A Mail & Guardian investigation reveals that: 1. Khama has appointed many members of his family as well as friends to senior positions in the government and state agencies, sometimes to the detriment of good governance. 2. The most recent case was the appointment of his younger brother, Tshekedi, as minister of wildlife, environment and tourism last month. Tshekedi is a low-profile MP who has not distinguished himself in Parliament and it is unclear what qualifications he has for the job. 3. “He is a poor performer and has not brought a single motion to Parliament, although that was his role as a backbencher,” Saleshando said. 4. There are suspicions that, in some cases, the advancement of members of his circle aims to protect Khama’s own interests, specifically in the tourism sector. Throughout his presidency and much of his deputy presidency, the tourism minister has been a member of his inner circle. Wilderness Holdings spokesperson Julia Swanepoel has confirmed that the president owns a 5% stake in Linyanti Investments, a subsidiary of JSE-listed 5. Wilderness Holdings, which drew international flak for illegally occupying the ancestral land of the Bushmen in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. 6. Linyanti owns the Linyanti Concession, which covers 1250km2 of the northern Kalahari in the Chobe district. Wilderness said last year that Khama had bought the shares “at a market-related price” in October 2002, when he was vice-president. 7. The M&G has also established that Khama’s nephew, Marcus Patrick Khama ter Haar, and his personal lawyer, Parks Baedzi Tafa, were both appointed directors of Wilderness Holdings in January last year. 8. Parks said he was a Wilderness director and that he was invited to serve on the board in his personal capacity as an attorney. But neither he nor Marcus had shares in Wilderness Holdings. “It is quite a large board and my service there has nothing to do with Khama,” Tafa said. Marcus had not responded by the time of going to print. 9. One of the sources of jobs for pals is the strategic diamond industry, particularly De Beers Botswana and Debswana, the 50-50 joint venture between De Beers and the government. CIC Energy, a major coal-mining venture in Mmamabula that was recently taken over by the Indian conglomerate Jindal Steel and Power, is also a source of top jobs. 10. Many of Khama’s relatives and friends have benefited from government tenders and other business, particularly contracts handed out by the Botswana Defence Force and the Botswana Police Service. 11. Reacting to complaints that his government regularly bypassed tender processes, he accused critics of being “frivolous”. 12. Beneficiaries include his brothers, twins Tshekedi and Anthony, who are middlemen acting on behalf of the defence force. 13. Former senior officers of the defence force, which Khama headed until 1998 and which remains an important prop of his power, are among the major beneficiaries of state appointments and contracts. 14. Corruption charges have been investigated and laid against a number of Khama’s associates, but they have never resulted in a conviction. Source Khama Inc: All the presidents family, friends and close colleagues by YVONNE DITLHASE 02 NOV 2012 Mail & Guardian
Posted on: Mon, 08 Sep 2014 08:51:09 +0000
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