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ON TIME BOSS BUILDS E65M SCHOOL, CLINIC

15/12/2019 07:13:00 BY WELCOME DLAMINI

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MPAKA – He might be down but he is definitely not out! That’s the story of businessman Machawe Gama, the director of Sukke On Time Investments, who had the bank accounts of three of his companies frozen by the Central Bank of Eswatini because of alleged questionable business conduct.

Despite this setback, Gama is not resting on his laurels but is working hard on some of his projects, which include a major one: the construction of a high school and a health facility – a project that is expected to cost E65 million.
The project is being undertaken at Gama’s home area of Lubhuku, Mpaka town, in the Lubombo region.

Every person you come across in the area is well aware of the project and they cannot stop talking about it to whoever wants to know.
It is the pride of the area.

“You will drive across the railway line and go past a school known as Enjabulweni and then came across a sports field; from there you will notice massive developments on the right hand side of the road and that’s where they will tell you what’s happening,” said one resident, who was the first person that the Times SUNDAY team spoke to just after taking the turn-off from Mpaka to Lubhuku.

bumpy

From the turn-off, it is an almost 20-minutes drive on a bumpy and pothole-filled gravel road to Lubhuku.
Then rains that fell throughout the early days of the week had worsened the drive because pools of water and mud filled the road, making it the more cumbersome to negotiate.
Indeed you cannot miss the developments that are going on in the area once you get to the sports field that was spoken of by the resident who gave directions.

By the standards of the area, the site where Sukke On Time Investments operates from is massive and the works being carried out there give the area an industrial feeling.
Upon meeting Gama and some of his right-hand people, he took the Times SUNDAY to the site where the school and clinic are being constructed.

clearly

His face beams and a wide smile fills his face as he starts to speak about the project, which clearly means a lot to him.
“This whole project has been calculated to cost about E65 million. The school will include a boarding facility for the pupils, a community hall and a sports ground that is some form of a stadium that will host games played in the entire Lubombo region. There will also be teachers’ quarters within the premises such that it resembles a mission. The calculations of the total cost includes all these structures,” Gama said.

He stated that this will not just be an ordinary school but will be of international standards and will teach an international syllabus.
“That’s why we welcome even those who support such initiatives to come and be part of this massive development because it is meant to develop the nation, the people and the community,” the businessman said.
He outlined that depending on how government reacts once the project is complete and what it has to say about it, he was willing to partner with the state on this project.
“These days government lacks finances and cannot afford teaching material yet if we operate the school on our own we can manage to meet the school’s demands and there are no delays,” he said.

Gama said the infrastructure would be of international standards as well as ensure that the syllabus will accommodate pupils from even East Africa and neighbouring Mozambique.
“The courses that will be taught here will ensure that pupils upon completing their studies will be able to enrol in any college globally and not be limited by anything. We now live in a global world where we can apply to any college in the world and that’s why we don’t want our pupils to be limited by the syllabus we will adopt here.
‘‘The pupils will be able to study anywhere in the world once they complete here,” said the businessman.

steams

He stated that there were 24 classes that would be built for the school and they were looking at having between 500 and 600 pupils and the streams will be from Form I to Form VI.
In terms of how the community will benefit from this project, Gama said employment opportunities have already been created by the construction of the school and clinic.
“Secondly, there are local children we will be taking in and expose them to the international syllabus that will be provided in the school so that they can also have an equal opportunity to access what the world has to offer, thereby changing their lives completely,” he said.

He mentioned that they would also be looking at taking in mostly orphaned and vulnerable children because they would have a programme that is going to focus strictly on them.
“What we will also ensure is that our syllabus is skills based in terms of having practical subjects such as motor mechanics, panel beating, spray painting and operating a TLB. We will issue certificates to pupils in these fields so that if they do not enrol in universities they would have other professions to explore. We also offer bricklaying subjects to the pupils so that they are empowered,’’ Gama said.

He referred to what is happening in Mozambique where he said children were taught practical skills at a young age so that they can so a lot of things even before they reach secondary school.

imparting

“We also want to start imparting the practical skills to the pupils at a tender age,” the businessman said.
Asked on where the funding for the project is coming from, Gama said at the moment, it came from one of the businesses he is operating.
“You might be aware that On Time Investments has a subsidiary that deals with construction which is playing a major role in the construction of the school. We have taken our time in preparing for this project because this is a vision not a haphazardly thought development,” he said.

He added that this project was going to be a success by God’s grace because it was going to change a lot of people’s lives.
“That’s why I am going to ensure the success of this project no matter what the circumstances may be,” he emphasised.
Meanwhile, Gama’s companies that have had their bank accounts frozen include Sukke On Time Investments (Pty) Ltd, Sukke Logistics (Pty) Ltd and MTG Investments (Pty) Ltd.
According to the Central Bank, all these companies are under Gama’s sole directorship.

The Central Bank told the High Court that operated a scheme where members of the public were made to believe that they would get returns from deposits they made to Sukke On Time Investments from its alleged business of photocopier machines.
The bank said despite the funds being invested, no photocopying machines were purchased by Sukke On Time Investments and members of the public were not invited to view their photocopying machines.