South African businessman Zunaid Moti’s business interests in Botswana have entered a new phase, with his African Hero initiative now linked to a completed school and clinic project in Gaborone and plans for a much larger infrastructure manufacturing operation.

The development represents a significant shift from the controversy that surrounded Moti’s proposed involvement in Botswana’s public infrastructure programme last year.

Recent reports say African Hero has unveiled the Duma Boko School and Clinic in Gaborone, a project associated with Moti and named after Botswana’s President. The facility was reportedly launched on September 5.

The project is particularly notable because it follows a 2025 decision by Botswana’s Ministry of Finance to reject an earlier proposal linked to Moti for the construction of schools and clinics.

At the time, the ministry raised concerns about the financial implications of the proposed arrangement and favoured an open competitive procurement process. Reports indicated that the proposed cost was approximately P9.1 million for a clinic and P36.4 million for a school.

From rejected proposal to physical project

The latest development suggests that the concept has not disappeared, but has instead evolved into a physical demonstration project.

According to recent reporting, the Block 7 school-and-clinic development is being positioned as the first physical project under an African Hero lease-to-own model proposed to the Botswana government.

The model is designed around the rapid construction of infrastructure, with African Hero associated with prefabricated facilities that can potentially be deployed faster than conventional construction.

A separate report published on September 6 put the proposed investment in a wider context, saying Moti is backing an estimated P2 billion manufacturing hub in Botswana. The proposed facility in Gabane would manufacture prefabricated schools, clinics and other infrastructure for Botswana and potentially other African markets.

If realised, the manufacturing component could be more significant economically than individual school or clinic projects because it would potentially establish a local production base rather than simply importing infrastructure.

A politically sensitive business relationship

Moti's Botswana activities have attracted attention partly because of his longstanding relationship with President Duma Boko.

The businessman has previously been described in media reports as a friend and ally of Boko. His relationship with Botswana's current president predates Boko's election victory and has been the subject of scrutiny because of Moti's reported financial support for the opposition during the 2019 election campaign.

That history makes every major government-linked opportunity involving Moti particularly sensitive.

The 2025 dispute over the proposed schools and clinics demonstrated this tension. While Moti's supporters have presented the projects as an innovative response to Botswana's infrastructure needs, critics have questioned whether such projects should be awarded through conventional competitive procurement.

The issue is therefore bigger than one businessman or one infrastructure project. It raises questions about how Botswana balances speed of delivery, private-sector innovation, transparency and public procurement.

Botswana needs investment beyond diamonds

The timing is also important for Botswana.

The country is attempting to diversify its economy away from its heavy dependence on diamonds, particularly after the recent downturn in the global diamond market. President Boko's administration has been pursuing investment in sectors including housing, tourism, renewable energy, mining and financial services.

Against that backdrop, a P2 billion manufacturing project would potentially fit into Botswana's broader industrialisation strategy.

The key question, however, will be whether the project creates meaningful local economic value through jobs, skills development, local suppliers, technology transfer and exports.

If a Botswana-based manufacturing facility can produce schools, clinics and other modular infrastructure for neighbouring African markets, it could transform Moti's Botswana strategy from a politically controversial investment story into a broader industrial-development proposition.

The bigger test

For Moti, the challenge is no longer simply securing access to the Botswana market.

It is demonstrating that the investment can deliver measurable economic benefits while maintaining transparency around government relationships and procurement.

For the Botswana government, the challenge is equally significant: attracting private capital and accelerating infrastructure delivery without compromising competitive procurement and public accountability.

The completion of the Duma Boko School and Clinic therefore marks more than the opening of another public facility. It could become an early test of whether African Hero's private-sector infrastructure model can scale into a commercially viable Botswana manufacturing and export platform.

The proposed P2 billion manufacturing hub will now be closely watched—not only for what it builds, but for whether it can create a sustainable industrial footprint in Botswana.