President Mokgweetsi Masisi is facing a vicious push back from the all powerful tourism old boys’ network which was the invisible force behind former President Ian Khama’s administration.
The recent elephants’ massacre propaganda war waged by tourism interests against the Masisi administration is believed to be part of a big “death by a thousand cuts” strategy employed by former President Khama’s allies to chip Masisi’s power.
Former President Khama is part of a powerful international network of photographic safari operators with financial interest in the Botswana tourism industry.
The network is mobilizing to protect the gains it made under former President Lt Gen Ian Khama in their long battle with trophy hunting safari operators.
Fighting the photographic safaris corner alongside Khama is Mike Chase Director of Elephant Without Borders (EWB) who last week shared an unconfirmed report with the international media breaching his contractual agreements with his employer, Ministry of Environment, Wildlife, and Tourism (MEWT).
Addressing a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) sitting on Friday Permanent Secretary at MEWT Thato Raphaka said the right to disseminate that kind of information lies with the Ministry and not the contractor, EWB.
He said they were still investigating the motive behind Chase’s rash behaviour with a view to hand the matter over to the Attorney Generals Chambers for possible litigation. “His actions amount to breach of contract,” Raphaka said.
Even worse, it has emerged that Chase has failed to substantiate claims of the ‘87’ poached elephants that he alluded to in his controversial report that went viral last week. Instead of the alleged 87, only seven elephant remains were spotted by the team of Botswana Defence Force (BDF), Department of Wildlife and National Parks, and other security organs that went to investigate.
Sources close to the old boys’ network insist that Mike Chase’s elephants massacre claims are less about protecting elephants and more about defending vested interests.
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