07 Aug 2024

Parliament has heard that government has since allowed former Botswana Concession Limited (BCL) employees to occupy some company houses without paying rent after it was placed in liquidation in October 2016.

Answering a question on Monday, Minister of Minerals and Energy, Honourable Lefoko Moagi said the government’s decision took into consideration the loss of the jobs caused by the liquidation and economic hardships that would hit the former employees.

Mr Moagi said government had hoped that the individuals would use the time to look for alternative employment given that living rent-free or having that expectation was not sustainable because that benefit was not being afforded to all the citizens of Botswana.

“For nearly 10 years, the former BCL employees have continued to occupy the BCL houses without paying rent. It is equally important to note that the cost of maintaining, repairing and ensuring the houses runs into hundreds and thousands of Pula which are borne by the BCL Estate and by extension the tax payers (who do not have the benefit of free housing) because government is funding the liquidation,” he said.

He added that the liquidator, during the investigations, established that some former employees had found alternative employment.

“However, despite being meaningfully employed and with repeated requests from the liquidator to pay rent, the employees have refused to do so. In other cases, some former employees have sub-let the houses meaning that the employees are being unjustly funded at the expense of BCL,” he said.

He said other ex-employees had abandoned the houses which resulted in them being vandalised.

“As a consequence of the above, the liquidator on behalf of BCL Estate, the lawful owner of BCL houses, made the decision to evict former employees who have found alternative employment but refuse to pay rent and the employees who have sub-let the houses or abandoned them,” he said.

He said the eviction process commenced this year and was currently before the court, where the legal process followed the normal course.

Minister Moagi said government had purchased the residential houses from BCL Estate though the liquidator and the terms and conditions of the sale, including the purchase price, were being negotiated and finalised between the two parties.

“Government has purchased approximately 1 200 houses from BCL Limited and is still committed to selling the houses to former employees. There was never a commitment by government to sell at a special targeted programme of subsidised purchase as alleged,” he said.

He said government and the liquidator had already subsidised the price of the houses, adding as part of the evaluation process, the liquidator instructed its valuers to value the residential houses using a forced sale value rather than the open market.

“This means that the houses to be sold will be offered to employees at prices that are significantly below market value. There are no ongoing secrets sales of the houses by the liquidator and that is misleading and is of no legal basis,” he said.

Selebi Phikwe East MP, Dithapelo Keorapetse had asked the minister if he aware of the ongoing evictions of former BCL employees from the company’s houses by deputy sheriffs instructed by a Gaborone-based law firm.

Mr Keorapetse also asked the minister to state the category of former employees being evicted and the reasons for doing that.

He also asked the minister to explain whether indeed government had purchased the residential properties and state how much it had paid for the houses and the number of houses bought.

He further asked the minister to comment on a statement on government’s decision to buy the houses and whether government was still committed to selling the houses to former BCL employees through a special targeted programme of subsidised purchase. Ends