The High Court last week heard how Debswana Diamond Company engaged a company by the name of Infotrac to procure spy equipment so that it could conduct covert surveillance on Botswana Mine Workers Union (BMWU).
This emerged from a case in which Infotrac managing director Mompoloki Motshidi has dragged Debswana before the High Court over a P110 million payment dispute.
Testifying before Justice Abednego Tafa of the High Court, Motshidi said Debswana requested Infotrac to supply spy equipment which was aimed at acquiring intelligence information on mine workers union employees.
“The brief I was given by Debswana Head of Security at the Headquarters and Debswana head of Intelligence was that Debswana was concerned with that they are always a step behind in the goings on with the union members,” said Motshidi.
He added: “They requested the type of equipment to be installed in vehicles, private residence and in offices.” He said his company successfully supplied this equipment.
“This one was quite different (from the P110 million dispute) because Debswana requested quotation. I supplied the quotation. During the first meeting with Debswana head of intelligence, he tore off the quotation and threw it in the bin,” said Motshidi.
He said the head of intelligence in question informed him that, “Debswana would like this to be addressed differently and has to be discreet. Instead of the quotation highlighting the type of equipment it was referred as boardroom and interview equipment.”
Motshidi said there was no tendering system in place.
Meanwhile when testifying in the ongoing case, former Permanent Secretary to the President, Carter Morupisi, said he was approached in 2019 by the Managing Director of Infotrac.
“He informed me that as the Chair of Debswana he wanted me to assist him. I immediately informed him that I am the Deputy Chair. I told him that I will listen to him and see if I could assist,” said Morupisi.
He said he was informed by Motshidi that his company provided services to Debswana and there had been delays in payment.
“I then told him that I would call the Managing Director. I engaged Albert Milton. I told him I was with the Managing Director of Infotrac and he told me that his company has provided services to Debswana and payment had not been made,” said Morupisi.
Morupisi said, “The Managing Director of Debswana acknowledged that he was aware of the issue and outstanding payment. He will ensure that the matter is settled. That was the end of my conversation which I relayed to the Managing Director of Infotrac. “
Asked by Debswana lawyer John Carr-Hartely if he had no personal knowledge of the transaction that Motshidisi had informed him about, Morupisi answered in the affirmative saying that was a management issue and he was a board member of Debswana at the time.
“Yes I was told it was P110 million,” he said. Car-Hartely asked if Morupisi was aware of the Debswana delegated policy which stated that among others any contract in excess of P100 million has to be approved by the board, Morupisi said he was aware of the policy. He also said he was also aware of the code of conduct and business policy.
Carr-Hartely wanted to know if Morupisi made some inquiries upon being told of the project, to which he said, “I certainly did not enquire because it was never indicated that the figure was a once-off sale.”
“If there was anything amiss with the matter, I would have expected the late Managing Director Albert Milton to have raised the matter with me. The fact that he did not and the fact that I had trust in him and the position he was holding I had no doubt to doubt what he told me,” said Morupisi.
Asked by Carr-Hartely if the figure was for a single contract, Morupisi would neither confirm nor deny that saying “I never got into details.” As to whether Motshidisi told him the nature of the services his company rendered to Debswana, Morupisi said, “He did not, save to say his company provided security services.”
