Kutlo Motseta
13th December 2024
The Chairman of SADC and President of Zimbabwe, His Excellency Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa, received the SADC headquarters building from Bongwe Investments on behalf of the SADC secretariat in Gaborone, Botswana. He also received 19 hectares of land from the Botswana government, for the building of other SADC building infrastructure.
The Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) building agreement was entered into with the intent that Bongwe Investments would manage the hand it over.
“PPP arrangement with SADC … the responsibility was to design and do a lease and management of the property … after years 16 years of management it is handing over the property… PPP agreements are done by governments globally,” said Neo Bogatsu, a Board Member and Former CEO of Botswana Insurance Fund Management (BIFM).
Bogatsu said PPP agreements are beneficial because they transfer business risk to the private partner and helps the government to avoid the burden of debt.
Host President, His Excellency Adv. Duma Boko lauded the benefits of the contract.
“A partnership that brings together the resources, the creative energies … the pubic international organizations and the private sphere of companies business interests … finance … can be a good servant … [but] finance is always a bad masters … finance was deployed as a servant … and now we have ourselves an endpoint of the partnership that was formed,” he said.
“The allocation of 19 hectares of land to SADC to house this depot … underscores our commitment to peace and stability in the region … SADC stands as a source of hope and strength,” he added.
The chairman congratulated Botswana’s President on his recent electoral victory and thanked Botswana for the donation of the plot and the stakeholders involved in the successful commercial PPP agreement.
“I extend my congratulations on behalf of all SADC members, a sincere congratulations for your elections … and look forward to your leadership [as a member state] … on behalf of SADC I extend my gratitude, through my dear brother, to the Republic of Botswana for the donation of the plot … allowing SADC to efficiently execute its mandate,” he said.
“SADC is a symbol of freedom, unity and grips us together as a region. SADC should be the embodiment of history culture and heritage,” he added.
A brief ceremony was held to commemorate the chairman’s visit to the headquarters with a plaque on the SADC building wall. This is in keeping with the practices of the organization which does so to mark the one-year tenure of chairpersons.
