Ndaba on Economy, Education and lame duck Parliament
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Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) Secretary General Ndaba Gaolathe says the economic problems besieging the country will not go away until government think-tanks make proper diagnosis of the economic crisis.
In an exclusive interview with the Weekend Post this week, Gaolathe charged that what government offers as a solution to the problems facing the country certainly indicates the extent to which much is being misunderstood about the country’s economy.
“We are clearly making wrong diagnosis of what the country needs,” he said.
The Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MoESD) recently announced a new initiative called Target 20 000 Up skilling programme. The initiative will see youth who failed Junior Certificate (JC) and Botswana General Certificate for Secondary Education (BGCSE) being enrolled for tertiary programmes through bridging courses.
The Gaborone Bonnington South legislator pointed out that the Target 20 000 Up Skilling is a prime example that government does not know what the country needs. “There are no clear objectives of what the programme intends to achieve,” he said. “Education should form a cog of economy’s transformation and should have put emphasis on certain key elements like; technical skills and managerial skills.”
Gaolathe contends that the new initiative by MoESD is target based and not driven by potency to transform the economy. What the government wants to achieve is to increase the quantity so that they make the case, he contends.
“It serves no purpose because it does not build the right skills that we need,” he said. “It does not increase the base of artisans, engineers, and doctors− simply it has no clear objective.”
Gaolathe, who is also the President of Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) noted that the government would rather have used the millions which are going to be spent on the Target 20 000 initiative to send unemployed youth abroad. He said, the youth would then be trained through attachment so that they earn the skills that the country needs.
Gaolathe mentioned countries like India, which has a blossoming diamonds industry as prime area, which Botswana can use for skills transfer.
Gaolathe, who spent his early career as a think tank at Botswana Institute for Development and Policy Analysis (BIDPA) further suggests that government should first do away with bottle-necks that hinder opportunities for economic prosperity.
He wants government to do away with monopolies in key sectors such as the beef industry and power production. Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) remains the only abattoir in the country allowed to export beef to foreign markets. Gaolathe wants government to end BMC monopoly and bring other players on board and establish a regulator. “You will then have broad based participation, which means more demand for cattle and more jobs,” he said.
With the country besieged by unprecedented power crisis, Gaoathe opines that it is a self created crisis. He mention government‘s inability to bring on board independent power producers and create a regulator as well. “We failed to invest on energy despite having independent power producers ready as far as 2009,” he said. “We are also lost jobs in the process.”
Gaolathe asserted that when it comes to parastatals, government gets a lot of fundamentals wrong. “Government uses iron fist as haphazard strategy on managing quasi-government institutions,” he observed. Parastatals need autonomy with clear mandates not interference.”
There are reports that the ruling party in its bid to retain power is contemplating increasing the number of constituencies from the current 57 to 120, more than double the number. Gaoathe says it’s a futile exercise and does not address the inefficiencies of parliament. “If you compare the number of MPs in Botswana to other jurisdictions such as United States based on the population-representation ratio, we already have more legislators and councillors,” he said.
Gaolathe said the biggest challenge facing parliament today is lack of independence from Office of the President. He wants parliament to consider having the budget office manned by economic experts who will do finance estimates for MPs. “Parliament should be able to have capacity to make their own assessment independent from those of the executive,” he said.
This, according to Gaolathe should be coupled by the establishment of an office manned by lawyers responsible for drafting the bills for MPs. “If we can augment expert support base, parliament can be more effective,” he said.
Gaolathe also identified public procurement as one area where the country can use as a lever for broader based participation. “We are based more on price forgetting factors such as potential and consortia,” he said.
“The system [procurement] is bad at identifying potential and has resulted in the breeding of tenderpreneurs for the politically connected,” he charged.
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Mascom, Letshego partner to deliver the MyZaka instant loan
Letshego Botswana has recently partnered with Mascom to launch the Mascom MyZaka Instant Loan, a customer focused mobile money microloan service designed to provide customers with swift and convenient access to funds, driven by the underlying theme of “Ithuse” meaning “help yourself”
The loan is said to have been developed through a partnership driven by a deep customer focus with the key objectives of access, convenience and flexible financial support to customers of Letshego Botswana and Mascom through instantly disbursed short-term loans from P50 to P1 500 over the period of one month.
Letshego’s head of transformation, Molebogeng Malomo highlighted that working through agile methodologies, the partnership was able to develop and be released as what they call a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) or solution. “In keeping up with the spirit of design thinking and agile methodologies, the experiences and viewpoints of both Letshego Botswana and Mascom’s customers will be valuable to inform further enhancements to the Mascom MyZaka solution,” he said.
He further noted that the partnership and the development of the MyZaka instant loan will provide both the organizations to diversify their offering and customer base, while also offering the customer more choices and flexibility to initiate and be in control of their loan requests through the self-service mobile based application.
Mascom’s Chief Executive Officer, Dzene Makhwade-Seboni also alluded that their origins, priorities and initiatives are firmly rooted in Botswana and in the success of all Batswana, and that their strategy and intent is supported by embracing innovative problem-solving.
“The speed with which Letshego has grown over the years gives us confidence that we have partnered with the right service provider. Their expertise and most of all, innovation, a value we both share, will be beneficial to MyZaka Mobile Money for growth and for the convenience of our subscribers,” she concluded.
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DCEC granted warrant to arrest Khama twins
The Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) has been granted permission to apprehend the former Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, Tshekedi Khama, and his twin brother Anthony Khama.
Information gathered by this publication suggests that the DCEC is actively searching for the Khama brothers, this is in connection with events that transpired whilst Tshekedi was Minister of Environment. The duo is currently in exile in South Africa together with their elder brother, and former President Lt Gen Ian Khama.
Approximately two weeks ago, the corruption-busting agency discreetly filed for an arrest warrant that was approved by the Broadhurst Magistrate Court for the two to be taken into custody, according to a highly placed source within the government enclave.
DCEC is also said to have filed an affidavit signed by a high-ranking officer known to this publication. Reports indicate that after being presented with details of the case, the Broadhurst magistrate issued the agency an arrest warrant.
It is also believed that the agency has been conducting extensive investigations into the supposed suspects for quite some time. Furthermore, Weekend Post has it on good word that the DCEC has been looking for methods to summon the two for questioning but has been unsuccessful.
According to unconfirmed reports, DCEC met with attorney Victor Ramalepa, who refused to accept the summons, saying that he is not their attorney. Furthermore, it is believed that DCEC has enlisted the assistance of the Botswana Police Service (BPS) in flagging the suspects’ names in the International Criminal Police Organisation INTERPOL.
Responding to WeekendPost enquiries, DCEC spokesperson Lentswe Motshoganetsi said, “I am not in good position to confirm or deny the allegation,” adding that such allegations may fall within the operational purview of the DCEC.
When contacted for comment, Ramalepa briefly stated that he is unaware of the purported arrest warrant. “I know nothing about the warrant and I haven’t been served with anything,” he said.
Meanwhile, former president Lt Gen Ian Khama recently issued a statement stating that DIS is intensifying the harassment and intimidation of him, family, friends and office employees.
“It is reprehensible for state officials and agencies to abuse government resources to terrorise their own citizens for personal gain,” said the former president in a statement.
He also stated that his brother TK’s staff and security were ordered to falsely implicate him. “Their desperate tactics will never work, it only serves to motivate me more to pursue regime change and free Botswana from tyranny,” he said
This comes after the corruption busting agency wants to interview the alleged suspects as they are still hiding in South Africa since last year.
Despite the hostility between government and Khama family going unabated, last month, Masisi extended an olive branch to Khama in political rally, indicating that he hopes the two of them settle their differences, of which the former responded by welcoming the gesture.
Khama further said his brother, Tshekedi, will facilitate the reconciliation of his behalf. Many have indicated that Masisi did not say what he said in good faith, and was only scoring political brownies since he was in Khama’s territory in Shoshong.
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DCEC’s Tshepo Pilane still has his mojo
Tshepo Pilane silenced his critics after being named the head of the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) in May of last year and served his opponents humble pie. Many believed he would only last for a month, but almost a year later, he is still standing.
Pilane, a trained soldier whose appointment surprised both the general public and some officers within the DCEC walls, has never glanced back in his duty to steer the DCEC ship forward.
It is alleged that immediately after his appointment the man embarked on a nation-wide trip touring the DCEC offices across the country in order to confirm and reaffirm the DCEC’s mandate. Sources from inside the DCEC claim that Pilane won the hearts of many DCEC employees due to his humility and plain message; “people at the top of the DCEC will come and go but the mandate of the DCEC remains relevant and unchanged.”
Pilane was appointed the Acting DCEC Director General at a time when the organisation was undergoing turbulence through court proceedings in which the suspended Director General Tymon Katlholo had interdicted the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) from accessing the DCEC premises. At the time, the DIS had raided the DCEC offices in the absence of Katlholo claiming to be looking for high profile corruption cases allegedly held by Katlholo.
At the time Pilane was Head of the DCEC Intelligence Division holding the position of Senior Assistant Director General reporting directly to the Deputy Director General Operations Ms Priscilla Israel. Contrary to his detractors, Pilane who is a reserved and humble person by nature won the support and backing of many DCEC officers due to his unassuming nature.
In a recent questionnaire sent to the DCEC regarding Pilane’s term in office, the DCEC was resolute on its commitment towards the fight against corruption. When quizzed on allegations of rife corruption since he took over, Pilane through his Public Relations (PR) office stated that the corruption landscape in Botswana remains unchanged as the DCEC continues to receive reports on allegations of corruption with sectors such as procurement (tenders and supplies), Transport (licensing and certificates), and land (dubious allocation and collusion) still leading issues reported. This trend has been consistence in the DCEC database for more than 10 years.
When further quizzed on accusations that suggest that due to the infighting at the agency, particularly at the top management, Investigations of cases has dropped significantly the DCEC claimed ignorance to the matter, stating that they are not aware of any “infights” at the DCEC “at the top management”, further stating that, investigations of cases has increased significantly, contrary to the allegations raised. “The DCEC is currently seeking new ways of expediting the investigations in order to fast track its enforcement role,” said the DCEC Head of Public Relations Lentswe Motshoganetsi. He further stated that the DCEC is in pursuit of high profile cases involving money and assets valued over P900 million. Three companies are involved in the scandal and two cases have already been committed to court while on one, investigations are about to be completed.
When WeekendPost inquired about Pilane’s roadmap, the DCEC stated that in the past, anti-corruption interventions were reactive, particularly in dealing with national projects that involve large sums of money. It was further started that in most instances investigating such matters takes a long time and in most instances, the money looted form Government in never recovered. As a result, the DCEC has taken a deliberate stance to attach its officers from the Corruption Prevention Division to be part of the implementation of these projects before, during, and after implementation.
The DCEC cited the Economic Stimulus Programme which, although meant to grow the economy and uplift Batswana from poverty, yielded incidents of corruption and poor workmanship. To date, the DCEC is still grappling with cases as some projects were not done, or were completed with defects beyond repair. Currently the DCEC is involved at the Ministry of Education conducting project risk management in the Multiple Path Ways Program at Moeng College and Maun Senior School. This intervention will spread to other sectors of the economy as part of the DCEC’s corruption prevention strategy.
Of recent, the DCEC has been in the media for all the wrong reasons following leakage of high profile cases and allegations claiming that the executive management is at war with each other more particularly with some within the agency harbouring ambitions to dethrone Pilane from the Directorship.
Although the infighting was denied by Pilane’s Office, he acknowledged that leakage of information is a problem across Government and stated that it is a pain at the DCEC. He however stated that Staff has been cautioned against leakage of investigation information and that they have roped in the Botswana Police to assist in investigating incidents of leakage. He further stated that they have increased continuous vetting and lifestyle audits for DCEC employees in order to enforce discipline.
Pilane’s term comes to an end in May 2023 after serving the DCEC for a year on acting basis. It will be in the public interest to see who will be given the baton to continue the anti-corruption journey if Pilane’s contract is not renewed. The DCEC has seen arrival and departure of Director Generals having alternated the top seat five times in less than seven years.