Government faces scrutiny after conducting due diligence on Zotus Group only after formal cooperation agreements had been signed around the much-publicised Zotus City project.
BONGANI MALUNGA
The government has come under fire for conducting due diligence on the company behind the much-publicised Zotus City project only after committing to the controversial development.
Leader of Opposition Dumelang Saleshando questioned why government proceeded with engagements around the ambitious project before verifying the credentials and operations of Zotus Group.
MOUS ALREADY SIGNED
The project was unveiled with considerable public fanfare last year, including the involvement of former Ivorian football star Didier Drogba, as government sought to position Zotus City as a major investment and economic development initiative.
Zotus Group subsequently signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC), the Trans-Kalahari Corridor Secretariat and the Ghanzi District Council during the 2025 Global Expo Botswana.
The agreements were intended to facilitate cooperation and effective implementation of the proposed project, raising questions about the extent of government verification undertaken before the commitments were made.
CHECKS CAME LATER
Providing an update in Parliament following sustained pressure from the opposition, Assistant Minister of Trade and Industry Baratiwa Mathoothe revealed that government officials had only recently conducted due diligence on Zotus Group. Mathoothe said the exercise involved multiple government institutions, including security agencies.
“A due diligence visit has been conducted to the company’s offices in Manchester, UK, by officials of BITC, the Botswana High Commission in London, and representations of the Botswana Security Agencies,” Mathoothe told Parliament.
SALESHANDO CRITICISM
The disclosure drew sharp criticism from Saleshando, who argued that due diligence should have preceded the signing of the MoUs rather than followed it.
“You have just recently conducted due diligence on Zotus. That should have been done long before the MoU was signed. That is standard practice, you cannot sign off on deals and undertake due diligence checks later,” Saleshando asserted.
VETTING UNDER FIRE
The exchange puts the spotlight on government’s process for vetting major investment proposals, particularly projects presented as potentially transformative for the economy.
The Zotus City proposal has attracted significant attention because of its scale and the high-profile figures associated with its launch, but the latest parliamentary exchange has shifted focus to government’s due-diligence procedures and the sequence in which commitments were made.
Government’s latest update suggests verification of Zotus Group was undertaken only after the project had entered the public domain and formal cooperation agreements had been signed, raising the question of whether the company was sufficiently scrutinised before those agreements were concluded.