Arafat Khan, the Member of Parliament for Molepolole North, recently directed a series of questions to the Acting Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Edwin Dikoloti, regarding the awarding of a tender for the use of Banyana Farm to former President Mokgweetsi Masisi. The questions sought clarity on the process, fairness, and involvement of government offices in the tender allocation.
The Acting Minister provided a detailed response, outlining the tender process and the criteria used for selection. He explained that Banyana (Pty) Limited had floated a tender in November 2019 to sub-lease six portions of the farm, attracting a total of 120 bidders. The evaluation process consisted of three stages: administrative compliance, technical evaluation, and an interview stage. The former President, Dr. Masisi, applied for Lot number 2, which had 39 bidders. Of these, 20 failed the administrative stage, and 19 proceeded to the technical evaluation. Only seven bidders scored above 60% in the technical stage, with the top three advancing to the interview stage. Dr. Masisi emerged as the successful bidder after outperforming the other two candidates in the final interview, which was conducted at the State House.
Regarding the allocation, Dr. Masisi was awarded 4,946.7890 hectares of land for a sub-lease period of 15 years, effective from August 1, 2020, to July 31, 2035. The lease is renewable for an additional 15 years, subject to compliance with the terms and conditions of the agreement and the renewal of the head lease.
In response to the question about other applicants, the Acting Minister revealed that 38 Batswana had tendered for the same portion of land. However, 20 failed the administrative stage due to incomplete documentation, while 12 of the remaining 18 scored below 60% in the technical evaluation. Only six bidders proceeded to the final stage, with the top two joining Dr. Masisi for the interview. These two were ultimately outbid by the former President.
On the fairness of the selection process, the Acting Minister acknowledged that while the process followed the stipulated criteria, the fact that Dr. Masisi was interviewed at the State House raised concerns. He stated that justice must not only be done but must also be seen to be done, implying that the location of the interview could have influenced the evaluation team and compromised the perceived fairness of the process.
The Acting Minister clarified that neither the Office of the President nor the Ministry of Agriculture was directly involved in the awarding of the tender. The decision was made independently by the Banyana (Pty) Limited Board and its management, based on the advice of the evaluation team, which included technical experts from the Ministries of Agriculture and Lands and Water Affairs.
