Botswana’s expensive Chinese engagement – will SA learn?
By Alec Hogg
South Africa is increasingly aligning itself politically with the other BRICS – specifically China, the emerging super-power that invited us into the elite grouping in the first place. We're certainly reciprocating, not just by refusing the Dalai Lama a visa. It's almost impossible to import desperately needed professional skills from the West, but the presence of Chinese is all over the country. One can hardly miss the concentration of Chinese retailers in their own shopping centres or "China Shops" in rural towns.
We need to hope the Zuma Administration retains at least some independence in the relationship with its NBF. With massive investment in energy infrastructure on the cards, cabinet would do well to heed the lessons from Botswana's Morupule Power Station which, due to Chinese bungling, has turned out to be one of the most expensive in the world.
A couple weeks back I met Kenneth Kerekang, Botswana's director of energy affairs, who unpacked the sorry saga. The Chinese made such a mess of the project, he told me, that Botswana was forced to bring in German contractors to fix it. "Doing business with the Chinese was an expensive mistake," Kerekang told me. "But we won't repeat it. I really hope other African countries learn from our experience." As a taxpayer, so do I.
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