Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Dithapelo Keorapetse has accused Ministers and Assistants of getting bribes from companies and parastatals under their Ministries, especially from contractors given jobs.
A clearly frustrated Keorapetse told Botswana Guardian that, “we know how these bribes are paid through conduits and how they’re used because we are a small society”. The source of Keorapetse’s rant, is the “unconvincing” explanation by the Minister of Trade and Industry Mmusi Kgafela regarding the cancellation of tenders at SPEDU due to lack of expertise.
Kgafela’s explanation came after SPEDU caretaker CEO Gideon Mmolawa announced on December 12th 2023 that the Tender - A Works Contract for the Construction of Phase I Infrastructure in Bolelanoto and Senwelo Industrial Sites, Selebi Phikwe, Tender No SPEDU 002.04/2023 has been cancelled.
Mmolawa explained that the cancellation is as result of the ongoing rationalisation of government parastatals that has triggered the review of SPEDU’s mandate as a company.
Kgafela told Parliament that the Caretaker CEO in consultation with the Shareholder, being the Ministry of Trade and Industry, took the decision to relocate some tenders to the Ministry of Lands and Water Resources.
But Keorapetse finds this curious considering that even though SPEDU has been embroiled in corruption in which government officials and some politicians were involved, the Ministry of Lands on the other hand is worse with corruption, wastage, unethical conduct, maladministration, inefficiency and ineffectiveness.
According to the MP, corruption, mismanagement and unethical practices are rewarded instead of being punished. “How do you explain the employment of someone who was under suspension at a state company to a different government Ministry,” he wondered.
Minister Kgafela told Parliament that the decision to cancel the tenders was taken, due to among others, lack of technical expertise, knowhow and manpower within SPEDU and the Ministry of Trade and Industry to oversee the implementation and/or execution of projects of that nature.
But Keorapetse wonders which expertise SPEDU lost and remains deficient in, rendering it unable to complete projects of tenders which have been running. He asked when government became aware that it is rationalising and that the effect would mean cancellation and relocation of projects.
According to Kgafela, the cancellation was also to reduce workload, to be brought about by these works, and instead to afford SPEDU officials time to focus more on the mandate of facilitating investors setting up in the region.
The affected projects include; A Works Contract for the Construction of Phase I Infrastructure in Bolelanoto and Senwelo Industrial Sites, Selebi Phikwe. Tender No SPEDU 002.04/2023; b. A Service Contract for the
Procurement of Consultants for the Design and Construction Supervision of Molabe and Mothwane Dams and Associated Water Transfer Schemes for SPEDU Agricultural use. Tender No; SPEDU 002.01/2022; and c. Works for the drilling, construction, and development of 15 exploration boreholes in the SPEDU Region.
The costs of termination for contracted ongoing consultancy projects are yet to be determined, according to Kgafela, adding that in terms of project management, once the project initiation process starts, a "Project Board" and "Project Team" is constituted and it includes the Project Sponsor and Project End Users.
Keorapetse told Botswana Guardian this week that it has been over a year since rationalisation was announced.
“Why is SPEDU without a board and who then has fiduciary responsibility for the company? Why is the cancellation and relocation not affecting EU funded projects? How do EU funded projects become immune from project management deficiencies present at SPEDU?
“How was SPEDU able to do projects before like Platjaan bridge and others? What guarantees do we have that these projects cancelled and relocated will be completed within schedule and budget and without major defects and under a corruption free environment? These questions remain unanswered,” he said.
He said that as the people of Selebi Phikwe, they are hard done by the decision to keep on postponing their mega projects and the current cancellation of tenders is a big problem “for us.” According to the legislator, the government has never been serious about the town of Selibe Phikwe.
Minister Kgafela had also stated that the SPEDU Board is currently not at full complement because SPEDU is being transferred to the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) in order to take advantage of the synergies, streamlined mandate and improve efficiency in the provision of services.
Kgafela said the current Board Members will be assisted by the BITC Board to oversee the operations of SPEDU, as well as its rationalisation and transfer to BITC.
Kgafela said SPEDU has in the past relied on expertise from other stakeholders such as the Ministry of lands and Water Resources; the then Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing Development and private consultants.
He added that there were also internal resources that had training and knowledge of project implementation. Minister Kgafela continued that SPEDU executed some projects in the past and this has left bitter experiences which ended in the Courts and most of the bids for these projects were exorbitantly priced.
A clearly frustrated Keorapetse told Botswana Guardian that, “we know how these bribes are paid through conduits and how they’re used because we are a small society”. The source of Keorapetse’s rant, is the “unconvincing” explanation by the Minister of Trade and Industry Mmusi Kgafela regarding the cancellation of tenders at SPEDU due to lack of expertise.
Kgafela’s explanation came after SPEDU caretaker CEO Gideon Mmolawa announced on December 12th 2023 that the Tender - A Works Contract for the Construction of Phase I Infrastructure in Bolelanoto and Senwelo Industrial Sites, Selebi Phikwe, Tender No SPEDU 002.04/2023 has been cancelled.
Mmolawa explained that the cancellation is as result of the ongoing rationalisation of government parastatals that has triggered the review of SPEDU’s mandate as a company.
Kgafela told Parliament that the Caretaker CEO in consultation with the Shareholder, being the Ministry of Trade and Industry, took the decision to relocate some tenders to the Ministry of Lands and Water Resources.
But Keorapetse finds this curious considering that even though SPEDU has been embroiled in corruption in which government officials and some politicians were involved, the Ministry of Lands on the other hand is worse with corruption, wastage, unethical conduct, maladministration, inefficiency and ineffectiveness.
According to the MP, corruption, mismanagement and unethical practices are rewarded instead of being punished. “How do you explain the employment of someone who was under suspension at a state company to a different government Ministry,” he wondered.
Minister Kgafela told Parliament that the decision to cancel the tenders was taken, due to among others, lack of technical expertise, knowhow and manpower within SPEDU and the Ministry of Trade and Industry to oversee the implementation and/or execution of projects of that nature.
But Keorapetse wonders which expertise SPEDU lost and remains deficient in, rendering it unable to complete projects of tenders which have been running. He asked when government became aware that it is rationalising and that the effect would mean cancellation and relocation of projects.
According to Kgafela, the cancellation was also to reduce workload, to be brought about by these works, and instead to afford SPEDU officials time to focus more on the mandate of facilitating investors setting up in the region.
The affected projects include; A Works Contract for the Construction of Phase I Infrastructure in Bolelanoto and Senwelo Industrial Sites, Selebi Phikwe. Tender No SPEDU 002.04/2023; b. A Service Contract for the
Procurement of Consultants for the Design and Construction Supervision of Molabe and Mothwane Dams and Associated Water Transfer Schemes for SPEDU Agricultural use. Tender No; SPEDU 002.01/2022; and c. Works for the drilling, construction, and development of 15 exploration boreholes in the SPEDU Region.
The costs of termination for contracted ongoing consultancy projects are yet to be determined, according to Kgafela, adding that in terms of project management, once the project initiation process starts, a "Project Board" and "Project Team" is constituted and it includes the Project Sponsor and Project End Users.
Keorapetse told Botswana Guardian this week that it has been over a year since rationalisation was announced.
“Why is SPEDU without a board and who then has fiduciary responsibility for the company? Why is the cancellation and relocation not affecting EU funded projects? How do EU funded projects become immune from project management deficiencies present at SPEDU?
“How was SPEDU able to do projects before like Platjaan bridge and others? What guarantees do we have that these projects cancelled and relocated will be completed within schedule and budget and without major defects and under a corruption free environment? These questions remain unanswered,” he said.
He said that as the people of Selebi Phikwe, they are hard done by the decision to keep on postponing their mega projects and the current cancellation of tenders is a big problem “for us.” According to the legislator, the government has never been serious about the town of Selibe Phikwe.
Minister Kgafela had also stated that the SPEDU Board is currently not at full complement because SPEDU is being transferred to the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) in order to take advantage of the synergies, streamlined mandate and improve efficiency in the provision of services.
Kgafela said the current Board Members will be assisted by the BITC Board to oversee the operations of SPEDU, as well as its rationalisation and transfer to BITC.
Kgafela said SPEDU has in the past relied on expertise from other stakeholders such as the Ministry of lands and Water Resources; the then Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing Development and private consultants.
He added that there were also internal resources that had training and knowledge of project implementation. Minister Kgafela continued that SPEDU executed some projects in the past and this has left bitter experiences which ended in the Courts and most of the bids for these projects were exorbitantly priced.
