Botswana operation focuses on Jo’burg hub

Positive outlook pervades for year ahead RAY SMUTS DOING BUSINESS in Botswana has been ‘up and down’ this year but UTi’s Brett Halford readily admits things are looking up, with growth projected in both imports and exports for the year ahead. “Botswana, generally, has had a bit of a rough year, specifically in retail which has become very competitive, resulting in some businesses like restaurants and small retail outlets falling by the wayside,” says Zimbabwean-born Halford, MD of UTi in Gaborone who recently took over the reins from Adrian Ward. He was previously the financial manager and has been with UTi for for the past four years. He reports to the company’s Africa MD Alex Bishop in Johannesburg. UTi is a dominant player in freight forwarding, customs clearing and logistics by virtue of its strong global links; 269 offices in 59 countries, and also the customised solutions that it offers its clients. It has been active in Botswana for over 20 years. While business with neighbouring states like Lesotho, Swaziland and Zimbabwe is negligible, the thrust of UTi’s Botswana operation is with South Africa, Johannesburg specifically, and from there onwards globally. The company’s major clients are the Botswana Defence Force which accounts for around 40% of overall business, Debswana Mining Company, a joint diamond venture between the government and De Beers, and substantial textile exports under the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa). UTi operates two vehicles daily between Johannesburg and Gaborone for which it maintains a three-member staff contingent to assist with customs clearing at the Kopfontein border post. The head office complement numbers 49. Halford is bullish about the year ahead, projecting growth of around 15% in both imports and exports on the Johannesburg-Gaborone route and asserts turnover should be up by some R5 million to R45million this year. Goods entering Botswana range from machinery to packing and raw materials while exports include textiles, machinery and chewing gum, a factory having opened in the country last year.