28 May 2026

The winding down of Botswana’s state-owned agricultural land management company, Banyana Limited, has been delayed due to pending lease transfers to the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture.

Appearing before the Statutory Bodies Committee in Gaborone on May 26, former general manager Mothoemang Gabaitse said the process of transferring farm leases was still incomplete. He clarified that the transfer would not result in the reallocation of farms, but would instead place the existing lessees under the ministry’s administration.

Banyana Limited, which oversees about 149 000 hectares of land, was established to help improve the quality and productivity of Botswana’s national cattle herd. The company currently leases farms at P3 per hectare annually, down from the original P15 per hectare.

Mr Gabaitse, who joined the organisation in April 2011, said his contract expired in April this year. Four other employees have also left, leaving the entity without staff.

Financially, the company faces significant challenges. Its bank account reportedly holds only P61 000, while unpaid lease debts exceed P650 000. In addition, the company has received a P56 000 penalty from Companies and Intellectual Property Authority for non-compliance.

Mr Gabaitse also told the committee that the company had not produced a recent audit because it had operated without a board since October 2023. He said the absence of both a board and an accountant made it impossible to appoint financial personnel or maintain proper auditing processes.

Addressing concerns surrounding the allocation of Lot 2, Mr Gabaitse explained that the tender process had followed the rules set out in the Invitation to Tender (ITT). According to the ITT, bidders were allowed to apply for multiple lots but could only be awarded the lot where they achieved their highest score.

He said the bidder who scored highest for Lot 2 also achieved the top score for Lot 5. Since the bidder performed better in Lot 5, they were awarded that lot instead. He further clarified that bidders were not allowed to choose their preferred lot under the tender conditions. ENDS