Bangwaketse vow to report Bathoen II Trust to DCEC
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Some concerned members of Bathoen II Dam Nature Sanctuary Management Trust, which was motivated by the late visionary Kgosi Bathoen Gaseitsiwe II of Bangwaketse, have vowed to report the incumbent Trust board members for financial misappropriation and potential corruption at the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC).
WeekendPost previously, ran a story in February detailing a damning audit report. The report suggested the Trust books from 2011 to 2014 were being investigated. The classified report revealed “loopholes” in the running of affairs of the Trust. It discovered missing receipts and duplicate receipt books as well as inactive accounts of the Trust which were never closed and suspicious financial practices.
“This is a serious matter that needs attention and redress. We will approach the DCEC to assist investigate potential corruption and maladministration practices on the matter with regard to the Trust,” chairman of the Bangwaketse concerned members of the Trust, David Radikokwana Maswabi told a press conference this week at the late Bathoen’s residence located in the vicinity of the kgotlakgolo.
Maswabi continued: “I tell you that we are going there at the DCEC to report the incumbent Trust (board members). I just want to make it abundantly clear. We are going there and we know the procedure. It’s only that we are cautious and respectful about the whole matter.”
According to the concerned members of the Trust, the Trust constitution calls for annual public release of audited financial reports, showing how several income generating projects belonging to the Trust have performed, and the current board has over many years failed in its responsibility to do so.
“The last controversial financial report was produced in 2009 and revealed rampant looting and mismanagement of the finances and properties of the Trust with total impunity of those involved,” the concerned Bangwaketse tribesmen asserted in a statement.
They also said that there are parallel management and governance structures controlling the assets of the Trust, with one for the Kanye Brigades Bathoen Trust and the other for Mmakgodumo Culture and Heritage.
“Surprisingly, credible reports indicate that such management structures have since been amalgamated into one without prior consultation with the tribe as required by the constitution.”
The concerned members further highlighted that “there is an unprecedented heightened interest of illegal operating and ghost trustees in the Kanye Brigades, precisely because it provides a handy cash cow for them and yet the income generated is not managed properly and employed for the maintenance and investments of its assets, but has instead been misappropriated.”
They consequently have declared that the Board of Trustees of the Bathoen Trust are operating illegally and unlawfully because in the first place, they were never openly and democratically voted into office at a kgotla meeting as provided for in the constitution of the organization.
The constitution of the Trust provides that office bearers must seek fresh mandate and hold election into office every two years but the Trust has never done so since coming into the office in October 2001.
And although all but one member of the Trust have relinquished their executive positions, “the remaining member has since contemptuously self-appointed his friends into office to unlawfully run the affairs of the Trust even though there is no provision in the constitution for co-opting board members.”
The members said they are now seeking legal advice because the self-appointed Board has repeatedly denied the tribe requests for public access and accountability to the latest financial report where huge sums of money are also reportedly not accounted for.
Bathoen II Trust has acquired many assets under his name which are owned by morafe spanning from Mmakgodumo dam, Ramatea ranch, King George Memorial Hall, Marapalalo Hall, Agricultural showground, Tomela Council Chambers, Ledibelo reservoir, former Tsopye dam, Dihalana, Kanye museum, a plot housing Veterinary services, Kanye Brigade Development Trust, was also involved in building Kanye Seventh day Adventist Hospital, some Primary schools including Makaba II, Maisantwa, Matsaakgang, Rachele, and was also involved in exploring the construction of Kgwakgwe mine, and Moshawa mine among others.
Although the value of the assets have not been ascertained at this point some speculate that Bathoen left behind assets for his morafe in the region of millions – which are at the centre of controversy as there are issues of alleged negligence, maladministration, corruption and unaccountability.
Chaired by Lobatse former mayor, Maswabi, the concerned members of the Trust comprise of its Secretary, Fikile Moahi, and other members include Charles Pelekekae, Kepatilwe Rex Mafoko, Keoabele Ketsile, Steyn Kgosiemang and Bakana Kgosikhumo Mokonopi.
WeekendPost has gathered that the concerned members of the Trust are a thorn in the flesh for the tribal leadership particularly presiding Kgosikgolo Malope Gaseitsiwe II who is the patron of the Trust – his grandfather’s brainchild.
Malope is said to be sympathetic to the incumbent Trust board members and has almost adopted a see-no-evil-hear-no-evil approach towards them even as concerns of flouting of the Trust constitution continue to swirl.
Bontleeng Gaseitsiwe, one of Bathoen’s two surviving daughters who was present at the press briefing, spoke fondly of her father’s development achievements but also said she was worried about how the Trust has not fulfilled its obligations as far as protecting the legacy of her father is concerned.
“How can I not be worried about the turn of events! Bathoen did all this to develop us (his subjects). He developed this village of course with the support of morafe. Horticulture was feeding us, he did a lot through his mophato, that’s why Kanye then was on the fore front. He did put us on the map.” Today, she said, Kanye is now regressing in terms of development “while we are supposed to be stepping into Bathoen’s shoes and strategy in developing the village.”
She said as the royal family, they from time to time advise reigning Kgosi Malope II although at times their advises are just taken for granted and fall on deaf ears. She further pointed out that her father addressed the problems of his tribe effectively and admirably and so should Malope.
The audit report which was leaked to this publication and was prepared by an independent audit team and commissioned by the office of the Senior Assistant Council Secretary in the Southern District Council (SDC) – unearthed possibilities of “noncompliance” of some procedures in running of Bathoen Trust.
The audit was particularly aimed at checking compliance and adherence to the Deed of Trust; checking that all relevant documents of books of accounts are maintained and recorded adequately; verifying that the employees are paid at correct rates as per their contracts and determining that all foreign employees have valid work and resident permits.
It also intended to check that all funds collected are banked whole; check if agreement entered with donor agencies are adhered to; verify and validate that Corporate Governance standards and principles are implemented and followed; as well as whether the mandate of the trust is adhered to as stipulated in the Deed of Trust.
In order to achieve the objectives, documents of the Trust were examined including; Employees Personal files, Payroll file, Terminal benefit file, Cheque books, Income and expenditure cash books, Bank statements, Income receipt books, Deposit books, Payment vouchers, Minutes and Board Resolutions and the Deed of trust.
The Bangwaketse Concerned also brought to light that the United Nations Development Programme visited the Trust and questioned as to why the committee never changes.
Bathoen Trust Chairman Ramokone was said to be in a meeting when this publication attempted to solicit a comment from him before press time.
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The curtain came down at the PAP session with pomp and FUNFAIR
It was pomp and funfair at the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) on March 18 as the African Cultural Music and Dance Association (ACUMDA) brought the curtains down on the PAP session with a musical performance.
The occasion was the celebration of the Pan-African Parliament Day (PAP Day) which commemorated the inauguration of the first Parliament of the PAP on 18 March 2004 at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The celebrations took place at the seat of the Parliament in Midrand to “reflect on the journey” as the institution turns 19. The event sought to retrace the origin and context of the establishment of the PAP.
The celebrations included musical performances by ACUMDA and a presentation by Prof. Motshekga Mathole of the Kara Heritage Institute on “Whither Pan-Africanism, African Culture, and Heritage.”
The PAP Day was officially launched in 2021 to educate citizens about the Continental Parliament and ignite conversations about its future in line with its mandate.
The establishment of the PAP among the AU organs signalled a historical milestone and the most important development in the strengthening of the AU institutional architecture. It laid solid groundwork for democratic governance and oversight within the African Union system and provided a formal “platform for the peoples of Africa to get involved in discussions and decision-making on issues affecting the continent.”
The genesis of the PAP can be legally traced back to 1991 with the adoption of the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community, adopted on June 3, 1991, in Abuja (also known as the Abuja Treaty). This treaty defined the pillars and grounds for realizing economic development and integration in Africa and called for the creation of a continental parliament, among a set of other organs, as tools for the realization of African integration and economic development. This call was reemphasized in the Sirte Declaration of 1999, which called for the accelerated implementation of the provisions of the Abuja Treaty.
PAP celebrated its ten years of existence in March 2014, a year which coincided with the adoption, on June 27, 2014, in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, of the Protocol to the Constitutive Act of the African Union relating to the Pan-African Parliament (PAP Malabo Protocol), which, once in force, will transform the PAP into a legislative body of the AU. It requires a minimum of 28 countries to ratify it before it comes into force.
Therefore, the commemoration of PAP Day serves as a reminder to the decision-makers around the continent to fulfil their commitment to the PAP by ratifying its Protocol, 19 years after sanctioning its establishment. 14 AU member states have so far ratified the Malabo Protocol.
The celebrations of PAP Day coincided with the closing ceremony of the sitting of the PAP Permanent Committees and other organs. The Sitting took place in Midrand, South Africa under the AU theme for 2023, “Accelerating the implementation of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)” from 6 to 17 March 2023.
PAP President, H.E. Chief Fortune Charumbira, expressed appreciation to members for their commitment during the two-week engagement.
“We have come to the end of our program, and it is appropriate that we end on a high note with the PAP Day celebrations.
“We will, upon your return to your respective countries, ensure that the work achieved over the past two weeks is transmitted to the national level for the benefit of our citizens,” concluded H.E. Chief Charumbira.
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PAP needs to priorities land issues-Prof Mathole
Prof Motshekga Mathole of the Kara Heritage Institute has advised the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) to prioritise the land issue in the continent if they are to remain relevant.
He said this while addressing the Plenary during the commemoration of PAP Day held at the PAP Chambers in Midrand, South Africa
The PAP Day was officially launched in 2021 to commemorate the inauguration of the first Parliament on 18 March 2004 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Intended as a platform for people of all African states to be involved in discussions and decision-making on problems and challenges facing the continent.
In a speech titled “Whither Pan-Africanism, African Culture, and Heritage,” Prof Mathole stated that for PAP to remain relevant, it must address the continent’s key land dilemma, which he feels is the core cause of all problems plaguing the continent
“If this Parliament is to be taken seriously, ownership of land and natural resources must be prioritized at the national and continental levels. Africans are not poor; they are impoverished by imperialist nations that continue to hold African land and natural resources,” said Prof Mathole.
“When African leaders took power from colonialists, they had to cope with poverty, unemployment, and other issues, but they ignored land issues. That is why Africa as a whole is poor today. Because our land and minerals are still in the hands of colonizers, Africa must rely on Ukraine for food and Europe for medical.”
Prof Mathole believes that the organization of the masses is critical as cultural revolution is the only solution to Africa’s most problems.
“We need a cultural revolution for Africa, and that revolution can only occur if the masses and people are organized. First, we need a council of African monarchs since they are the keepers of African arts, culture, and heritage. We need an African traditional health practitioners council because there is no ailment on the planet that cannot be healed by Africans; the only problem is that Africans do not harvest and process their own herbs,” he said.
Meanwhile, PAP President, H.E. Hon Chief Fortune Charumbira expressed satisfaction with the commitment displayed throughout the two-week period and said the PAP Day celebrations were befitting curtains down to the august event.
“On this high note of our two-week engagement, it is appropriate that we close our program on a high note with PAP celebrations, and I would like to thank everyone for your commitment, and please continue to be committed,” said H.E Hon Chief Charumbira.
PAP’s purpose as set out in Article 17 of the African Union Constitutive Act, is “to ensure the full participation of African people in the development and economic integration of the continent”. As it stands, the mandate of the Parliament extends to consultation and playing an advisory and oversight role for all AU organs pending the ratification protocol.
Also known as the Malabo Protocol, the Protocol to the consultative act of the AU relating to the PAP was adopted at the Assembly of Heads of State and Government summit in June 2014 and is intended to extend the powers of the PAP into a fully-fledged legislative organ. It requires a minimum of 28 countries to ratify it before it comes into force.
The commemoration of the PAP Day, therefore, serves as a reminder to the decision-makers around the continent to fulfil their commitment to the PAP by ratifying its Protocol, 17 years after sanctioning its establishment. 14 AU member states have so far ratified the Malabo Protocol.
The PAP Day commemoration also aims to educate citizens about the PAP and ignite conversations about the future of the continental Parliament in line with its mandate.
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DPP drops Kably threat to kill case
The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for Letlhakeng/Lephephe Liakat Kably has welcomed the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP)’s decision not to prosecute BDP councillor, Meshack Tshenyego who allegedly threatened to kill him. However, the legislator has warned that should anything happen to his life, the state and the courts will have to account.
In an interview with this publication, Kablay said he has heard that the DPP has declined to prosecute Tshenyego in a case in which he threatened to kill him adding that the reasons he received are that there was not enough evidence to prosecute. “I am fine and at peace with the decision not to prosecute over evidential deficits but I must warn that should anything happen to my life both the DPP and the Magistrate will have to account,” Kablay said.
Connectedly, Kably said he has made peace with Tshenyego, “we have made peace and he even called me where upon we agreed to work for the party and bury the hatchet”.
The DPP reportedly entered into a Nolle Prosequi in the matter, meaning that no action would be taken against the former Letlhakeng Sub-district council chairperson and currently councillor for Matshwabisi.
According to the charge sheet before the Court, councilor Tshenyego on July 8th, 2022 allegedly threatened MP Kably by indirectly uttering the following words to nominatedcouncilor Anderson Molebogi Mathibe, “Mosadi wa ga Liakat le ban aba gagwe ba tsile go lela, Mosadi wame le banake le bone ba tsile go lela. E tla re re mo meeting, ka re tsena meeting mmogo, ke tla mo tlolela a bo ke mmolaya.”
Loosely translated this means, Liakat’s wife and children are going to shed tears and my wife and kids will shed tears too. I will jump on him and kill him during a meeting.
Mathibe is said to have recorded the meeting and forwarded it to Kably who reported the matter to the police.
In a notice to the Magistrate Court to have the case against Tshenyego, acting director of Public Prosecutions, Wesson Manchwe cited the nolle prosequi by the director of public prosecution in terms of section 51 A (30) of the Constitution and section 10 of the criminal procedure and evidence act (CAP 08:02) laws of Botswana as reasons for dropping the charges.
A nolle prosequi is a formal notice of abandonment by a plaintiff or prosecutor of all or part of a suit or action.
“In pursuance of my powers under section 51 A (300 of the Constitution and section 10 of the criminal procedure and evidence act (CAP 08:02) laws of Botswana, I do hereby stop and discontinue criminal proceedings against the accused Meshack Tshenyego in the Kweneng Administrative District, CR.No.1077/07/2022 being the case of the State vs Tshenyego,” said Manchwe. The acting director had drafted the notice dropping the charges on 13th day of March 2023.
The case then resumed before the Molepolole Magistrate Solomon Setshedi on the 14th of March 2023. The Magistrate issued an order directing “that matters be withdrawn with prejudice to the State, accused is acquitted and discharged.”