An investigation by amaBhungane and the INK Centre for Investigative Journalism has cast new light on a secretive British-registered company whose extensive colonial-era land holdings have become a hot political issue in Botswana. Politicians across the Southern African country’s political divide have expressed concern about the Tati Company, which is believed to own large tracts of land in the North-East District while many Batswana are said to need land for housing, cultivation and grazing. There is a widespread perception that the company’s main client is government and that it overprices the land it sells. AmaBhungane could find no evidence in Tati’s accounts or elsewhere either to confirm or disprove this claim. The land, in Francistown and surrounding areas, was conceded in the late 19th century by the king of Matabeleland, Lobengula. The Tati Company was incorporated in 1914 when Tati Concession Ltd ran into financial difficulties. It passed into the hands of South African multimillionaire Bernard Glazer, whose ownership was confirmed in a controversial deal with Botswana’s first president, Sir Seretse Khama, after the country gained independence. Glazer died in 1984. The Tati Company is registered in the United Kingdom, but its holding company is a mysterious vehicle registered in…