BDP's MacDee gets lion's share for police uniform

LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
Correspondent | Wednesday December 15, 2010 00:00

 

Parliament was told yesterday that MacDonald Peloetletse's company was awarded a P15 million tender for the supply of the uniform out of a total amount of P27 million. The remaining P12 million was shared among four other companies.

In response to a question from Francistown South MP Wynter Mmolotsi, who had asked how much government spent on the new uniform, Acting Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Lesego Motsumi, revealed that since the award of the tender for the new uniform on December 12, 2008, up to November 30, 2010, the government has spent P27 million. She said a total of five companies were awarded the tender to supply the new uniform and its accessories. Peloetletse who is relatively new in the textile industry is the co-director of Marine Garments together with his wife, Maria. Premier Clothing has been in this business for a long time, but was only awarded a tender of P1.7 million. The Lobatse-based Caps and Helmets got a tender of P1 million, Dinesh Textiles P3 million and Kalahari Fashions P3 million.

In the past, Botswana Police declined to reveal the names of companies awarded the tenders. 

The new uniform has elicited controversy and since it was introduced, some police officers have even claimed that it is of low quality. 

They feel that it needs to be replaced as a matter of urgency. But the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Chris Mbulawa, has said the officers have only been supplied with one set of uniforms that they have to wear continuously for five days. He said some people cannot stand using the same shirt for five days.  Mbulawa said the durability of the uniform depends on the working conditions of various police departments.

Peloetletse, a former soldier, was once granted a Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) loan with his former partner, Tirelo Mukokomani. They used part of the money to buy a security company, Coin Botswana, that was however liquidated. 

This led to a clash between the two directors and court records reveal how the two former directors led the high life at the expense of the company.  One of them would get security guards from the company to escort him to his village in the North. They also ran excessive mobile phone bills. In the end, the two directors accused one another of milking the company.

Peloetletse who was not well known in political circles has become one of the BDP hardliners and a regular radio call-in commentator who invariably supports the BDP. He is also a member of the BDP culture and publicity committee.