The secrecy behind Khama�s Airstrip
Sharon Mathala | Friday September 5, 2014 15:52
Mmegi has not been able to establish critical facts around the construction of the airstrip. While the then Presidential Affairs and Public Administration Minister, Mokgweetsi Masisi had put the cost of the construction at P3million, he did not disclose the detailed account of how the amount would be spent.
Mmegi has, however, since established that the construction involves only the compacting of free gravel with free water, collected by army personnel using BDF equipment. Mmegi can disclose that the water used for the construction is freely fetched from one contaminated borehole near the village.
No one appears to be willing to talk about the construction of the airstrip including answering questions of when the construction started and when it is expected to end. BDF officers stationed at the construction site told the Mmegi team that they are under strict instructions not to talk about the construction. Efforts to get information from the BDF public relations unit were met with silence.
But during Mmegi’s visit to the ‘sacred’ place which is within President Khama’s plot and adjacent to his compound, the area has become a mini-barracks/construction as soldiers swarm around in army overalls. Mmegi has not established the exact number of soldiers stationed in the area but it is a significant number.
One thing that is clear however is that the airstrip construction is at an advanced stage. Army trucks fetch water and gravel from the village that is then compacted to create the runway. The airstrip is about 1.2km long and 50m wide. The airstrip has been built without any Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as army projects are apparently exempted from those.
Initially government tried in vain to cover up the airstrip construction. Government spokesperson Jeff Ramsay initial rebutted media exposé with a denial that the airstrip was meant for the general public. Masisi somersaulted saying it is meant for Khama because it is a presidential privilege.
Answering the question from Gaborone Central MP Dumelang Saleshando, Masisi tried to counter Ramsay’s bluff by admitting that indeed the airstrip belongs to the President and that it is built on Khama’s land that he personally applied for it at the land board as the media reported. Ramsay had earlier said, “…the airstrip is located outside of His Excellency’s compound, on public land and shall thus fall under the jurisdiction of the BDF and Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB).” Interestingly Khama was personally granted the airstrip land while the plot allocations in the Makgadikgadi area was put on hold pending the completion of Sua Pan Southern Management Plan.
What happens when Khama loses elections?
Questions still remain over the construction of the airstrip. It isalso not clear what will happen to the airstrip should President Khama lose next month’s general elections while construction is on going.
BDF constructions workers who spoke to Mmegi, on condition of anonymity, said they are not sure if they will complete the construction before the general elections. “We are government workers, we are just working on our pace, we don’t know when we will complete the construction,” said the BDF construction worker.