Goya admits to KBL suffering from alcohol levy, unfavorable trading hours
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Thursday July 5, 2018 17:25
Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Goya said this reduced and relocated some support functions which attributed to declining profits margins as a result of a highly regulated market which included the introduction of the Alcohol Levy and unfavorable trading hours for businesses in alcohol trading over the years. He explained that KBL has since adopted a strategy to invest in more strategic roles as opposed to support functions.
“It has also closed opaque and clear beer depots across the country. Since 2009, 350 jobs were lost due to a number of reasons, which includes the closure of opaque and clear beer depots in Palapye, Lobatse and Selibe Phikwe. Further, this includes seven employees whose jobs were affected as a result of relocation of some operations from finance and procurement departments to outside the country, as well as restructuring exercise,” he said.
Goya however, pointed out that his ministry was in talks to see what needs to be done to return the functions and create an enabling environment for the company.
He was responding MP for Lobatse Sadique Kebonang who asked if KBL had reduced its operations and relocated some outside the country. He asked the minister to state the reasons and the number of jobs that had been lost in Botswana due to those reduction and relocation.
But Goya failed to answer Gabane/Mmakgodi MP Pius Mokgware who asked him to state the amount of money KBL was given by his ministry from the alcohol levy to resuscitate the company.