IT'S MOTI TIME

Councillor for Phakalane Ward Reverend Thapelo Kaisara Sejoe, has raised serious concerns about the manner in which the Gaborone City Council approved a major infrastructure development project for Gaborone, led by controversial South African businessman Zunaid Moti.Sources say the project is a part of the major nation-wide one estimated at P2.73 billion. It involves the construction of 50 schools and 100 prefabricated clinics across Botswana. Sejoe insists that by fast-tracking the matter without routing it through finance and land committees, the council's leadership acted improperly.Sejoe questioned the lack of transparency, stating that no clear explanation was given about whether the project was a donation, a public-private partnership (PPP), or a direct investment.“This has consequential implications,” he noted, arguing that different models come with different obligations and financial arrangements.He cited an example in which the Japanese once donated a classroom to a local school with clear terms and transparency. He questioned why the terms of this new deal were being kept vague, including who exactly would own the land whether the Office of the President or Moti himself.Sejoe said he would seek further clarity from the town clerk and maintained that the way the matter was handled in the council chamber was a deliberate attempt to silence him.“There are too many unanswered questions,” he said.Despite the controversy, Gaborone Mayor Oarabile Motlaleng told council that Block 7 has been earmarked for the pilot phase of the project, which includes the construction of a state-of-the-art school and clinic.He confirmed that the council will play a key role in facilitating land allocation and expressed full support for the initiative.The Gaborone City Council was recently briefed by the Mayor, who confirmed the Council’s involvement as a key stakeholder. He indicated that the Council will facilitate land allocation for the developments.“The investor is ready to build, and we will not reject an investor bringing this level of investment to Botswana,” Motlaleng said, highlighting the council’s commitment to enabling the project.In a heated debate with councillor Sejoe, Motlaleng noted that the UDC is not hiding, it has dealt "with Moti as its Financier just like the Botswana Democratic Party did with (Satar) Dada."Once the full project is complete, it is expected to create over 1,200 permanent teaching positions and between 300 to 500 nursing jobs across the country. Moti also plans to establish a construction and maintenance plant in Botswana, boosting local employment and economic activity.The proposed schools will feature modern infrastructure, including student tablets replaced every two years and a school bus provided every six years to enhance learner transport and the agreement will run for a 17 year period.However, Permenant Secretary in the Ministry of Finance Tshokologo Kganetsano said that the finer details have not yet been penned down. He explained that the Ministry rejected the initial proposal as it was designed such that government would borrow money to fund the project.He noted that they are still waiting for the investor to get back to them and they can finalise the deal.Press Secretary to the President Emang Bokhutlo noted that at this point, the focus is on building the pilot concept.“As to how many units may be built following the pilot, that will depend on extensive consultations based on the outcome of the pilot project,” she noted.Bokhutlo explained that the government considers a number of factors when looking into building more schools such as capacity to hire teachers and nurses among others.According to reports this initiative, active in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, involves the rapid construction of purpose-built infrastructure using refurbished shipping containers. The company behind the project, African Hero, claims it can deliver fully functional clinics and schools within one to two months, much faster than conventional brick-and-mortar projects.Under the plan, each clinic would cost P9.1 million, while schools are priced at P36.4 million. These figures are said to be substantially more affordable compared to traditional government spending, where a clinic alone might cost up to P18 million.The schools provided through African Hero come fully equipped with modern features such as furnished classrooms, Starlink-powered high-speed internet, campus-wide Wi-Fi, and CCTV securitysystems.Moreover, the total cost of the program is around P2.73 billion, with funding coming from a specific government trust fund, separate from the national budget. All financial transactions related to the project will be managed through this fund

Explore

More

News

IT'S MOTI TIME