Nchindo enticed Gov't with a P200 million investment

ISAIAH MOREWAGAE
Staff Writer | Friday April 9, 2010 00:00

Former Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Gaylard Kombani, has told the court in his evidence-in-chief that during the time when the government identified tourism as an engine for economic diversification, the late Nchindo authored a letter, which detailed how the Tourism Development Consortium (TDC) was willing to invest P200 million in the tourism sector.

Kombani told the court that in the letter, Nchindo pointed out that the project would create about 3000 jobs, which was in line with the Tourism Policy and Tourism Act at that point. Kombani said the late Nchindo and TDC exchanged different correspondences in which they were applying for land to start their proposed projects. He told the court that Nchindo and TDC were seeking land for tourism development in Gaborone, Maun in side Buffalo camp and inside the Chobe National Park.

He told the court that as the government was seeking investors in tourism, they took a proactive role to ensure that the delay for allocating TDC land was minimised. He explained that the government had undertaken to promote tourism vigorously hence the development was very much needed. 'The Permanent Secretary in our Ministry of Trade and Industry wrote to his counterpart in the then Ministry of Local Government, Lands and Housing to support the investor (TDC) to be allocated land,' Kombani said. Kombani further explained that in the series of correspondences between government and TDC representatives, it was revealed by the latter that they would develop five star hotels in Gaborone, five star lodges in Maun and Chobe National Park. Kombani told the court that TDC was of the view that the hotel in Gaborone would at as a linkage and support other tourism activities in Oodi and Thamaga.

He told the court that in 2000, TDC wrote a letter to the Minister of Trade and Industry informing him that the land in Gaborone has been identified and secured thus they wanted the authority to build a lodge in Chobe National Park at the Serondela camping site.

Kombani is giving evidence in the graft case against the Garvas Nchindo and former Debswana group secretary, Joseph Matome. The case continues.