The billions reasons behind Botswana�s defiance :: Mmegi Online

As China ramps up its threats against Botswana over the opening of doors to the Dalai Lama, a month-long study by Mmegi hints at the reasons a country of two million people with an economy worth about $15 billion would make an enemy of a country of 1.4 billion with an economy worth $10.9 trillion. Staff Writers, MBONGENI MGUNI & BABOKI KAYAWE report

Any day now, the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security will send a Request for Tender exclusively to China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), laying out terms and conditions for the purchase of the Morupule B power station. The Chinese firm, a subsidiary of a state-owned entity, will assess the proposal and make an offer to buy out government.

That offer will go to Cabinet and if approved, the troubled 600-megawatt power station will pass from government’s hands into an entity owned indirectly by the Chinese government, for a price many expect to be well below the P15 billion it has cost to build the plant.

Already have an active account? Log in here.

Or Sign up and get unlimited access to premium articles.