Moti’s UDC investment pays off

Spira Tlhankane | Monday August 31, 2026 06:00

Moti’s African Hero project is now at the centre of a flagship school and clinic development bearing the President Duma Boko’s name. Moti, a friend to Boko, financed the Umbrella for Democratic Change’s (UDC) 2019 General Election campaign. Now, the businessman’s group is behind African Hero, an initiative whose Block 7 school-and-clinic development is being showcased as the first physical proof point of the new infrastructure model. For the UDC government, the timing and trajectory of the project are likely to raise eyebrows especially that the same proposal, which was previously subjected to scrutiny over its financial implications, has now evolved into a visible development being prepared for official unveiling.

African Hero is a project of Zotex Holdings, which is owned by the Moti Group. Its original government proposal envisaged a 17-year lease-to-own arrangement for schools and clinics, with a single school estimated to cost P36.4 million and a clinic P9.1 million. The company pitched the model as a faster and cheaper alternative to conventional construction, promising ready-made facilities that could be delivered within a fraction of the time normally associated with brick-and-mortar projects. The proposal was initially not warmly received by the Ministry of Finance. The ministry confirmed last year that the Treasury had been brought into the discussions and warned that the financial implications were substantial. The Ministry of Finance also indicated that government was not then in a position to borrow money to fund the arrangement and was awaiting a final agreement before advising on its financial implications. But the project did not disappear, and instead, African Hero now describes the Duma Boko School & Clinic in Block 7 as its flagship and Botswana’s first proving ground.

Moti was previously acknowledged by UDC figures as having assisted the party financially. During a debate at Gaborone City Council over the project, Mayor Oarabile Motlaleng openly acknowledged Moti’s previous support for the UDC. “We are, as the UDC, not hiding that Moti played a part when we asked for his help in the past,” Motlaleng said. The mayor went further, saying the UDC was not apologetic about having Moti as an investor. Now, with Boko in the presidency and his administration pursuing an accelerated infrastructure agenda, Moti’s African Hero concept has found an administration that shares one of its central selling points, which is speed. The African Hero’s model fits neatly into that philosophy, with the company previously claiming that its approach could deliver schools and clinics 20 times faster than conventional brick-and-mortar construction models. The result is a striking political and business narrative as Moti, who helped finance the opposition UDC, now has his infrastructure concept being showcased under the coalition government led by the very man who once benefitted from that political support. The project’s September 5 launch will consequently be watched for what it says about the evolving relationship between political financing, private-sector investment and government infrastructure delivery. Back in 2023, Boko told the media that he blamed then ruling party Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) and local businesses for putting him in a situation where he had to seek financial assistance from his friend Moti. He said because local businesses did not want to help the opposition, adding that fundraising became an area where one must look for friends.

Boko pointed out then that Moti knew him and trusted that he would do the right thing for his people. Boko clarified that Moti gave him the resources because he is his friend and believed in whatever he (Boko) was doing. “‘Bro, you are my friend, and I support you. I am not supposed to fund any political party. I am giving my money, my resources to you. What you do wherever is your business’, that’s what Zunaid said,” Boko further revealed. Notably, Moti’s earlier financing of the UDC did not exactly cause or guarantee the African Hero project. The facts are Moti financed the UDC in 2019, his group is behind African Hero, and African Hero’s flagship project is now being developed under the Boko administration. In 2022, reports from South African media alleged that Moti had aimed to capture Botswana through the UDC. More reports further alleged that Moti wanted to extract hugely favourable concessions from the State, grafting onto Botswana the sort of grand plans he had seemingly tried to set in motion in Zimbabwe years before.

He is the owner of the Moti Group, a conglomerate with a diverse international portfolio including mining, property development and aviation. Moti later slammed the reporting as 'unethical, unprofessional, and even illegal“, stating that their journalists relied on stolen documents from known criminals with an apparent vendetta. He noted then that the reports were based on a highly suspicious batch of stolen documents fed to the media by a former employee with criminal connections. Moti argued that he was not allowed the opportunity to authenticate these documents or check whether they had been edited or forged. Who is Moti According to information sourced from his website, Moti is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and renowned business expert who has built multimillion-rand companies from the ground up. Moti says he has been the driving force behind several high-profile and highly successful ventures across the continent, most notably African Chrome Fields in Zimbabwe, one of Africa’s leading chrome mining and beneficiation companies.

He is also the owner of FuturExotics, a luxury car dealership specialising in high-end and exotic vehicles. Moti is the founder of Moti Group, a private investment company with a track record of blue-sky ideas, successful enterprises, and strong partnerships. Officially founded by Moti in 1998, the group began with a focus on mining and mineral beneficiation before branching into luxury property, retail, aviation, exotic vehicles, public infrastructure, and other sectors.