Allegations of land corruption rock Gaborone City Council
Gaborone City Council Town Clerk, Lopang Pule is an unwanted man.
Pule has come under fire from some councillors who want him transferred from Gaborone with immediate effect.
The councillors together with a section of the Council Staff are accusing Pule of allegedly building a corrupt cartel that deals with tenders and awarding of council land within the capital city.
The concerned group is accusing the town clerk of devising a plan to award some land without going through the legal tendering process.
The said land include a portions opposite Gaborone Technical College, one next to Dikgosi Monument at CBD and another one next to Gaborone International School.
“A woman within Botswana Democratic Party’s Central Committee is going to be used to apply for the plot next to Dikgosi Monument at CBD while in fact she would be doing it for a certain Asian well-known business mogul,” alleged one of the worried council members who spoke on condition of anonymity.
They added that the plot next to Gaborone International School will be given to a businessman who is a husband to one of the women in government leadership positions.
“GCC land is going if we don’t stand up and have our voices heard. This is not political but corruption that must be condemned and stopped.”
However, when contacted for comment, Pule dismissed any involvement in any shady land deals.
“I am not aware of any land transaction on any of those mentioned pieces of land. If council were to dispose of any of its land parcels, a resolution of a full council will be required before the transaction ensues. The questionnaire from your newspaper, which borders on allegations against me as the incumbent Town Clerk, are devoid of facts,” Pule said He also dismissed allegations that he hates woman. “This allegation is unfounded as it is based on perceptions. Our recruitment policy is clear, we recruit qualifying individuals without any discrimination on sexual orientation. All officers are given equal treatment.”
During his time as Francistown City Council Clerk, Pule had a terrible time of having to deal with councillors that demanded his transfer.