‘Blood not thicker than water in Masisi’s family’
Sharon Mathala | Tuesday November 28, 2023 09:06
‘Our family is not divided, this is just one of those things,” were the remarks made by some members of the President’s family on the sidelines of court. In court they had to watch in disbelief, as their nephew, Olebile Pilane took the stand detailing how members of the First Family allegedly benefit from government tenders. Pilane is the son to President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s deceased eldest brother, Tshelang Masisi.
Giving sworn testimony, Pilane told the court that he was advised by the Director General (DG) of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS), Peter Magosi not to embarrass the family since this matter has the potential to implicate the President. Moreover, he claims that Magosi had cautioned that the opposition could use the matter as ammunition. Pilane further told the court that Magosi emphasised this during a meeting where the latter demanded the former to hand over any trace of the deal and anything that could get the President into trouble.
“Family is just blood,” Pilane responded to a question about his aunts’ alleged threats. He told the court that because he fears Magosi, he requested that they meet at Mochudi Police Station because he wanted to be strategic. He says he handed a copy of a cheque that was given to the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) to Magosi. He alleged that the cheque was from a Chinese businessman, Huashi Li, and received by BDP treasurer, Satar Dada. He says he, however, kept a copy for himself but assured Magosi that it was the only copy he had. “I am talking about powerful people, I wouldn’t just make this up,” he said during cross-examination when asked by the defendant’s lawyer, Obrien Bvindi. Telling the court how the family drama came to be before he left the family WhatsApp group, Pilane says his trouble began when he refused to ‘donate’ money from the tender, five percent, to the BDP.
He says soon after that he was summoned to his aunt’s residence at the Phakalane Golf Estate where he was forced and threatened to be dealt with by the DIS if he did not resign.
He claims he reluctantly signed off the resignation which he found already printed. “Li told me that Magosi had told him we had won the tender even before it was announced,” Pilane told the court. Pilane further told the court how the Chinese businessman has ‘captured’ his aunt and paid for her house at the Golf Estate and even donated solar lights to one of her businesses.
He says since being ousted from the company and the BDP saga, his relationship with his aunts has soured and they have not been on speaking terms. He says he has suffered financial loss and is demanding compensation for what he worked for, the Goodhope Sub-District water supply scheme 2.2 contract, which was a joint venture between G&M Building Services (Proprietary) Limited, which he was a 40% shareholder and Managing Director (MD), with Tianyuan Construction (Tianyuan).
However, his aunts have defended his version. The court heard that in fact, the ’trouble’ between the Masisi relatives was not as a result of any donation to the BDP but because Pilane stole P40,000.
According to them, Li, who is their business partner, had deposited P100,000 into his account to pay legal fees but instead he kept some to himself. According to them, when they confronted him about it, he opted to resign and that his version of events is an afterthought so he could benefit from the tender.
The Masisi sisters, through their lawyer, also defended the donation made by the Chinese as alleged by Pilane to one of Mmutle’s businesses at Tsholofelo Park. They said that there was never any donation but instead, they got a loan from a financial institution known as Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) to finance the installation of the solar panels at the park and not the restaurant as Pilane claims.
They told the court that Mmutle does not have shares at the Park 27 Restaurant. Their lawyer, Bvindi, also poked holes into the evidence led by Pilane saying initially he had said he had left the said meeting without signing the resignation but changed his version during his oral testimony that he actually signed after being threatened and forced to. Through their lawyer, the sisters also questioned why Pilane did not call Magosi and motor magnate, Satar Dada as witnesses or anybody else to corroborate his version. The Masisi sisters have since applied for a no-case to answer. Arguments in the fresh application have been set for December 13, 2023. The matter is before Justice Michael Leburu of the Gaborone High Court.