19 Nov 2013

The construction of an airfield, whether it is a landing helipad or an airstrip, as the one being constructed for President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama in Mosu is an entitlement of a national President.

Presidential affairs and public administration minister, Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi said this when responding to a question on behalf of defence, Justice and security minister in Parliament.

Mr Masisi said airfields were constructed out of due consideration for the security needs and detail as prescribed by those who looked after the President’s safety.

The important thing, he said, was that “it is a provision of the sitting President and consistent with that, all previous Presidents have had things similar at a residence of theirs outside Gaborone, which they frequent the most. It is provided for, and if you please, I can provide the evidence for that. So, yes it is there.”

Therefore, the construction of an airstrip for President Khama at Mosu, he said, was consistent with past practice and what was acceptable and known transparently.He said airfields, had previously been constructed for the other two former Presidents, Sir Ketumile Masire and President Festus Mogae, with their consent.

For example, he said President Masire, frequented his farm in Seleka, in the Thuli area, and an airstrip was constructed there for him on his private farm. This airstrip, he added that, “it’s even tarmacked because costs were not as high as they were now.”

In addition, Mr Masisi said President Masire also frequented his farm in Ghanzi and another one near Sekoma and an airstrip was constructed in his farm in Ghanzi and another one near Sekoma with his consent.

President Masire, he said, also had helipads constructed for him, with his consent, in Lobatse and in his home village, Kanye, because he had small holdings there.

For President Mogae, Mr Masisi said also had a helipad constructed for him in Palapye where his home is, with his consent.
Therefore, to the extent possible, he said “if these are in public land and if the need is there they may or may not be used,” he added.

In terms of how many airstrips or helipads a President was entitled to, Mr Masisi said the limit was dictated to by the movements of the President. Just as the former two presidents, he said, the construction of President Khama’s airstrip in his property in Mosu, was consistent with the others on whose properties airfields had been constructed.

The land on which the airstrip at Mosu was being constructed on, he said, was applied for by President Khama and was in his name. Therefore, he said the airstrip was meant to facilitate him.

This, he said was the only airstrip and the first to be constructed for President Khama in Mosu and was meant to facilitate him. When his term of office ends, Mr Masisi said President Khama intended to hand the airfield over for public use.

As for the budget, Mr Masisi said the construction of the airstrip at Mosu was provided for in the budget that was approved in Parliament. “But, because it is provided for, we withdraw it from savings and that is why we save so much money by not taking it out to tender. So, it will be paid for, because it is an entitlement of His Excellency the President. And I can confirm to this house that the money to pay for this airfield will come from the Ministry of State President’s finances,” he added.

Unlike other expenditures associated with President, presented to Parliament, Mr Masisi said with issues of security “we do not detail that we are going to do this and this with that, as you would do, for instance, with the transport of the President.”

Therefore, Mr Masisi said the airstrip at Mosu was being constructed by personnel and machinery of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) as an exercise and measure of utmost frugality.

If the airfield was to be constructed in the open market, using prices in the open market, he said it was roughly estimated that it might have cost anywhere between P6 million to P10 million.

Therefore, frugality by the BDF and the government, led by the Botswana Democratic Party, Mr Masisi said “thought it best to engage BDF personnel whose costs would be the cost of operating the machinery, unironing it, maintaining it as the personnel are in there.

"It also assist with their own training- as a core of engineers are so doing. And all it is doing is digging up gravel and compacting it. Its gravel airfield approximately 30 metres wide and about a kilometer long- 1000 metres. So, that’s what is involved in this exercise,” he added.

Even if the full costs of the construction of this airstrip at Musu were not yet known, Mr Masisi said it was not expected to cost anywhere beyond P3 million.

However, he said he did not want to commit himself to the figure, adding that “if it is wanted we can bring it to this house once it is put together, but that’s a variance that we are looking at.

The Ministry of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Mr Masisi said, paid for the security dealings of the President, “except obviously the operatives, who may sometimes come from Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security.”

The minister was responding to questions from Gaborone Central MP and also Botswana Congress Party leader, Mr Dumelang Saleshando, who had asked the minister to explain the circumstances around the development of an airfield at Mosu, saying when the story was first reported by one of the weekend papers, the response by the government spokesperson, Mr Jeff Ramsay, was that indeed the BDF was constructing an airfield for President Lt. Gen Seretse Khama Ian Khama and that there was nothing wrong with it as the same had been extended to previous Presidents.

The position, Mr Saleshando said had now changed, from media reports, to say that it was not a dispensation for the President. Therefore, he asked the minister to state what the true position was and why the government’s spokesperson, who ordinarily should have the full facts, had given contradicting answers.

In addition, Gaborone Central MP also asked the minister to state the amount to be used for the airfield, and when it was presented to Parliament by way of submissions by the minister during committee stage when the budget was debated and when it was authorised by Parliament. Ends