Businessman and former BDP treasurer Satar Dada has confirmed a sharp decline in his business ventures, including challenges from unpaid government debts, but says it is too early to link his troubles to the recent political shift
GAZETTE REPORTER
Businessman and former Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) treasurer, Satar Dada, has openly acknowledged a recent downturn in his business ventures, citing among others, unpaid government debts as a key challenge but stressed that it is premature to attribute his financial difficulties to the historic fall of the BDP.
Dada, who has long traded with the government selling vehicles, some of which remain unpaid, said “it is too early, and may be unfair, to blame his recent business challenges on the change of political power.”
“Business has slowed significantly, with sales at a standstill and outstanding payments from the government are yet to be settled,” Dada said, attributing part of the problem to the current fiscal climate that has affected purchasing power.
BDP LEGACY AND MONOPOLY ALLEGATIONS
Dada was a key figure under the BDP and became the government’s go-to dealer for vehicles for many years. Opposition parties, now part of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), previously criticized this arrangement as monopolistic due to his political connections.
Reports suggest that the new government prefers to deal with alternative dealers in the motor industry, away from Dada’s long-standing government contracts.
Asked whether the UDC’s approach had caused his business decline, Dada said:
“It is too early to link our current business declines to politics or change of power.”
WELL-MEANING
Despite speculation about political motives affecting his business, Dada expressed hope that the government’s intentions are genuine and for the public good.
“I want to believe they mean well for all of us and that they genuinely have the best interests of all citizens at heart, as they have pledged,” he said, adding that he does not want to see himself “as the only businessman facing difficulties in the current economic climate”.
POLITICAL EXIT
Dada resigned from his position on the BDP central committee in November 2024, following the party’s historic loss in the national elections. While some media reports described his resignation as an immediate “quitting,” Dada had previously announced his plan not to seek re-election when his term was set to expire.