Was It A Bribe?

The donation was made by Ansaldo Union Switch and Signals of Australia a day before she signed the Memorandum with the firm for the maintenance work for Botswana Railways (BR). The timing led to allegations that the donation might have influenced her because it looked like bribery. From the memorandum Ansaldo Union Switch and Signals has secured an eight-year contract to maintain Botswana Railways signalling and communications infrastructure. RPG and InfraDev Botswana are to assist with general infrastructure maintenance, operations planning, and the manufacturing and repair of rolling stock.

"It is true that I received those computers but they were not a bribe. That company had a contract with BR and the computers had nothing to do with my work at BR," Motsumi said. This is not the first time bribery claims have been made against the minister after a donation to her constituency. Previously, she had to deny bribery allegations after she received cash from a Zimbabwean company based in Botswana for a community project in her constituency.