Khama, Masisi disown NPF scandal
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The defence attorney in the controversial money laundering scandal, Kgosietsile Ngakaagae had to be rescued by Regional Magistrate Christopher Gabanagae for him to freely present his case and name his alleged beneficiaries of the P250m in question as prosecution officials kept interjecting every time he mentions a name of the top government official.
In what initially seemed to be a usual mention, things subsequently took a nasty turn after several futile attempts by Ngakaagae to have his clients’ bail conditions relaxed. The prosecution of three-man team called the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) investigating officer Andria German to brief the court on the complexity of the investigations and the danger of releasing the passports to the accused persons.
German told the court that their investigations have so far been extended to outside the country, “Specifically South Africa, Italy and UK. We uncovered materials that are of evidential value that have been hidden in these jurisdiction. And the materials are linked to Bakang and other persons not before court,” he noted. “If bail conditions were to be relaxed, there would be prejudice on our investigations.”
It was then that Ngakaagae asked the investigator if Bakang’s co-accused Botho Leburu and Kenneth Kerekang occupied any specific accounts and materials in the alleged jurisdictions and the investigator responded in the negative. He also stated that while he did not know whether Bakang also held any account outside, but he was linked to some property in South Africa.
Ngakaagae then insisted that the investigator mention the place and properties in question so that his clients assist him (investigator) with any information and documentation they needed, but the investigating officer refused. Ngakaagae then asked what harm Leburu and Kerekang would do since they did not hold anything outside the boundaries of Botswana, but the investigating officer stated that they were nonetheless a threat to their investigations.
It was then that Ngakaagae charged and asked the investigating officer if he was aware that the DISS boss Isaac Kgosi wired P118m from the money in question to Israel, when the Prosecution Senior Counsel Wesson Mantswe interjected and said it was not in order to talk about Kgosi in his absence.
Ngakaagae then stated that he was trying to prove to the court that his clients were not a threat in any way as the big fish involved in the matter were walking free men. The magistrate then ruled that Ngakaagae should be left to cross-examine the investigator. He then asked the investigator the question again where he responded in the affirmative. His follow up question was whether he has also seized Kgosi’s passport and the response was in the negative.
Ngakaagae went on and revealed that President Ian Khama, his vice Mokgweetsi Masisi, Ministers Thapelo Olopeng and Sadique Kebonang and Satar Dada on behalf of the BDP benefitted from the money at the centre of dispute. He was however told to hold his submissions when he first mentioned Khama, and was again rescued by the magistrate citing that he was only cross-examining the investigating officer. According Ngakaagae, Khama’s caravan as well as a house built for him was financed through the National Petroleum Fund.
Meanwhile Masisi, who will succeed Khama as president at the beginning of April, is reported to have been given P3 million from the fund. Other beneficiaries include Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Thapelo Olopeng, whom the court heard he got P70 000 from the accused; long time party treasure Satar Dada as well as Minister of Minerals, Energy and Green Technology Advocate Sadique Kebonang.
Ngakaagae told Gaborone Regional Magistrate Christopher Gabanage this week that he was still to expose more people to try and help the DCEC with investigations because they were doing a shoddy job. The DCEC chief investigator Andria German confirmed that Masisi was questioned with regard to the money which was given to him, but claimed ignorance on the benefit attributed to President Khama. Khama will leave office at the end of this month.
Yesterday (Friday) government released a statement denying that Khama and Masisi did not ‘withdraw’ money from the Petroleum fund. “This office has noted reports to the effect that H.E the President and His Honour the Vice President have received money from the National Petroleum Fund (NPF),” reads the statement.
“While we are reluctant to comment on allegations emanating from a matter that is currently before the courts, we wish to reassure the Public that His Excellency the President and His Honour the Vice President have not received money and/ solicited funds from the NPF.”
Olopeng has also come clean on the matter, as he shared on his media platforms that he has very met or asked for financial help from Seretse. “I have no business with the said fund and I have never asked for financial assistance from anybody who deals with this fund,” said Olopeng.
“So who ever mentioned my name in this matter was malicious, and he obviously has an agenda to tarnish my name. I give him permission to produce evidence and share it with the public.” A statement from Olopeng’s attorneys, Modimo and Associates categorically distances the Minister from Ngakaagae’s allegations.
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ENVIRONMENT ISSUES: Masisi asks Virginia for help
President Mokgweetsi Masisi says the issue of sustainable natural resources management has always been an important part of Botswana’s national development agenda.
Masisi was speaking this week on the occasion of a public lecture at Virginia Polytechnic, under theme, “Merging Conservation, Democracy and Sustainable Development in Botswana.”
Botswana, according to Masisi, holds the view that the environment is fragile and as such, must be managed and given the utmost protection to enable the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“It is necessary that we engage one another in the interchange of ideas, perspectives, visualizations of social futures, and considerations of possible strategies and courses of action for sustainable development,” said Masisi.
On the other hand, dialogue, in the form of rigorous democratic discourse among stakeholders presents another basis for reconfiguring how people act on their environments, with a view to conserving its resources that “we require to meet our socio-economic development needs on a sustainable basis,” Masisi told attendees at the public lecture.
He said government has a keen interest in understanding the epidemiology and ecology of diseases of both domestic and wild animals. “It is our national interest to forestall the dire consequences of animal diseases on our communities livelihoods.”
President Masisi hoped that both Botswana and Virginia could help each other in curbing contagious diseases of wildlife.
“We believe that Virginia Tech can reasonably share their experiences, research insights and advances in veterinary sciences and medicines, to help us build capacity for knowledge creation and improve efforts of managing and containing contagious diseases of wildlife. The ground is fertile for entering into such a mutually beneficial partnership.”
When explaining environmental issues further, Masisi said efforts of conservation and sustainable development might at times be hampered by the emergence and recurrence of diseases when pathogens mutate and take host of more than one species.
“Water pollution also kills aquatic life, such as fish, which is one of humanity’s much deserved sources of food. In this regard, One Health Approach imposes ecological responsibility upon all of us to care for the environment and the bio-diversity therein.”
He said the production and use of animal vaccines is an important space and tool for conservation, particularly to deal with trans-border animal diseases.
“In Botswana, our 43-year-old national premier pharmaceutical institution called Botswana Vaccine Institute has played its role well. Through its successful production of highly efficacious Foot and Mouth vaccines, the country is able to contain this disease as well as supply vaccines to other countries in the sub-region.:
He has however declared that there is need for more help, saying “We need more capacitation to deal with and contain other types of microbial that affect both animals and human health.”
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Masisi saddened by deaths of elephant attacks
President Mokgweetsi Masisi has expressed a strong worry over elephants killing people in Botswana. When speaking in Virginia this week, Masisi said it is unfortunate that Batswana have paid a price with their own blood through being attacked by elephants.
“Communities also suffer unimaginable economic losses yearly when their crops are eaten by the elephants. In spite of such incidents of human-elephant conflict, our people embrace living together with the animals. They fully understand wildlife conservation and its economic benefits in tourism.”
In 2018, Nthobogang Samokwase’s father was attacked by an elephant when travelling from the fields, where he stayed during the cropping season.
It was reported that the man couldn’t run because of his age. He was found trampled by the elephant and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.
In the same year, in Maun, a 57-year-old British woman was attacked by an elephant at Boro and died upon arrival at the hospital. The woman was with her Motswana partner, and were walking dogs in the evening.
Last month, a Durban woman named Carly Marshall survived an elephant attack while on holiday in the bush in Botswana. She was stabbed by one of the elephant’s tucks through the chest and was left with bruises. Marshall also suffered several fractured ribs from the ordeal.
President Masisi Botswana has the largest population of African elephants in the world, totaling more than 130 000. “This has been possible due to progressive conservation policies, partnerships with the communities, and investment in wildlife management programmes.”
In order to benefit further from wildlife, Masisi indicated that government has re-introduced controlled hunting in 2019 after a four-year pause. “The re-introduction of hunting was done in an open, transparent and democratic way, giving the communities an opportunity to air their views. The funds from the sale of hunting quota goes towards community development and elephant conservation.”
He stressed that for conservation to succeed, the local people must be involved and derive benefits from the natural resources within their localities.
“There must be open and transparent consultations which involve all sectors of the society. It is against this backdrop that as a country, we lead the continent on merging conservation, democracy and sustainable development.”
Masisi stated that Botswana is open to collaborative opportunities, “particularly with identifiable partners such as Virginia Tech, in other essential areas such as conservation, and the study of the interplay among the ecology of diseases of wild animals and plants, and their effects on human health and socio-economic development.”
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Gov’t commit to injecting more funds in fighting HIV
Minister for State President Kabo Morwaeng says government will continue to make resources available in terms of financial allocations and human capital to ensure that Botswana achieves the ideal of eradicating HIV and AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
Morwaeng was speaking this morning in Gaborone at the High-Level Advocacy event to accelerate HIV Prevention in Botswana. He said the National AIDS and Health Promotion Agency (NAPHA), in partnership with UNAIDS, UN agencies, the Global Fund and PEPFAR, have started a process of developing transition readiness plan for sustainability of HIV prevention and treatment programmes.
“It is important for us, as a country that has had a fair share of donor support in the response to an epidemic such as HIV and AIDS, to look beyond the period when the level of assistance would have reduced, or ceased, thus calling for domestic financing for all areas which were on donor support.”
Morwaeng said this is important as the such a plan will guarantee that all the gains accrued from the response with donor support will be sustained until the end when “we reach the elimination of HIV and AIDS as a public health threat by 20230,” he said.
“I commit to continue support efforts towards strengthened HIV prevention, accentuating HIV primary prevention and treatment as prevention towards Zero New Infections, Zero Stigma, Discrimination and Zero AIDS related death, to end AIDS in Botswana.”
He reiterated that government commits to tackle legislative, policy and programming challenges that act as barriers to the achievement of the goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat.
In the financial year 2022/2023, a total of 119 Civil Society Organizations, including Faith Based Organizations, were contracted with an amount of P100 million to implement HIV and NCDs prevention activities throughout the country, and the money was drawn from the Consolidated Fund.
Through an upcoming HIV Prevention Symposium, technical stakeholders will use outcomes to develop the Botswana HIV Prevention Acceleration Road Map for 2023-2025.
Morwaeng stated that government will support and ensure that Botswana plays its part achieving the road map. He said there is need to put hands on the deck to ensure that Botswana sustains progress made so far in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
“There are tremendous achievements thus far to, reach and surpass the UNAIDS fast track targets of 95%- 95%- 95% by the year 2025. As reflected by the BAIS preliminary results of 2021, we now stand at 95- 98- 98 against the set targets.”
“These achievements challenge us to now shift our gears and strive to know who are the remaining 5% for those aware of their HIV status, 2% of enrolment on treatment by those aware of their status and 2% of viral suppression by those on treatment.”
Explaining this further, Morwaeng said shift in gears should extend to coming up with robust strategies of determining where these remaining people are as well as how they will be reached with the necessary services.
“These are just some of the many variables that are required to ensure that as a country, we are well positioned to reaching the last mile of our country’s response to the HIV and AIDS pandemic.”