‘P10M FOR STATE HOUSE RENOVATION, NOT P45M’ – GOVT

. State House renovations were completed in 2020
. Masisi not residing at State House ll

The Office of The President has noted with concern, a malicious and misleading article that appeared on The Patriot on Sunday newspaper of 8th August, 2021, alleging that the Government of the Republic of Botswana has embarked on renovations of the State House at a cost of Forty-Five Million Pula (P45 million).

The fact of the matter is that the renovations at the State House were carried out in 2019 and completed in 2020, at a cost of Ten Million Pula (P10 million) as reported by the former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Thuso Ramodimoosi, when he appeared before the Public Accounts Committee in 2020.Since then, no further renovations have been carried out at the State House save for minor routine maintenance works.

It is also not true that His Excellency the President of the Republic of Botswana resides at State House II. State House II is the residence for the Vice President. His Excellency the President and members of the First Family reside at the State House I, which has housed all the sitting Presidents of the Republic of Botswana.

Finally, the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration wishes to advise the writer of the ill-informed article to avoid misleading the nation on such a matters of national importance.

Pearl N. Ramokoka

𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐄𝐃

PERMANENT SECRETARY

Ministry for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration