Inside the Salakae corruption saga

Over 600 employees of Tau Grading & Building Construction could find themselves in a quandary, as the company finds itself hamstrung following confiscation of its cellphones and laptops by the Directorate of Corruption and Economic Crimes (DCEC).The debacle started when the DCEC summoned Minister of Transport and Public Works, Noah Salakae in connection with a controversial P1.45 billion road tender in the Ghanzi area, awarded to Tau Grading shortly before the 2024 General Election.DCEC officers then launched multi-pronged raids on key figures involved in the tender, among them Tau Grading Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Hugo Johannes Lemcke, General Manager (GM) John Motsumi and the company Accountant, Botswana Guardian has established.Reports indicate that DCEC officers descended on Tau Grading offices at round 3pm on September 10, 2025 demanding documents related to key assets that Tau Grading allegedly purchased for Salakae.Employees were warned that failure to cooperate would result in prosecution for breach of section 18(2) of the DCEC Act.In particular, the DCEC demanded a copy of the sale agreement or any documents related to a lavish lodge called Ghanzi Traiblazers; documents related to the registration, purchase and ownership of a Toyota Fortuner; as well as documents related to a residential property in Lephoi Estate in Phakalane.At around the same time, Tau Grading General Manager, John Motsumi was ambushed in Gaborone and taken into custody for questioning.Later that night, two armed men who identified themselves as DCEC officers showed up at Hugo Lemcke’s farm in D’Kar and questioned him for hours on the Salakae matter before allegedly tying hishands behind his back and torturing him.“It was very scary because I was alone at the farm, faced with two armed officers who tortured me for hours. I was shocked, defenceless and scared for my life,” Lemcke said in an interview with Botswana Guardian this week.Lemcke expressed shock at the latest developments, insisting that Tau Grading has never had any business ties with Salakae. He revealed that Tau Grading was awarded the P1.45 billion New Xade Road tender before the 2024 general election.“Salakae was not even a Member of Parliament by then. So, there is no way he could have influenced the awarding of that tender, or any tender related to Tau Grading for that matter. Again, I must clarify that this project was not under the development manager model as widely reported,” Lemcke said.Botswana Guardian is in possession of a letter dated 29 October 2024, in which the Ministry of Transport and Public Works notified Tau Grading that it had been awarded a contract for construction of the 110 km road from New Xade Junction to New Xade Road, as well as associated works.“We have pleasure in accepting your tender for the contract amount of P1, 455,754,807,37,” the letter signed by Permanent Secretary Kgakgamalo Ken Ketshajwang read.Tau Grading and the Permanent Secretary would later host a signing ceremony at New Xade, with Salakae present in his capacity as area MP. Lemcke however admitted that the Tau Grading company Accountant had lent a Toyota Fortuner to Salakae ahead of the 2024 general election after his car broke down.“He drove it and returned it later after acquiring his own vehicle,” he said.He further explained that Tau Grading has over the years provided assistance to members of the Ghanzi community. The late Ghanzi Council Chairman, Director Tharese had been renting Ghanzi Trailblazers from 2022 until his death in March this year.The lodge is owned by a client of Tau Grading Accountant. According to Lemcke, Tau Grading has no relationship with Ghanzi Trailblazers except through its company Accountant, who facilitated Salakae to rent it out from the owner, who resides in Canada.“Tau Grading played no part in the matter. The company Accountant has since furnished the DCEC with the rental agreement, and we are confident that we will be absolved,” Lemcke said.He further denied any association between Tau Grading and the house that is occupied by Salakae in Phakalane.The DCEC officers returned to Tau Grading premises on October 22, where they continued grilling the site foreman and senior employees of the company.After the interrogations, they raided the construction company offices, confiscating phones and laptops belonging to the company accountant and senior members of staff.“The loss of our phones and laptops has greatly affected operations. We are struggling to pay our staff because our payroll database, bank account passwords and other important information are inthe laptops they took,” Lemcke said.He said there has been no further communication from DCEC since October 22nd. As the matter unfolds, Tau Grading remains hamstrung, with its corporate image soiled by corruption allegations that Lemcke insists the company played no part in.He has however committed to fully cooperate with law enforcement authorities to bring the matter to a close.Salakae and the DCEC have always played their cards close to their chest regarding this matter.

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Inside the Salakae corruption saga