Keorapetse wants P1.4bn Tati land deal probed

He made this call when responding Finance Minister, Peggy Serame's Budget Speech, insisting that the details of professional valuations should be presented to Parliament. "The land was granted as a concession by King Lobengula to Sir John Swinburne’s London & Limpopo Mining Company in 1870. This was after the Europeans 'discovered' gold in the Tati River in 1864. In 1880 the concession was bought by Tati Concessions (formerly known as Northern Light Company) which was owned by a syndicate that included Daniel Francis after whom Francistown is named. 1893: Tati Land was detached from Matebeleland and placed under the jurisdiction of the British Resident Director of Bechuanaland.

In 1911 the land was annexed to Bechuanaland via the Tati Concessions Land Act. In 1954 Tati Company was bought by the Glazer family," Keorapetse noted, explaining the historical context and detailing the complex history of land ownership and transactions leading up to the recent deal.