Francistown, a city of shattered dreams
Friday, November 25, 2016
Better days: Operations at Tati Nickel's Phoenix Mine during its operational days
In particular, the recent abrupt closure of the Tati Nickel Mining Company (TNMC)’s Phoenix Mine, which was placed under provisional liquidation as part of the BCL Group, came as the final blow.
It’s true that the unexpected closure of the mine, which was the main anchor of the city’s economy, caught many people and businesses off guard including Muzila. The city had bigger dreams of turning things around and even diversifying the economy.
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...