01 Sep 2013

The Sankoyo community has welcomed new tender guidelines, saying  they hope they would enhance the smooth running of their trust and ensure that natural resources in their area benefit them.

They hailed the guidelines as a powerful tool during a kgotla meeting where officials from Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO) briefed them about changes in the tendering process and the new tender guidelines and what they entailed.

Some residents said the new guidelines would address loopholes in their processes, noting that they were no measures in place in case the investor did not comply with clauses in the agreement document. Kgosi Gokgathang Moalosi of Sankoyo said the guidelines were a move in the right direction because they gave the trust powers.

“We are happy with the new initiative and we believe it would produce the expected results,” he added. Kgosi Moalosi advised communities to elect responsible and capable people who could represent them effectively. He noted that the guidelines wanted people who were competent.

He said they should not elect people who served their interests. He also advised the community to elect people who could ensure compliance of the new document. “You should avoid representatives who are after allowance and forget to put your interests at heart,” he said.

He also briefed residents about changes made in the running of the trust. He said the Community Based Resource Management policy (CBRM) required trust constitutions to be in line with it. Ms Bigane Setumo, an official of BTO, informed residents that the guidelines were used countrywide and that all trusts were expected to abide by them.

he said the aim of the guidelines was not to chase investors, but to guide boards of trustees. Ms Setumo said the government brought the changes to be in line with Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB) requirements which controls all tenders.

The primary mandate of PPADB was to adjudicate and award tenders for central government and any other institutions specified under the law for the delivery of works, services and supplies related services. Ms Setumo said the tender guidelines were generic because concessions were under land boards. The guidelines will force government departments to monitor and ensure compliance. She observed that in the past there was lack of monitoring as some policies had loopholes.

The chairperson of Sankoyo Tshwaragano Management Trust, Mr Haku Galesenngwe informed residents that the management plan has been approved by the Tawana Land Board and that they had requested another 15 years lease because their lease was coming to an end.

Mr Galesenngwe said in the management plan, the board divided the land in two zones and it intended to tender for high value tourism zone while the remaining part would be used to run camp sites. ENDS