BAMB under DCEC radar
In a letter dated 24th February 2021, the acting Board Chairperson Ruth Mphathi wrote to Morakaladi that his contract is ending 28th February 2021 despite the contract being left with two years.
“This serves to inform you that your employment contract as approved by the Ministry of Agriculture is ending 28th February 2021.
“The Board acknowledges that in terms of the contract signed with yourself, the duration of the contract is from the 5th March 2018 to the 4th March 2021 and based on the aforementioned your last working day is the 26th February 2021,” read part of the letter.
Sources close to BAMB Boardroom brawl revealed that the acting Board Chairperson and some members of the Executive Committee had long hatched a plan to remove Morakaladi from office.
Mphathi has since dismissed claims of any boardroom brawl at BAMB. She pointed out that the contract had come to an end and the reasons for non- renewal could not be shared.
DCEC investigated BAMB sometime last year at the invitation of the CEO Morakaladi following a manufactured whistle- blowing report by disgruntled employees.
According to sources at the corruption busting agency, the DCEC led by then Director General, Joseph Mathambo cleared Morakaladi of any wrongdoing. This is said to have prompted the DCEC to launch fresh investigations on the axing of the CEO, misappropriation of funds and loss of funds due to written off medicine that expired.
To be questioned are Acting Board Chairperson, Acting CEO, Board Secretary ( head of legal), Head of Internal Audit and finance director among others.
Botswana Guardian has established that a write off of about half a million Pula for the first quarter of the year happened due to expired medicine. According to sources in the past it was even higher and reached the region of P900 000. It has also emerged that some undisclosed amount of funds that were to be used for the refurbishment of the organisation’s boardroom has been misappropriated.
BAMB Public Relations Officer Simisani Chilisa said the only period in which BAMB suffered a significant loss from expired medicine was 2016 after taking over Government Livestock Advisory Centres ( LAC’s).
“All medicines are dispatched immediately upon arrival to make sure stock arrives where it is needed. BAMB currently does not have expired medicine, our medicines are usually one of the faster moving products as there is a very high demand.
“The challenge is geared towards meeting the demand rather than BAMB having excess left over for expiration,” Chilisa said in response to a questionnaire about the written off medicine.
This publication understands that last week Vice President Slumber Tsogwane instructed a task team comprising of Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security Dr. Letlhogile Modisa together with DCEC officials to investigate BAMB.
The team is said to have questioned some members of staff at the parastatal. A BAMB insider said Morakaladi was pushed out after he had invited DCEC to investigate some allegations of corruption at BAMB especially after close to P1 million was allegedly used to pay some companies which were engaged to provide inventory audit and refurbishment of the Boardroom were unaccounted for.
Documents seen by this publication reveal that the current Minister of Health Dr. Edwin Dikoloti ( former BAMB board member), Dr. Gloria Somolokae ( former BAMB Chairperson), now Acting Chairperson Ruth Mphathi ( then Deputy Chairperson) and Ogone Madisa Kgwarae, Zibo Nthobatsang ( Board member), Quett Rabai ( Board member), and Colonel Duke Masilo ( Board member) together with Executive management were present during a meeting where discussions in relation to CEO contract was discussed.
In a twist of events and after the current Board led by acting Chair Mphathi terminated CEO’s contract some minutes dated 28th February 2019 show that a discussion in relation to CEO’s contract from three years to five years was discussed and approved.
According to the minutes of the meeting “The Chief Executive Officer shall be employed on a fixed term contract of five years as determined by the Board and such appointment and contract renewal shall be subject to compulsory retirement age of 60.
Executive managers directly appointed by the Board of Directors, and the next level of management after executive, shall be employed on fixed term of three to five years as determined by the Board and such appointment and contract renewal shall be subject to compulsory retirement age of 60”. Responding to Botswana Guardian enquiries on the CEO’s contract, Board Secretary Onkemetse Thomas said the Board was advised based on the facts before it at the time. She said there was never a discussion or resolution by the Board on the variation of the former CEO’s contract in 2018 or in 2019.
“There has never been a recommendation from the BAMB Board of Directors to vary the former CEO’s contract of employment and therefore no recommendation to forward to the Minister.
“The Minister did not receive the variation recommendation as there was no Board resolution to vary the former CEO’s contract,” she said.
On misappropriation of funds, Thomas said the organisation is not aware of the said allegation and therefore is constrained to respond to same.
DCEC Spokesperson Lentswe Motshoganetsi said they are not investigating BAMB. In a response signed on behalf of Director General, Motshoganetsi said the corruption busting agency has however, through the Public Education Division of “the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime ( DCEC), conducted corruption awareness campaigns across BAMB offices ( Branches) within the country. In that regard a total of 373 employees were sensitised”.
He said DCEC has not been in any joint mission with any other agency on any alleged investigations.