The Honourable Members of Parliament of Botswana,

We, the undersigned citizens of this country, urge the Parliament to take immediate action against corruption in all its forms. Corruption has proven to be a cancer that is eating away at the foundation of our country and undermining the very fabric of our democracy.

We call upon the Parliament to:

1. Undertake a requirement for the full disclosure of all business transactions for board members (past and present) since the appointment of the incumbent CEO, Mr Thabo Thamane. Further, a probe into how soon or after they were provided in their tenure. [This shall determine the strength of the Board's independence against the CEO].
2. Set up a Commission of inquiry to look into the activities of CEDA Board Members, past and current, and review projects that received special dispensation from them.
3. Inquire on the appointment of CEDA Ambassador and the number of businesses that are related to him that were funded whether those met the lending criteria and whether there was no conflict of interests.
4. Set up a provision of all the projects for Politically Exposed Persons (P.E.Ps) and disclosure as to how their transactions have been treated. [Some it is alleged they have presented poor business plans that did not qualify or that did not meet meeting lending requirements but the CEDA CEO ensured they were pushed through.
5. Provide a full disclosure on the procurement of its current CEDA offices under Thabo Thamane.
6. Review the process of eliminating other potential offices in favour of the current landlord. A full disclosure of its pricing compared to other potential landlords.
7. Suspend Mr Thabo Thamane, CEDA Executive and the CEDA Board in Dr Alfred Tsheboeng, Dr Tiroyaone Mampane, Cynthia Sebonego and Mr Tirelo Leshetla to allow for a full investigation to be carried out without their interference.
8. Establish a transparent and accountable system for the loan application process which will eliminate bias or lengthen turnaround time and appeal process.
9. Commission a forensic audit to establish the extent of corruption that took place at  CEDA.
10. Set up an Independent Oversight Body or commission which will monitor the activities of CEDA and its board with the power to investigate claims of corruption and financial mismanagement.
11. Ensure CEDA publish its Audited Financial Reports and make those readily available on their websites and platforms for public scrutiny.
12. Ensure that CEDA lending guidelines are reviewed so the credit and risk assessments are not as strict as any other private lending institution which has now taken CEDA away from its original mandate and now serving the interests of a select few.
13. Inquire about the number of CEDA clients who have had their delinquent loans written off as bad debts in the last 10 years. A provision of shareholders/directors and justification for such.
14. Inquire on who acted as the Shareholder in the writing off of these bad debts. In addition,  did any of these receive further funding? Kindly list
15. Inquire as to whether any individuals/companies/related parties benefited from further funding after the writing off of bad debts. Kindly list.
16. Inquire which individuals/companies have enjoyed multiple loans and the justification.
17. Inquire on what equity stakes(in quantum value) CEDA has spent externally and internally. I.e. through Venture Partners Botswana (VPB) / CEDA Structured Finance etc. What has been the ROI (Return on Investment) to date? Have the appropriate remedies been exercised in timeously in a manner that protects the Agency? How have these investments been reported internally and through Audited Financial Statements?
18. Inquire on tenders that were awarded through a direct contract in the past 10 years and the relation those companies had/have with CEDA Executive and Board Members and whether a conflict of interests was declared or whether there was no direct influence from CEDA CEO.
19. Consider whether CEDA Branches can be empowered to adjudicate loans of a certain threshold(i.e up to 1.5 million-2 million). Such would address issues of delays and misunderstandings that seem to arise due to the current model of centralisation.
20. Inquire on properties that were repossessed by CEDA and were later bought by CEDA Executive and Board members. Whether there was no insider dealing that may have led to some of those properties being bought at a value significantly lower than they were worth.
21. Inquire on substantive posts - which and how many of CEDA's employees have been employed in "acting" positions and for how long? Are there any employees who have acted out the stipulated acting periods?

We believe that a strong stance against corruption is necessary to uphold the rule of law, protect the rights and interests of the citizens, and promote a fair and just society.

We urge the Parliament of Botswana to prioritise the fight against corruption and work towards creating a more transparent, accountable, and honest government for the benefit of all citizens.