Despite a letter from former party spokesperson Banks Kentse urging payment of a P260,000.00, to the 2024 elections campaign material supplier, the newly elected BDP leadership insists the supplier is not being owed anything by the party.
GAZETTE REPORTER
The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has rejected a local supplier ‘s P260,000 .00 claim for campaign material delivered during the 2024 general elections, further dismissing a payment support letter by its former spokesperson, Banks Kentse.
In an interview this week, the party’s newly elected Secretary General, Kentse Rammidi, said they have established that the party long fulfilled all its obligations on the matter and considers it closed.
“Those people were long paid their P80,000.00 We do not owe them anything,” Rammidi said dismissing the P260,000 fresh claim. When pressed about Kentse’s letter supporting the payment, Rammidi reiterated, “The party is not indebted to those people.”
The claim
The controversy surrounds Diamond Africa (Pty) Ltd, which supplied 9,500 branded 500ml reusable vinyl cups for the BDP’s election campaign. The supplier, citing non-payment, recently issued a demand for the outstanding balance of P260,000, warning that it will escalate the matter to the High Court if payment is not received within a few days.
The order was reportedly altered from an initial 350ml cup size to 500ml due to availability, a change both parties allegedly agreed to at the time. The goods were delivered to Tsholetsa House, the party’s headquarters, during the heat of the campaign.
Appeal for payment
In a letter dated April 2025, former party spokesperson Banks Kentse urged the BDP treasury to settle the outstanding invoice, writing:
“I am writing to you to make you aware of an outstanding amount totaling P260,000.00 for goods delivered to Tsholetsa House in 2024 during the election campaign…. My recommendation would be that the amount be settled since the goods have already been delivered.”
BDP treasury was unaware
However, the party’s former deputy treasurer, Jagdish Shah, at the time disputed the validity of the claim, telling this publication that he was unaware of the transaction until months after the election, further saying he did not know what Kentse was talking about.
“We did not know about that deal or the company,” Shah said. “We only heard of it five months after the elections, after I received a letter from Banks advising me to pay. I have advised him to discuss the matter with the relevant authorities, after which payment can be made if cleared,” he said then.