Khama interference reaches Air Botswana
Innocent Selatlhwa | Friday October 21, 2016 18:24
The Parliamentary Committee on Statutory Bodies and State Enterprises heard on Wednesday that Khama, Kenneth Matambo and Sadique Kebonang have met to discuss Air Botswana business and the possibility of engaging Comair to rescue Air Botswana.
What shocked the committee was that the meetings, which also should have included permanent secretaries, the then Minister of Transport and Communication, Tshenolo Mabeo and his PS Neil Fitt, were not present. “But how is this possible? How do Ministries whom Air Botswana is not under, discuss its business without even the relevant Minister, Air Botswana Board and PS present,” bristling committee chairman Moyo Guma wondered.
The committee learnt from outgoing CEO ,Thabo Dithebe and PS Elias Magosi that Khama put together the Cabinet committee that seeks to have Comair manage the airline to, among others, come up with a turn-around strategy which will include re-fleeting. This is despite that Air Botswana has already spent millions on a turn-around strategy and that Comair deserted a similar deal in 2008.
During her appearance, Air Botswana acting general manager Agnes Khunwane said that the airline had spent P10 million on ICF Management Consultants working on a five-year strategy. However, shortly after his appointment as board chairperson, Tebogo Masire authorised an additional P1.8million to be spent on Ayata consultancy for validation of the strategy, as it was a year behind schedule, she told the committee.
She said the initial consultancy had proposed they buy seven new aircraft and that it would cost P2.3 billion.
“The initial plan was to decide on networking of routes and buying of a fleet based on that. With revalidation, the board that came in February called for a broader scope starting from a business plan before making recommendations on networking and fleeting,” she said.
On September 29, 2008, Comair announced that it had withdrawn its interest in pursuing the management contract of Air Botswana.
“Talks between Comair and the Botswana government began in earnest in June this year after Comair was announced as the preferred bidder in the process. Comair has since not been able to agree with the Botswana government on the commercial terms of the proposed management contract, hence the decision to withdraw from the negotiations with regard to this particular deal,” a statement from Comair website reads.
They however, stated that they are still open to discussing other possible models of operating Air Botswana.