The Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) is gravely concerned with the level of corruption that is fast becoming a pandemic in the country.
Even more alarming is the fact that reports linking the ruling party leadership to corrupt activities and shady business dealings reached President Mokgweetsi Masisi, who during the 2019 election campaign declared he would tackle corruption and mismanagement “bare-knuckled.
” Less than two years in office, Masisi seems to have acquired massive wealth overnight, with among other things, reported two ranches in Ghanzi and Sekoma. Along with newly acquired large chunks of land all over the country, he is now reported to be bidding for a government-owned ranch, Banyana Farms, undermining the set rules that disallow anyone with a ranch to partake in the bidding for any government-owned farm. Moreover, being among the shortlisted three farmers, Masisi’s position disadvantages other bidders.
The President’s business dealings and partnerships are of great concern and smack of State capture Gupta style. The revelation that Masisi is a business partner to Choppies CEO, Ramachandran Ottapathu is of grave concern, raising questions of how the President of the land can actively undertake business with controversial businessmen: whose operations (Choppies) have been a subject of investigation and even suspension from the Botswana Stock Exchange for not adhering to business ethics and accounting processes.
Just recently, Ram’s new business was said to have acquired P200 million funding from a government entity, the Botswana Development Corporation. And today we woke up to the news that the government has signed a P270 million pension deal, without tendering, with Choppies. This is a deal signed under the State of Public Emergency which gives the President unique powers to run the government.
It is not inconceivable to deduce that the State of Emergency, which was hurried through the special sitting of Parliament in March, was used, and will be abused to the benefit of the President.
The level of corruption has gone high during this period of SoE and Covid-19 pandemic has been a source of enrichment for the President, his cabinet, some in the BDP, and his business partners, who sadly are not indigenous Batswana, ‘Batswana ba sekei’ he claimed to fight for during electioneering. As the President and his partners have found a captive meal ticket through the crisis, Batswana continue to suffer in abject poverty, unemployment, and uncertainty. Repression is taking the route.
Just days into State of Public Emergency, opposition activists were arrested, tortured, and charged allegedly just for airing their views on the state of governance of the Covid-19 pandemic. This calls for concern as to how far the Masisi regime can go to silence dissent.
The recent blacklisting of Botswana by the European Union and economic outlook downgrading by the Moodys Rating Agency, under Masisi’s watch is a clear sign that our country is mismanaged.
Until and unless the rot and mismanagement of the economy are stopped, Botswana under Masisi is sliding into the dark periods of corruption, looting, and ultimately dictatorship.
It is in this regard that the BPF calls on President Masisi to resign with immediate effect. We also call on the civil society, opposition parties, the media, and patriots to stand up against all these ills and speak with one voice and say enough is enough.
Biggie Ganda Butale
President
Botswana Patriotic Front
If what I am hearing about president Masisi’s business dealings is true, he must resign with immediate effect. We all know what corruption has done to African nations.
Y does Africa NOT see the worth of these GUPTAs and other INDIAN VERMIN ! THESE VERMIN DESTROYED SOUTH AFRICA
1000 years ago,there was an Arab Philosopher who immortalised the worth of these GUPTAs,BANIAS and INDIANS !
Beruni was in Ghazni for many years and then came to Hindoosthan with Ghazni ! He was a Great Arab Philosopher !
What did he say about the Indian ?
Sample the words of Al Beruni the great Arab Philosopher on these Hindoos.Beruni spent many years in Hindooosthan with Ghazni and studied the Vedas,Astrology and Sanskrit !
The words of Beruni on the Hindoo – which are PROPHETIC AND A MUST READ – FOR EVERY AFRICAN !
The Hindus believe that there is no country but theirs, no nation like theirs, no kings like theirs, no religion like theirs, no science like theirs.
They are haughty, foolishly vain, self-conceited, and stolid. They are by nature niggardly in communicating that which they know, and they take the greatest possible care to withhold it from men of another caste among their own people,still much more, of course, from any foreigner…
If they travelled and mixed with other nations, they would soon change their mind, for their ancestors were not as narrow-minded as the present generation is.
This wrong estimate of themselves blinded the Hindus and they assumed a false sense of superiority which ultimately proved their ruin. Alberuni also tells us that “they (the Hindus) are in a state of confusion, devoid in logical order and in the last instance always mixed up with silly notions of the crowd”.
I can only compare their mathematical and astronomical knowledge to a mixture of pearls and sour dates, or of pearls and dung, or of costly crystals and common pebbles.dindooohindoo
Both kinds of things are equal in their eyes since they cannot raise themselves to the methods of a strictly scientific deduction.
WHEN WILL THE AFRICANS AWAKEN ?
ZUMA WAS ALSO DOOMED BY THE INDIAN BANIA GUPTA MISHTAN BHANDAR
CORRUPTION AND MONEY LAUNDERING IS IN THE DNA OF THE INDIAN BANIA GUPTA MISHTAN BHANDAR
This is a tool that these Indian Bania vermin, have learnt from India and Indians !
What have Indians done in Africa ? They 1st downgrade that nation to that of India – and then, they replicate their scams in Africa,with the IBM, id.est., Indian Best Practice Model !
In India,there is a PMLA which is a draconian law – that states that,if you receive money laundered funds of Rs 1,then all your assets wherein that money has specifically gone,is FROZEN and gone !
Such a draconian law does not exist anywhere in Africa !
So come in the Indian Banias
The matrix is the same 1 that they use in India !
There is a chain of entities A to Z in India and Abroad
1st the money is laundered in the nation from A to Z.With 26 alphabets, 26 companies,and each having 3 subsidiaries,5 associates and 2 JVs (as the consolidation rules vary).Each of the 2 entities above will have different auditors,who are basically competing with each other for statutory, tax, secretarial and other compliance audits.
Money comes into each alphabet,from multiple sources and is mixed. Mixture is key,in making the legit and illegal cash inflow,completely fungible. The mixing and has to be carefully planned,as it has to sound and appear to be a sound business judgement and each cash flow has to be backed by a supply chain or investment transaction.THIS IS THE KEY STEP,AS FUNGIBILITY means that on principles of NATURAL JUSTICE you cannot FREEZE THE ACCOUNT OF A LEGITIMATE SUPPLY CHAIN PARTNER,Just because Party A,who received money from that legit supply chain partner,violated some laws (which have no connection to that legit transaction).
But of course, that LEGIT SUPPLY CHAIN PARTNER,is NOT LEGIT,BUT the SUPPLY CHAIN TRANSACTION IS,ON PAPER,LEGIT.What that means,is that A has sold diamond jewellery to Mr Mars,and there is an Invoice and AWB and load port customs checked the diamonds,and Mars got it and sold it to Mr Pluto and then Mr Nebula – and then the diamonds came back to A ! This is a LEGIT trade transaction,but it it NOT ! At each stage,the diamonds are marked up and they are also FUNGIBLE AS THE DIAMONDS SOLD BY A are sold in SPLINTERS (on paper) to several buyers at each stage – but at the end – Mr A gets it all back !
At each stage of MARK UPS there are profits,which are creatively tax exempt,and on those profits (which are actually not legit – but appear in the books),bank loans are taken – and then,when the loan amounts are close to say a Billion USD – it is time to retire (VAMOOZE AND SNOOZE)!
Each such transaction of cash inflow and outflow,is based on some supply chain,or investment transaction and this then,is made to INTERSECT with cross border transactions,in nations,which have limited info sharing and extradition treaties,and severe restrictions on penetrating bank secrecy,and which need an unadulterated trail of illegality of funds,to be proven with the original sin,of the crime (which is obviated by the perpetual mixing,in each transaction in entities from A to Z,within the nation of crime and abroad).
Even in the best case,it will take decades to unravel,and the key players,who signed the papers (or ostensibly signed,the papers),will be dead – and that is the best EVASION,of the chain of crime.dindooohindoo
Now Africans need to ask – Y are Indians in Africa ?