RDC eyes more deals in leisure, hospitality
Mbongeni Mguni | Monday October 27, 2025 11:14
Currently, the bulk of RDC’s P6 billion portfolio consists of retail and office assets. In Botswana, RDC’s most well-known leisure asset is the Chobe Marina Lodge, one of the land market properties along the Chobe riverfront.
In an analyst briefing recently, RDC country manager, Letsweletse Ramokate, said the group was in discussions with partners and communities in both the Delta and Madikwe in South Africa, in order to establish a footprint.
“What we are trying to do is to add to our portfolio of leisure and hospitality assets by getting assets or partnering with communities in Madikwe and the Delta,” he said in a virtual meeting monitored by BusinessWeek. “We recently had a trip to the Delta and met with communities because to be able to develop there, you have to have a site of your own, or partner with communities. “We believe that is key to us. “We have identified a number of communities that have rights or own concessions and we are working with them to develop that partnership.”
Ramokate said RDC was particularly interested in developing an asset in the Delta.
The Botswana Stock Exchange-listed group expects to earn P65 million in the 12 months from July 2025 from disposals of non-core assets, adding to its war chest for acquisitions and expansions. RDC generated P218 million in the year to October from the disposal of two investment properties and 11 inventory units.
The property group’s pretax profits for the half year to June 2025 rose 21% to about P50 million, compared to the prior corresponding period, powered by both the disposals, as well as strong hard currency earnings.
Besides Botswana, RDC has fully let assets in Croatia, as well as a growing footprint in the United States, besides other assets in Mozambique, Zambia, Madagascar, and South Africa.
Executives hailed the diversification strategy pursued over the years, noting that it had supported the company in the first half year as revenues in Botswana came under pressure from the country’s economic contraction.
“The local economy has been a challenge for us but this has been more than countered by the strength in other markets like Croatia and the uptick in South Africa,” said RDC Properties CEO, Jacopo Pari. “The need for diversification, we have been discussing for many years and it's starting to bear fruit. “WE have seen P66 million of additional comprehensive income from the Euro and Rand investments, as the Pula has weakened.”
The P66 million gain primarily arises from the translation of foreign operations’ balance sheets into RDC’s reporting currency, the Pula, underscoring the resilience and value of holding a diversified portfolio across multiple currency environments, reads a note accompanying the group’s results.
RDC Properties has a target to generate between 40%–50% of its revenue in hard currency in the medium term.