppose such a move.
Makhanya said that according to the Times of Eswatini Sunday edition, that while the agreement is not yet finalised, Khama is expected to promote Eswatini as a prime tourist destination. He will focus on attracting tourists, particularly highlighting the country's wildlife and environmental features. Additionally, the article mentions that Khama will be given exclusive rights as the primary marketer of Eswatini.
'As PUDEMO, we do not understand why such a contract should be awarded to the Khama family. The former president and his family are not only frequent visitors to Eswatini but also have a secondary residence there, where they receive VVIP treatment and security,' he said.
He said that, 'this close relationship means no one else in Eswatini can compete with them on an equal footing, which should disqualify them from engaging in business under diplomatic privileges extended to former heads of state. We will closely monitor this situation and collaborate with other stakeholders to gather more information about Khama and his businesses.'
Makhanya stated that PUDEMO was one of the first organisations to unequivocally reject the awarding of a tender that was never advertised for ordinary Swazis to compete for, ensuring the process was transparent and above board.
'We see this as a continuation of the corruption we have always warned Swazis about, involving King Mswati's unexplained relationship with the Khama family, which appears to be money laundering and racketeering. Khama, the intended recipient of the unsolicited bid, lacks sufficient knowledge of Swaziland to effectively market it to international tourists,' he said.
Secondly, Makhanya said many Swazis have proven that they can develop products and packages that attract tourists to Eswatini, starting from scratch.
'However, we were unaware of the corrupt activities involving the Khama family during the tenure of former President Dr Ian Khama. The global perception of Botswana is that of a clean government and adherence to the law, but our interactions with Batswana have revealed a different reality.
“We condemn this situation for several reasons, including the King's notorious habit of collaborating with individuals fleeing their countries to start businesses with him in Eswatini. A similar situation occurred with former Madagascar President Marc Ravalomanana, whose wife engaged in economic activities in Eswatini under the guise of political asylum. As a movement, we called out these activities because they were intended to benefit the
Royal family.'
He stated that they cannot rule out the possibility that this may be an attempt to launder money from Botswana. Over the past few months, there has been increased traffic and exchange between Batswana and Swazis in terms of tourist visits, suggesting that this may have been occurring for some time.
'However, as you know, the media in Eswatini is controlled, possibly to psychologically prepare society as part of this grand corrupt scheme. The media was instructed to start aggressively reporting on the number of Batswana visiting Eswatini, whether for events like Boom Fire or group visits.
“This creates the impression that this increase is due to the initiative of appointing Khama’s brother to market Eswatini as a top tourist destination. While we cannot rule out this possibility, we want to assure our people in both Botswana and Eswatini that our movement will be vigilant in following this matter to ensure it does not come to fruition.'
Makhanya rhetorically questioned whether in the 55 years since independence in 1968, Eswatini cannot find capable men and women within the country to market Eswatini as a prime tourist destination. He also highlighted the failure of the King’s post-millennium project, which aimed to build five-star hotels and convention centres but has not taken off even after years of investment. This project, which has cost over 8 billion Emalangeni (equivalent to ZAR 8 billion), remains incomplete and underutilised seven years later.
This failure is now being used to justify the need for an experienced and knowledgeable promoter to attract tourists and make the investment worthwhile.
'We are well aware of the King's grand schemes of corruption, where he seizes opportunities to exploit situations, particularly when individuals with credentials like the Kham’s family are involved. The King uses their reputation to loot more, under the guise that these are the people who turned tourism around in Botswana.'
He believes that this creates the impression that Khama revolutionised tourism as a minister and will bring similar success to Eswatini. However, 'we know the truth.'
'As PUDEMO, we stand firmly against this and assure the people of Eswatini that we will vigorously oppose it. This is one of the many reasons why we announced two days ago that we are launching a campaign culminating in a week of action in October. Our aim is to stop grand corruption and malfeasance, such as this case.
“We urge our people to see through these schemes and recognise that it is time to stand up and reclaim the sovereignty and autonomy of our country and its resources from the hands of the royal aristocracy”.
Tshekedi had not yet responded to the questionnaire sent to him at the time of going to press on Wednesday evening.