BDP bigwigs revel in government tenders

Staff Writer | Friday December 17, 2010 00:00

 

According to the Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Lesego Motsumi, who is also acting minister of Defence, Justice and Security, some ministers are directors of the same companies that win government tenders.

She said this in an answer in Parliament on Wednesday.

Assistant Minister of Finance, Charles Tibone, is mentioned as a director at Lesedi Motors and  Gaborone Delta (Pty) Ltd, companies that have supplied BDF with vehicles.

Satar Dada is also mentioned as one of the directors at Motor Centre (Pty) Ltd, one of the companies that have supplied vehicles to the BDF.  Dada is the treasurer of the BDP.

Younger brothers to President Ian Khama, Tshekedi and Anthony, have also had a share of the pie because they are directors at Seleka Springs (Pty) Ltd with Paul Gaitsebeng Khama.

The company has supplied vehicles to the BDF.  Anthony is also mentioned as a director at Automobile Assemblies (Pty) Ltd.  Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ray Molomo, is mentioned as one of the directors at Hyundai Motor Corporation, which appears on the list.

Zambezi Motors (Pty) Ltd has also supplied the BDF with vehicles and it is owned by the Nshakashogwe family.

Other companies that have supplied the uniform are the Gaborone Garment Industry (Pty) Ltd whose directors are Gurdev Singh Chana and Amerdeep Singh.  Botswana Cap and Helmet also supplied components of the BDF uniform and the directors are Johannes Antonius Mol, Hunter Jan Paul Mol, Peter Paul Mol and Simon Peter Makobo.

Directors of other companies are unknown.

Food Suppliers are Capri Bakery whose directors are not known.  Sally Dairy products whose director is one Mr Salahiwa, Namantle Butchery whose director is one Bagwasi also supply the BDF.

Dada is mentioned as one of the suppliers of chicken to the BDF.  Trade World has also supplied food to the BDF and the director is mentioned as one Mr Mpuchane.  Directors of many companies that supplied food are not known.

Motsumi was responding to a question posed by MP for Francistown South, Wynter Mmolotsi, who wanted to know how BDF tenders were awarded between 1990 and 2000. He also wanted the minister to reveal which companies were awarded tenders to supply vehicles, uniform, food and boats, and who the directors in those companies are.

The minister said that BDF tenders for the period in question were awarded by the Central Tender Board (CTB) through its official structures.

The mandate of the Special Tender Committee was to deal with tenders for vehicles, boats and some specialised uniform items.  She said that district officers and the CTB also took part in the award of food and standard uniform. 

She said 14 companies were awarded tenders for the supply of vehicles, 10 for specialised uniform items and 87 for the supply of food.

'Regarding the names of these company directors, I wish to remind this House that the requirement for bidding companies to provide information on their company directors is recent and therefore it was not in place during the period in question.

'As a result, my ministry does not have the information of the then company directors of most of the companies that were awarded tenders during this period,' Motsumi said.

Mmolotsi posed supplementary questions about how the mentioned companies managed to win tenders when it has been said that BDF tenders were sensitive information not to be advertised publicly.

The minister responded that she did not know that the tenders were declared 'sensitive information'.