14 Nov 2023

Botswana Development Corporation (BDC) has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) soliciting partners/tenants to propose the best possible value for money and utilisation of the plot housing structures of the Glass Project in Palapye.

Answering a question in Parliament, the minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Mmusi Kgafela said the proposal was issued in December 2022 and BDC was looking to finalise discussions with the successful respondent of the Request For Quotations with a view to utilise the plot in a productive manner.

He said the plot was currently not generating any value but had a tenant occupying the residential side, generating P6.7 million over a five and a half year period.

Minister Kgafela said the total money spent on the Glass Project was P447.8 million, which included the construction, railway line, Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) transformer and equipment bought.

The amount is made up of construction works of P118.3 million, equipment and machinery of P320.73 million and additional works of P8.8 million, he said.

 The minister also added that the total fees paid to the liquidator amounted to P5.9 million.

Mr Kgafela said BDC received about P67.8 million, of which P6.67 million was in cash while P6.11 million was in kind, being the 100 hectare land and property which was subsequently transferred to Western Industrial Estates (Pty) Ltd. 

The total amount of funding from BDC in the project was P447.84 million with recoveries amounting to P67.8 million, thus the government had lost about P380 million, he said.

He said the project was expected to create 546 jobs in full operation.

The Palapye MP, Mr Onneetse Ramogapi had asked the minister to appraise Parliament on the Palapye Glass Project and to state the total money spent on the project, construction, railway line BPC transformer and equipment bought.

He also wanted to know the total money paid to the liquidator,  total money received from sales and the total money government lost in the process of the Glass project.

Mr Ramogapi had also asked if government does not consider revisiting the project as well as the current and future use of the building and the plot. Ends