BCL closure inflicts dire strain on businesses

BCL Mine demise has crippled Selebi-Phikwe
BCL Mine demise has crippled Selebi-Phikwe

SELEBI-PHIKWE: A task team appointed by Business Botswana (BB) following the closure of BCL Mine has submitted a draft report highlighting the need for big investments into the region to protect the existing businesses that are facing serious viability challenges.

The report that was recently presented to the local business community by Professor Happy Siphambe, has shown that firms have lost significant business due to the mine closure. It indicates that some potential businesses whose business plans were approved by Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency lost viability due to closure of BCL.

He added that companies whose business relied more on BCL have been highly affected and added that for most of local companies, business went down by more than 50% since the mine closure.

Editor's Comment
Get back what was stolen, and lock the door

That a single private law firm pocketed P6.5 million for just four cases, out of a total P11.1 million paid for 25 matters, reeks of a system that was not merely disorganised but open to abuse.Bayford has taken a welcome first step by telling the Public Accounts Committee the truth. Now he must act decisively to ensure it never happens again and that any money lost to wrongdoing is recovered.The figures are staggering. Whilst ordinary Batswana...

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