As fwp has mentioned recently there is much chatter and some...

As fwp has mentioned recently there is much chatter and some press on the possible BCL re opening. Following from Sunday Standard is another historic perspective with up to date commentonprogress/intentions.....http://www.sundaystandard.info/it’s-whole-“new-bcl”

Couple relevant quotes: "
IT’S A WHOLE “NEW BCL”

Victor Baatweng


27 Aug 2018
This past week, the current minister responsible for Minerals, Eric Molale told a group of journalists in the capital Gaborone that the government is looking at, “re-opening Phikwe” but has no intentions to hold a stake in the new operation.
This means that once a suitor is finally found, the government will be prepared to forgo its exclusive right established under the Mines and Minerals Act which allows her to acquire a minority stake (generally 15 percent) in mining projects as a partner. The Act also gives the government the right to seek participation in mining projects by having representation in the company’s board.
On Tuesday, Molale said under the new and imminent structure – the mining operations at Selebi Phikwe will totally be private sector led.
‘Taking shareholding will not be of any help given the frequent fluctuations of copper nickel prices”, Molale admitted.
While he could not shed much light on prospective new owners of the mine, Molale said that already there are suitors that government has been in talks with.
“But of course they will have to go through the government procurement system”.

The JV's mentioned include but do not give name to the BML/BCL JV under the Polaris umbrella...:" APPROVAL TO TRANSFORM INTO A REGIONAL POWERHOUSE
June 2014: In mid 2014, documents shown to the Sunday Standard, also presented to cabinet indicated that BCL Mine leadership proposed to government a new set of drastic steps to get away from the “sundown mentality that the curtain is about to close.”
The leaked documents indicated that the mine wanted to be allowed to become a “Base metals business of Southern Africa.”
The proposals came after internal discussions in Government established that SPEDU ( a parastatal established to save the town beyond BCL Mine) would not be able to move fast enough much less be capable of becoming a replacement of BCL in the town.
As part of the new plan, BCL was said to have started looking for mining deposits around the country that would replace the diminishing copper deposits that the company was mining.
The Mine was also to establish joint ventures which will fast-track the process of enlisting into its production pipeline a number of known deposits which had been left un-mined because at the time they were deemed not economic enough." (Emphasis is mine).

In conclusion:"
A WHOLE NEW BCL
AUGUST 2018: Although the final liquidation process is still on, the Botswana government confirms that new suitors have shown interest in the mine. The liquidator Nigel Dixon-Warren had earlier during 2018 indicated that the process will take up to 7 years, but the government is opposed to such suggestion. This week, Molale made it clear that the government is not in agreement with suggestion made by the liquidator that the legal process could take up to seven years to end. “We do not agree with that”.
While it is not clear how the government will go about the legal processes relating to liquidation, one thing that is certain is that it has intentions to put up a “whole new BCL”.

We wait and see.