Masire, Marole and the spy

Lawrence Seretse | Friday December 20, 2013 15:31

 

Mmegi reported earlier this month that as the Managing Director of Debswana in 2010, Marole offered the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) boss Isaac Kgosi’s private security company Silvershadows Pty (Ltd) a ‘Security Risk Evaluation’ tender for Debswana Diamond Company worth P200,000.

It emerged this week that at the time, the two were business partners in a company called Sediba Properties which they continue to co-own to-date.

In turn, Sediba Properties is in partnership with Wilderness Safaris, a company close to the Khamas and other upper crust elites. The chairman of the company is Parks Tafa, Khama’s righthand man and Khama, who is known to own a sizable chunk of the tourism outfit.

Kgosi got the tender through his Silver Shadows Company, which he had established shortly after formation of DIS, Mmegi can reveal.

But Lieutenant Masire has distanced himself from the company: “Nyaa rra,” he responded yesterday, “I am not aware of any company called Sediba Properties.”

For his part, Blackie Marole, who shares the remaining 40 percent equally with the ex-BDF commander, says: “We buy shares on the stock market and put our money in different places. I am not aware, let me check my records first…” he hesitated before ultimately saying, “I do not own a company called Sediba!”

However, records in Mmegi hands suggest otherwise. Records at the Registrar of Companies show that as late as at October 2010 Marole, Masire and Kgosi were directors of the company. This week the company’s secretaries, Desert Secretarial Services, confirmed that indeed the three men are directors of the company.

In his declaration to Marole when he was still the Debswana MD, Kgosi presented Silver Shadows as the only organisation with “High Level Security Clearance” at government level and therefore suited to execute such ‘security’ services.

It is known that DIS, whose head is Kgosi, performs vetting of security companies. Marole at the time signed on the dotted line to pay his business partner P200,000 for the tender.  

Sources within the intelligence community suggest that Kgosi’s dealings have been the subject of an investigation by other security and regulatory bodies. Debswana also informed Mmegi a few weeks ago that Kgosi’s Silver Shadows business dealings were under investigation by the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crimes.

However, sources close to both DCEC and DIS say the probe into Kgosi’s dealings was as good as stillborn because powerful forces soon intervened to scupper it.

 

Into the Wilderness

This company Sediba Properties appears as a shareholder in a Maun-based company called Safari Adventure (Pty) LTD.

Interestingly, Okavango Wilderness Safaris (OWS), which is a subsidiary of Wilderness Safaris Limited (WSL), also owns a 70 percent stake in Safari Adventure while Sediba Properties owns 30 percent.

Grant Richard Woodrow, a director in Safari Adventure, also appears as a shareholder in WSL. The Chairman of the Botswana Democratic Party’s (BDP) electoral board, Parks Tafa, chairs this WSL conglomerate. WSL is dominantly investor-affiliated with prominent figures – powerful politicians, millionaires and billionaires all - with a worldwide web of influence and matching reputations.   

President Ian Khama’s nephew, Marcus Patrick Khama Te Haar, sits on the board of directors of WSL. Michael Tollman, a nephew of multi-millionaire Stanley Tollman, is Deputy Director, while his next of kin Gavin Tollman, the CEO of the wealthy multi-national travel outfit,Trafalgar Tours, also sits on the board of directors of WSL 

Billionaire Paul Allen, who is best known as co-founder with Bill Gates of Microsoft Corporation, has at some point been mentioned by Tafa as one the investors in Wilderness Safaris. The web is extensive and far-reaching.

The all-embracing consolidation by big league investors in Wilderness Safaris is seen as a strategy to bait and nurture the Khama element, observers have said.

 

The DIS and BDF connection

Masire and Kgosi have a short and somewhat uncomfortable history. Before DIS was officially put together, it existed informally but was fairly operational. It consisted of different individuals connected to Kgosi, and in many cases by extension to Ian Khama. Some officers were at Military Intelligence from which DIS got the spine of its original team.

Before DIS was formed, the group of men seen to be Kgosi and Khama’s select existed as an unofficial nucleus, a matter that reportedly rubbed Masire up the wrong way. The killing of John Kalafatis on May 14, 2009 provided evidence of this crossing of lines between BDF leadership and sections of MI that were seen to be under the influence of Isaac Kgosi.

Infact, in the aftermath of the slaying of crime suspect Kalafatis, the BDF initially distanced itself from the extra-judicial homicide.

In court, the case would be masterminded to be limited to the specific operation without going into the full extent of the command chain that gave the order to take Kalafatis out, a matter that observes saw as avoiding going up the food chain to the top leadership believed to have been the genesis of the ignominy.

Reluctantly, the BDF leadership had to live with the fact that before DIS was put together, it must be the face of the faceless men. But Masire was ill at ease with this. At the height of the Kalafatis case, Masire called his men and distanced himself from the suspects, warning soldiers that they would not be protected if they engaged in illegal operations. This was seen at the time as both a rejection of what could become DIS’ operational culture that many within the security establishment saw despised as indistinguishable from cowboy behavior but almost on the verge of a militia, and genuine warning to soldiers.

 

Connection to CKGR

According to information uncovered by Mmegi investigations, by their stake in Sediba Properties that owns 30 percent of Safari Adventure, Kgosi, Masire and Marole have a massive stake in the tourism sector, especially within the Central Kgalagadi Game Reserve.

Safari Adventure has been allocated the Kalahari Plains Concession within the CKGR.

The company operates Kalahari Plains Camp in the northwestern portion of the vast CKGR, and offers four star treatment with game viewing, game walks, a bar, a swimming pool and sweeping views of the landscape.

Says a tourist website: “The main area consists of a lounge and dining (hall) with an inviting swimming pool and deck area. The tents and main area are all raised off the ground to catch the breeze and take in the sweeping, spacious views across the Kalahari. The tents are spacious and designed to recreate the style of the early explorers - richly coloured wooden furniture, pure linens of heavy cotton, en suite flushing toilet and shower and comfortable camp features all adding to the atmosphere.”