Africa-Press – Botswana. Tensions flared during Kweneng District Council (KDC) special full council meeting as Councillors rejected a presentation on Kweneng District Ventures (KDV), questioning both its legitimacy and the authority of the official delivering it on Friday.
The Councillors many of whom are newly elected said they were completely in the dark about the operations, leadership, and governance of KDV, a special purpose vehicle created by the council in 2014 to manage commercial projects and reduce reliance on central government funding.
The Councillors took particular issue with the fact that the presentation was delivered by the Council’s Chief Development Planning Officer, Ms Masego Banda insisting that someone from KDV either its leadership or interim board should have been the ones doing the presentation to account directly.
“We are being asked to make decisions on a company we do not understand. Most of us are new and no one has ever briefed us about KDV. We cannot be expected to take a position based on a presentation from a council employee who does not sit on the board or manage KDV,” said Ntloelongwae’s Councillor, Mr Kaone Thebeng.
Eventually, Councillors resolved to defer the report, insisting for a proper appearance by KDV representatives to explain the entity’s status, projects and governance challenges.
They emphasised that they would not be “rubber-stamping” matters they were not adequately briefed on.
Meanwhile, Kweneng District Council Deputy Chairperson, Mr Odirile Kenna cautioned the house against dragging their feet on the matter, warning that shareholding stake by KDC was at risk if timely decisions were not made.
“We must take this seriously. Shareholding in a multi-million Pula development is at stake. Let us not defer this for too long,” Mr Kenna argued.
The most contentious item in the presentation that was delivered before it was cut short was the Mogolori Mall Transaction, which detailed how council land valued at over P60 million was transferred to KDV and later used in a commercial partnership with private companies Eris and Letlole La Rona (LLR).
The land was originally supposed to be leased for 50 years, after which it would return to Council hands.
However, the presentation revealed that the land was sold outright, eliminating council’s control over the property and exposing KDV to capital gains tax from 2018. The council’s shareholding has since been diluted to 12 per cent, with dividends only expected after five years, once a P315 million development loan was repaid.
Meanwhile, the Mogoditshane-Thamaga District Council, who was supposed to be a tenant in the mall, will be paying rent starting at P2.8 million annually, escalating by 7 per cent each year, totaling over P16 million in five years.
KDV was now exploring the acquisition of Letlole La Rona’s 17.01 per cent shareholding in the project at a cost of P10 million, which would increase Council’s stake to 82.99 per cent, a move Councillors say they cannot consider without full disclosure and clarification.
Before the presentation was halted, Ms Banda highlighted deep governance problems at KDV, including an incomplete board with only two members currently serving, the resignation of the Board Chairperson, expired contract of the Executive Director, outstanding audits and CIPA returns and the absence of a new shareholders’ agreement after council restructuring in 2023.
However an interim board was appointed this month (July 2025) to address these issues. Notwithstanding Councillors’ contention, Ms Banda had stressed that KDV remained a crucial engine for income generation and development in the
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