Controversy continues to shroud the Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO) resulting in reports of resignations, suspensions and backstabbing. As such, Minister of Environment and Tourism Philda Kereng is caught right in the middle.

Mmegi Staffer SHARON MATHALA has a sit down with the Minister as she unpacks some of her decisions among others suspending the BTO board chairperson Boitumelo Sekwababe

BTO board chair suspended, tenders resignation

All I want is reforms for the benefit of Batswana - Kereng

Kereng on Sunday embarked on a ‘clean up’ campaign by suspending Sekwababe. The chairperson’s suspension comes in the wake of a power tussle between him and BTO acting CEO, Tshoganetso Carl-Ponoesele but before the ink could dry on his suspension letter, Sekwababe dramatically resigned.

“I have since accepted Sekwababe’s resignation and gone on to appoint an acting board chair. I believe Sekwababe was not fit to be a part of the team mandated to deliver jobs and placing Botswana tourism on the map through reforms and policy changes,” Kereng expressed. But what could have led to the drama? Mmegi is informed that Sekwababe and Carl-Ponoesele’s working relationship had broken down irretrievably and the pair had been back biting each other.

Other reports suggest that Carl-Ponoesele who was in fact recommended and appointed for the position by the board and according to reports attributed to the board chair she was refusing to act on board resolutions and was undermining the board. Kereng firstly explained that the mandate of the board is to provide guidance, direction and support at policy and strategic levels as necessary for management to discharge its duties as stipulated in the BTO Act.

“And this is important as it is in line with government reset agenda.” According to the Minister since the board’s appointment last year October, none of these functions were executed. Instead, the Minister indicated that the board has been overwhelmed with matters that should be at management level. “During induction there was a mandate set for the board. There were urgent issues that they needed to deal with, things like audit reports that needed to be updated.

The Auditor General (AG) and the Public Account Committee (PAC) had expressed concern that BTO was behind in accounting and those were some of the urgent matters we told them to deal with,” the Minister explained. She continued; “My expectation was that after the induction the board will then execute its mandate to redeem the image of BTO. To enhance its integrity and to become an organisation that is self-fuellled.

We are six months down the line and within those months I have been in close contact with the chairman on his mandate.” It is said that the dispute escalated to a point of no return when Carl-Ponoesele refused to re-hire a junior officer who was recommended by the board chair. Last week Thursday when the Ministry together with BTO executives travelled to Maun , the board chair is said to have also visited BTO offices and demanded official documents from junior officers.

“The complaint I received from the CEO was that she had been receiving complaints from staff that the board chairman had come to demand official documents in her (CEO’s) absence. Just as our working relationship had been, when the report came to me I sent him (Board Chair) a WhatsApp text that I had received the complaint from the CEO and advised him on what I thought was the right procedure,” the Minister said.

According to the Minister, this time around Sekwababe did not receive the WhatsApp message kindly. “He then responded to my WhatsApp through a lengthy email detailing how he feels I am meddling in issues. He accused me of all sorts of things in the email,” Kereng pointed out. Asked how their relationship was before the weekend events, the Minister said, “We really had a good cordial working relationship.

We don’t know each other personally, but it was cordial hence why I was comfortable with sending him a WhatsApp text when I received the complaint from the CEO.” “This matter comes when I had also received a complaint about how procedure had been flouted when dealing with the case of the re-hiring of a junior employee. Management had refused to rehire the employee but the board was insisting.

I needed to investigate why the board chair was and is adamant that this junior officer, whose contract had ended five months ago and did not express any interest in further working with BTO should be rehired,” said the Minister.

Asked why she hasn’t hired a substantive CEO, despite recommendations from the board, Kereng said, “In actual fact that recommendation has not yet reached my desk. It has been submitted to the ministry yes, but it has not yet reached my desk as the consideration is still in the pipeline following government protocols but I can assure you an appointee will be made very soon.” Kereng further said she is now focusing on the future and her mission is to make sure that Batswana benefit from the tourism sector.

“I am firm and resolute with that. We can only do so when governance issues are dealt with and cleared. I have given myself and my team until December for us to start showing results.” Asked if she was not meddling in BTO issues by allowing the CEO to report directly to her, the Minister said, “Well I don’t think she is reporting directly to me.

She only reports issues that she feels she is aggrieved on. She has only reported to me when she was being coerced into signing things that she feels are not within the confines of the law.”