As the chairman of this committee, Mephato Reatile says in the foreword to the 356-page document, the probe came in the wake of the adoption of a resolution for the purpose by Parliament last year. The report was handed down as part of Parliament's oversight mandate over the nation's affairs and offers an insight into the shady operations of one of Botswana's major state enterprises, as well as beef industry, which has from time immemorial been at the heart of this nation's culture and livelihood. In the report, the Committee makes crucial findings and important recommendations.
Significantly, the report invites the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) to further its work by undertaking more investigations. Indeed, the DCEC has its work cut out for it. The Committee wants the corruption buster to investigate the awarding of a marketing contract by the BMC to Global Protein Solutions (GPS), and for consideration to be made for a review and renegotiation of the contract terms to ensure a residual control of the beef export market by the BMC.The Committee also wants DCEC to investigate the lawfulness of substantial allowances paid to members of the BMC Board for meetings held outside Botswana and ancillary allowances paid to them in the period 2006 to 2012. DCEC should also carry out an investigation into the award and execution of feedlotting contracts by BMC during the period 2006 to 2012, and establish if members of the board or employees of the BMC made any violations of the law.
