BMC rots from inside
Troubled Botswana Meat Commission is embroiled in yet another corporate governance scandal that has drained the state owned enterprise of millions of Pula over two years, while farmers remain unpaid for livestock delivered to the national abattoir.
Impeccable sources have passed letters to Botswana Guardian indicating how former Acting Chief Executive Officer Dr. Boitumelo Mogome- Maseko’s benefits were either above the stipulated threshold or not in line with the company’s guidelines. According to letters passed to this publication the benefits being inquired into include - accommodation, acting allowance, car allowance, cellphone allowance, food ration and meat ration. Anomalies on benefits awarded to Mogome- Maseko were unearthed after authorities at the ministry of agriculture made an inquiry, although it is not clear what triggered the investigation. MogomeMaseko has been acting CEO at the cash- strapped parastatal since September 2018 and has raked in allowances for accommodation despite living in the Commission’s house and car allowance despite using the Commission’s vehicles. Responding to authorities at the ministry of agriculture, acting human resource manager revealed that Mogome- Maseko has enjoyed both the use of official vehicles and the car allowance. In addition, although executive management of BMC is entitled to either eight percent or 12 percent of the basic salary as acting allowance, correspondence between the agriculture ministry and BMC indicates that Mogome- Maseko received a fixed lump sum for over 24 months that she was acting CEO. “The last acting CEO was paid a lump sum of P20 000 a month as acting allowance which has since stopped with effect from the 1st of March,” BMC said in a response to ministry authorities. BMC human resource manager said food rations for the CEO’s guest house hiked from the monthly P4000.00. Sources also say the CEO was getting between P13000 to around P15000 as housing allowance. This is despite the fact that she was using BMC house. “During the former acting CEO, we have noticed high usage of the facility ( guest house) as food ration from the staff canteen has been taken to the CEO’s house including cleaning ingredients,” reads part of the letter to agriculture authorities.
With skeletons on bad corporate governance tumbling from the closet as the former acting CEO’s regime comes under the spotlight, the minister is yet to appoint a substantive leader at the helm of the troubled parastatal.