Government’s plan to invite citizen investors to build lodges inside the fragile Chobe National Park in opposition to scientific advice has stoked fears that President Mokgweetsi Masisi may be creating his own tourism oligarchs.
The controversial plan, comes in the wake of revelations that President Masisi’s newly re-introduced trophy hunting which was supposed to benefit local communities is instead shifting wealth from them to the country’s big businessmen – some with alleged political connections.
Sunday Standard has in the past revealed how powerful citizen investors, among them Derek Brink and the Kader family are snatching up elephant hunting quotas from community trusts at bargain basement prices.
Suspicions of the Kader family’s political connections first made newspaper headlines after it emerged that the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) was dispatched to construct a landing airstrip at Nogatshaa inside the Chobe National Park for Hollyhock (PTY) Ltd, a private company owned by businessman Karrim Kader and his wife Banoo Kader.
The same investors are believed to be lining up to put up lodges inside the ecologically fragile Chobe National Park.
Sources close to the developments claim that President Masisi’s revisionist agenda aims at among other things challenging the tourism oligarchy created by his predecessor Lt Gen Ian Khama. Masisi comes in as former president Ian Khama and his close associates have amassed almost all opportunities for wildlife-based tourism in the lucrative Chobe enclave. Consultants funded by USAID to draw up the Chobe management plan on behalf of Botswana government observed that, “because there is a perception that opportunities for wildlife-based tourism are all taken up outside the Park, it appears that Chobe National Park is being turned to, to fill that opportunity gap for citizens.”
Sunday Standard investigations have turned up evidence that government has sexed up the original management plan by consultants to fit the case for the construction of lodges inside the national park. The initial report had stated explicitly that there should be no new lodges inside the Chobe National Park.
Investigations by this publication show that government among others made amendments to one of the sections where the consultants described the allowed developments in a given zone (area).
Sunday Standard has also obtained information showing that those responsible for the alterations did not cross-check with other sections of the original management plan; as a result, the carrying capacities section in the sexed up report ended up contradicting the government’s new conclusion that additional lodges should be built.
Investigations also show that according to the changes made by the government, the map on page 14 of one of the original report which was presented by the consults and approved by the DNWP as well as district authorities was altered.
It also emerges in the documents that some of the amendments were done on page 99 of the original report wherein fresh information was added. The altered report also shows that some of the zones on the map of the original report were also amended without the consent of the consultants.
Immediate comment from the Ministry of Wildlife and DWNP was not available despite promises by their officials that they would submit a written response.
Speaking to reporters recently during a media tour, Minister Phildah Kereng called on Batswana to rally behind government saying the decision to issue an expression of interest to show interest in constructing lodges was aimed at offering Batswana an opportunity to venture into the lucrative tourism industry. She indicated that the government has come up with what she called a de congestion strategy.
The minister did divulge what this strategy entails.
