Khato Civils tender is clean- BDP
Ryder Gabathuse | Friday August 23, 2019 13:44
Interestingly, in the 2014-2019 parliament, the dominant BDP has consistently used its majority to push its political agenda and in some instances frustrated important debates and pushing through some motions that it considered in line with its agenda.
The BDP has been in power since 1966 and the opposition in parliament has indeed endured the wrath of being a numerical minority. The opposition bloc in parliament knew that the BDP support was a rarity, until recently during the water debate when it came on a silver platter.
This relates to the hefty P900 million explosive 100km Masama-Mmamashia water pipeline, which sought to cure acute water shortage to the greater Gaborone area, which has already raised many questions suggesting corrupt behaviour in some quarters.
What is in this water project that can compel a powerful institution such as Parliament to simply abandon the much-needed water supply cure? Why was the proposal for the water project funding done on the verge of parliament wrapping up its business?
What has compelled the BDP legislators to connive with their opposition counterparts to frustrate proposals for a P900 million supplementary budget by the Minister of Finance Kenneth Matambo to finance the disputed North South Water Carrier II tender?
These are some of the questions that beg answers as the public comes to terms with the brouhaha generated by the rejected project.
Most interesting was explanation tendered by the Francistown West legislator, Moswaane who is also the chairperson for the Parliamentary Finance and Estimates Committee. It’s well documented that Moswaane is one of the BDP legislators against the funding of the water project.
His stance, according to him was motivated by the desire to fight ‘corruption’, a pet project for President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
Moswaane’s views would later put him on a collision course with his party, which has a mission of curing the long acute water shortage in the greater Gaborone area.
For BDP spokesperson, Kagelelo Banks Kentse the multi-million pula project was about remedying the acute water shortage in Gaborone and its periphery and not helping the BDP to line its coffers with kickbacks.
He dismisses accusations of the BDP government being corrupt as mere propaganda peddled by those hellbent on destroying the good name of the BDP.
Kentse was adamant that, “some of our people including the opposition legislators are literally captured to the extent that you can see that they didn’t put the interest of the people first.”
In his view, the way the water tender was handled is a simple reflection that stakes are too high and in his view, “these things are huge.”
He concurs that the BDP needs a lot of money for its campaigns but insists, “this is an innocent tender.”
His further explanation was that the southern part, where he hails from was at a very critical situation of over pumping from the wells that feeds such villages. What was even worrying was that Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) was in some instances bowsing water to some villages at a hefty cost of about P400, 000 per day, which was not even sustainable.
He attributes the last minute rush for supplementary funding to the fact that it took a bit of time until WUC realised they are in dire need of water. But, he feels may be they chose to do proper due diligence and comprehensive technical reports for the project.
Kentse indicated that even the company that was supposed to do the water project, Khato Civils has never had any deal or whatsoever meant to benefit the BDP.
“In fact, Khato Civils was going to give us the project much cheaper because of the type of pipes to be used in the project,” was Kentse’s parting shot.
Political pundits are adamant that the latest developments are signs that indeed the BDP is suffering from the schism of a fall out between President Masisi and his predecessor Khama.
In the words of a BDP Young Turk who preferred anonymity because he is also a civil servant, “The schism has caused a spirit of mutual mistrust and suspicions in the BDP.”
He holds a strong view that the BDP situation is compounded by what appears to be a growing culture of selective justice where those perceived to be close allies of the former president, Khama get a raw deal.
“I think we have a party that now lacks the maturity and political shrewdness to manage its differences,” he further observed.
Simbi Phiri of Khato Civils was quoted by the local media recently indicating that he was aware that, “politicians had organised themselves on the basis that millions of Pula were going to the BDP.” He dismissed that school of thought as a lie circulating in the social media.
A local newspaper has even quoted him saying: “Others are saying we are buying material from China, so that the Chinese can buy BDP apparel.”
University of Botswana (UB) political science lecturer, Leonard Sesa is of the view that the Masisi administration was caught off-guard by coming up with a project of that magnitude at the eleventh hour.
“They have declared that the BDP is broke since the Khama financial sources had dried up,” he says indicating that the recent President Masisi’s external trips were also meant to source elusive funding for the party.
“The only way was for the BDP to do a last minute approval of the request for supplementary funding for them to benefit from awarding of such tenders. The BDP must have underestimated the cost of the elections campaigns,” added the UB academic indicating that to his surprise, it was not the first time this matter was pushed.
As to why the BDP MPs chose to vote with the opposition this time around in rejecting the water project, Sesa senses that the Khama factor is still there in the current Masisi-led Cabinet.
He posits that with Khama’s Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) strategy to work with the UDC, he (Khama) knows who will show his/her true colours after the general election. Another UB academic, political and administrative studies lecturer, Adam Mfundisi speculates that by pushing for a tender at the eleventh hour, it boils back to the issue of political corruption.
He senses a danger where the ruling party uses state resources to advance personal interests of its cadres and the party itself. “The grand plan was for them to benefit from the tender at the eleventh hour,” he says distancing public interest from the tender.
In Africa, Mfundisi noted that it was common cause that ruling elite hype up issues in the public interest when in actual fact, the underlying factor is political corruption. He emphasised that at the end of the day, beneficiaries of the water project remains the BDP as, “they wanted to take advantage of the weak parliament that has been rubber-stamping issues unfortunately they were disappointed.”
On BDP MPs voting with the opposition, Mfundisi feels that the writing is on the wall and the BDP crew can see that chance of change of government is eminent.
“Within the BDP ranks there is lack of trust even in the distribution of the party resources as it is not done equitably,” he concluded by warning that corruption breeds instability, disloyalty and confusion.