Tataki Mining Company (Proprietary) Limited has moved swiftly to counter claims of insolvency following a High Court order placing the company under provisional liquidation, insisting the dispute at the centre of the case is commercial and not financial distress.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Tataki said it will voluntarily deposit the disputed amount into escrow, without admitting liability, as part of efforts to preserve the positions of both parties while the matter is resolved.
The company said it will also formally request that Grindwell Proprietary Limited, trading as Discovery Drilling Contractors Africa, withdraw its liquidation application and take steps to have the provisional order discharged.
The provisional liquidation order was granted by Justice Reuben Lekorwe on Saturday, 31 January 2026, following an ex parte application by Grindwell. The order is temporary and will return to the High Court on 20 March 2026.
According to GCR, the mine has created nearly 50 new jobs and partnered with Matsiloje Junior Secondary School to improve access to clean water. The company said it remains on track to meet its 2026 investment targets and to grow its operations in Francistown and surrounding communities.
Tataki has strongly criticised the manner in which the application was brought, arguing that insolvency proceedings were improperly used as a debt-collection and pressure tactic. According to the company, the alleged debt was the subject of a bona fide accounting dispute and ongoing reconciliation discussions at the time the application was filed.
Tataki said liquidation proceedings should not be used to force payment where a debt is genuinely disputed, adding that the issue does not reflect an inability to pay. “This is not an insolvency matter,” the company said, describing it instead as a commercial accounting dispute.
The mining firm said it will place evidence before the court showing that discussions aimed at reconciling accounts and resolving differences were ongoing, and that Grindwell escalated directly to liquidation proceedings without completing the agreed reconciliation process or engaging in meaningful dispute resolution.
Tataki’s parent company, GCR, also sought to reassure stakeholders of its continued commitment to the Tataki Mine and to Botswana. The company noted that Tataki Mine was reopened in September 2025 alongside President Duma Boko and that millions of pula have since been invested in new equipment, refurbishment of facilities, technical studies and drilling activities.
According to GCR, the mine has created nearly 50 new jobs and partnered with Matsiloje Junior Secondary School to improve access to clean water. The company said it remains on track to meet its 2026 investment targets and to grow its operations in Francistown and surrounding communities.
Tataki said it will oppose the liquidation proceedings and will not allow what it described as an abuse of legal processes to disrupt its plans to fully reopen and operate the mine.
The matter is currently scheduled to return to the High Court on 20 March 2026.
