China’s
African ambitions stumble in Botswana
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Tensions
surface over setbacks and delays to major construction projects as local
critics point to 'shoddy' work.
Thapelo
Ndlovu Last updated: 18 Sep 2014 18:46
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A Chinese-contracted
power supply expansion project is accused of poor workmanship [Thapelo
Ndlovu/Al Jazeera]
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Gaborone,
Botswana – Tensions have emerged between Botswana's government and Chinese
businesses over high-profile projects as the country gears up for elections
in October.
Some
local politicians have pointed to a catalogue of problems on large building
contracts as they take stock of the scale of the Asian giant's involvement in
their country's economy.
Motlhaleemang
Moalosi, an aspiring parliamentary candidate for the rural Shashe West seat,
is among those who claim the Chinese bring more harm than good to local
business.
"They
have killed local contractors by offering cheap prices for sub-standard
work," he told Al Jazeera.
But Chinese business leaders insist that teething troubles on some major initiatives should not be used as a weapon with which to attack growing economic ties between the two countries.
Power
problems
Tensions
surfaced in July 2013 when the Botswana-Chinese General Chamber of Commerce
(BCGCC) complained that Chinese businesses were all being painted with the
same brush by local critics portraying them as a "like-minded
monolith".
The
statement came amid anxiety about completion of the Morupule B power plant
against a backdrop of extensive "load shedding" – the interruption
of power supplies to certain areas when there is not enough electricity
available to meet demand.
"All
the Chinese contractors have been pigeon-holed into one category and the
result is that the delay of the Morupule B project has been attributed to
'Chinese contractors' and not the Chinese contractor that is actually doing
the job," wrote the chairman of the BCGCC, Ben Liu.
Work on
the new power plant by the Chinese National Electric Equipment Corporation
(CNEEC) faced a number of setbacks, generating public anger and prompting
President Ian Khama to blame the Chinese for delays in completing the
project.
In
December 2013, the government refused to renew CNEEC’s operation and
maintenance contract when it ended, handing it instead to German company
STEAG Energy Services.
Chinese
responses to the move have been mixed and a diplomatic Ben Liu merely
insisted "there is no tension", but has called on Botswana’s
government to avoid generalising about Chinese companies.
He
said: "We have been promoting and asking the government to budget for
auditing projects so that the guilty party can be exposed and face the
consequences – and it is not fair to just blame the contractors only for
failing projects and it is not fair to generalise the whole community."
The
BCGCC has complained that the Chinese contractor was being "singled out
for blame at the exclusion of all other parties involved in the execution of
construction".
However,
Professor Emmanuel Botlhale, a public finance specialist in the department of
politics and administrative studies at the University of Botswana, believes
the government is simply enforcing the law.
"There
have been instances of police raids at Chinese shops – for instance, at the
Oriental Plaza over the sale of counterfeit goods and illegal traders – but
these incidents cannot be said to constitute tension between the Chinese
business community and the government of Botswana," Botlhale said.
Growing
role
The
Chinese economic presence in Botswana became significant during the country's
construction boom in the late 1980s, and some observers such as Botlhale
believe the country has much to gain from it.
"There
are lots of Chinese businesses, ranging from small shops to big construction
companies – these businesses are contributing to the growth of the economy
and GDP," he argued.
The
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Science and
Technology, Dikagiso Bogatsu Mokotedi, dismissed reports of tensions, saying
it would be "unfair to only point fingers to the a particular group of
people".
Mokotedi
told Al Jazeera there were projects involving locals that had failed and that
there were different experiences with contractors at different ministries.
But
Ketlhalefile Motshegwa, the Secretary General of the powerful Botswana Land
Boards, Local Authorities and Health Workers Union disagreed.
"There
are so many projects that we can point to which shows shoddy workmanship by
Chinese contractors in particular," he said, adding that corruption had
a role to play.
"How
do you explain the fact that some of these contractors continue to get jobs
with all this bad track record?" he asked.
From
street traders selling the poplar painkilling balm "tshasa" to
large infrastructure projects, the Chinese are understood to consider
Botswana as "a place to be successful", noted Anna Ying Chen in a
2009 paper.
In her
report, published by the South African Institute of International Affairs
(SAIIA), Ying pointed to the active role played by Chinese firms in
Botswana’s building industry.
Beijing
has also worked hard to develop relations in Africa, sponsoring large numbers
of Africans to tour China in cultural exchanges and collaborating with
educational institutions such as the University of Botswana, which has
pioneered research on China-Africa relations.
However,
critics such as Moalosi attack the quality of work on some large projects and
argue that the Chinese should leave retail for locals and focus on
wholesaling.
Moalosi
says he noted when taking a recent flight that renovation work on the Sir
Seretse Khama International Airport just outside the capital Gaborone – which
was to be finished for years ago for the 2010 World Cup in neighbouring South
Africa – remains incomplete.
"This
is the first time I have flown out of Botswana this year – the airport is
still to be completed," he said.
In
2012, Botswana’s government fired the contractor on the airport expansion,
the Chinese state construction firm Sinohydro, over delays and other
setbacks.
The
airport is prominent on a list of projects highlighted by critics who accuse
the Chinese of shoddy work, including the 500m
pula ($56m) Palapye-based glass manufacturing project.
The
project – a joint venture between the official Botswana Development
Corporation and the Shanghai Fengyue Glass Company – ran into problems before
it could mould a single glass – costing the people of Botswana dearly,
scuppering job hopes and straining ties.
It was
slammed in a damning
report compiled by a parliamentary special select committee that
concluded it was marred by violations of process and allegations of
corruption.
But
Rocky Li, who works for the only Chinese newspaper in Botswana, The Oriental
Post, insists time will alleviate tensions, and praises her Batswana
colleagues for fostering a professional environment.
"The
mutual corporation takes time but, when it is built it is very efficient and
beneficial," she said.
Botlhale
agrees: "On a social level, the Chinese have become part of us, albeit
temporarily. In a way, they have come to understand and appreciate our
culture and this will promote Sino-Tswana relationships.
copiado http://www.aljazeera.com/news/
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China’s African ambitions stumble in Botswana
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