BCW leaves Miss Botswana suppliers drowning in debt

Publishing Date : 26 February, 2018

Author : KEAMOGETSE MOTONE

Botswana Council for Women (BCW) has failed to pay companies it engaged during the Miss Botswana 2017/18 pageant, in the process causing some to shut down operations and leaving others entangled in bitter court wars, WeekendLife has established.

When Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Cultural Development (MYSCD) partnered with BCW for the pageant, it was envisaged the partnership would change lives and empower home grown businesses, but it has instead left a trail of debt and distress for the contracted companies. A total of 26 suppliers have yet to be paid and the balance owed amounts to P625 026.

In an interview, the Founder of Pulse Advertising, Masego Manyaapelo revealed that her partnership with Miss Botswana to provide them with choreography, stage props and show production left her in serious debt. “As for me and my partner we are swimming in debt. We had subcontracted about 16 other youth and had subcontracted two other companies. We spent our money to mobilize. We had asked for 50% deposit upfront but never got it. I paid one supplier from my pocket and had to take [my] kids out of school last year third term because I had used their school fees money to pay some of these things,” she said.

It has been five months since the pageant was staged, and to this day, the suppliers are being tossed to and fro, with no clear indication as to when their payments will be made. In the meantime, the business owners wait in anguish as they sink deeper in debt. Manyaapelo further highlighted: “The lady who provided hair services lost employees. Employees quit because of non-payment. She is still struggling to even go to work. The guy who did Photography and videos closed down because he couldn't keep up rent payments.”

Manyaapelo contended that they were engaged with the understanding that the pageant was a joint project between the two parties (MYSCD and BCW) and were made to believe MYSC would be paying them. She said that now it appears the relationship between the two parties has soured and they are left caught in between. “We are being tossed between the two and running from pillar to post to get our payments,” she lamented. According to Manyaapelo, when she contacted BCW to enquire about payments, BCW reported that it was awaiting their third batch of payment from MYSCD.

“Weeks have gone by since we enquired about our payments, and still nothing! In November the Ministry released two batches of payments, P192 000 and 1 million respectively to BCW. To our surprise BCW communicated that the Ministry was sending email lists of who should be paid in the first two batches and that those not included in the first two batches would go into the 3rd batch as promised by MYSCD. The 3rd batch of payments was never made,” she said.

She said that the current position by BCW is that they are waiting for the third batch of payments as promised by MYSC. All these owed suppliers are youth businesses operating under Small Medium Enterprises and start-ups. As for Founder and Managing Partner of Agneau African Tours & Safaris, Mosenodi Makacana, he regrets ever doing business with the Miss Botswana organisers as now, it has landed him and his company in insurmountable debt.

“This project messed up my cash flow, relations and other things. From the start in August, we were never paid any deposit or mobilization fee. We exhausted all the monies we had and at the end we were not to be paid, it takes money to make money. Our business is currently struggling,” Mosenodi revealed. Sources have also indicated that the reigning Queen and her princesses have not yet received their prizes.

http://www.weekendpost.co.bw/wp-news-details.php?nid=4847