Fresh information has emerged that Botswana Democratic Party Secretary (BDP) General, Mpho Balopi, and Trade and Industry Minister, Dorcas Malesu, may be pawns played by a big invisible hand seeking to take over control of the Botswana Confederation of Commerce Industry and Manpower (BOCCIM).
The two BDP big shots are part of a plan to remove BOCCIM president, Alex Monchusi, from office which has plunged the business confederation into chaos ahead of an AGM rescheduled for 8 August.
It is understood that the council is being lobbied by BOCCIM Chief Executive Officer, Machailo- Ellis, Minister of Trade and Industry, Dorcas Makgato-Malesu and BDP Secretary General Mpho Balopi to stop Monchusi from taking action against the BOCCIM CEO or remove her from office.
According to the documents passed to Sunday Standard, council members, Mpho Balopi and Odirile Merafhe, son to former Vice President Mompati Merafhe, are reportedly intimidating council members and giving them the impression that they are under instruction from top political leadership to ensure Monchusi is taken out. Names of the top political leadership, believed to be the third force in the BOCCIM power struggle have been kept secret.
At an ‘illegal meeting’, the duo allegedly proposed that Monchusi be removed from office as BOCCIM President and as a nominee for re-election and council members were told to toe the line.
“Please be informed that the BOCCIM Council, at its special meeting of 24 June 2013, has unanimously resolved to relieve you of your duties as BOCCIM president with immediate effect. It was further resolved that you be given an option to resign voluntarily if you wish so,” states the letter.
The letter was signed by, among others, Moffat Mbaakanyi, Mpho Balopi, Charles Chiwawa, Dudu Khupe, Odirile Merafhe, Tumi Mbaakanyi, Gobusamang Keebine, Neo Nwako, Faried Van Wyk and Butler Phirie.
Monchusi and BOCCIM Chief Executive Officer Maria Machailo-Ellis have emerged as proxies in the power struggle for the control of BOCCIM. Responding to a letter removing him from office, Monchusi by return mail dated 25th June 2013 suspended Machailo-Ellis from duty. Reasons for Machailo-Ellis’s suspension were among others, “…to have undermined and continue to undermine my authority as the BOCCIM President who is also chairman of the BOCCIM Council; such as for instance insisting on convening a meeting that the President has cancelled”.
“You have caused divisions within Council, turning some council members against the Chairman and BOCCIM President through false and unsubstantiated allegations and disparaging remarks and commentary distributed by yourself to council members,” said Monchusi.
Machailo Ellis is also accused of conniving and sponsoring an illegal meeting by some BOCCIM Council members aimed at covertly and dishonestly trying to cause the removal from office of an elected BOCCIM official being the President.
Monchusi also accused Maria-Machailo of ignoring and disregarding lawful instructions from him.
“It has therefore become clear that the organisation will not be able to resolve the issues of your conduct and pending disciplinary hearing while you continue to sit in office and manipulate the process,” states Monchusi in his letter.
Before the AGM that was rescheduled, at one of the meetings, some Council members are said to have suggested that it was cheaper to get rid of Monchusi than to get rid of Machailo-Ellis who is expensive to fire.
In a letter addressed to Machailo and copied to council members, dated 04 July, Monchusi states that in order “for us to contribute towards bringing order and normalcy to BOCCIM, it is important, in my view that as individuals we are disciplined and business like, in our attitudes and approach to BOCCIM’s business and affairs”.
This would require, Monchusi suggested, that secretariat respects the structures of BOCCIM and the CEO does not reach out over the President or council members on matters that are administrative or management matters, thus causing council to become operational and, in the process, usurping power and control from her supervisor being the BOCCIM President.
“It will also require that the CEO does not communicate with the Council or council members without first discussing and getting approval of the same from the President,” states Monchusi.
Monchusi also suggested that council members should carry on with their business and personal affairs and stop worrying about certain actions to the management, being the CEO and the President as their input will be sought when needed and appropriate.
The war of words between Monchusi and Machailo-Ellis dates as far back as November last year according to minutes titled “BOCCIM Finance and Management Committee (FAMCO)…”
According to the minutes, Machailo-Ellis accuses Monchusi of making contradictory remarks on BOCCIM and his impression on not being well informed on the operations of the Secretariat.
“The President’s behaviour of making contradictory remarks on BOCCIM of which he is the President some of which border on my performance as CEO and contradicting the CEO in public which has brought BOCCIM into disrepute,” said Machailo-Ellis.
She cited the National Business Council (NBC),-meeting the President at the airport, His Excellency leaving the NBDC before former President of Ghana’s representative spoke, Governor of the Bank of Botswana as examples at which Monchusi contradicted her.
Machailo-Ellis also cites another embarrassing moment when “’we were trying to convince His Excellency the President to stay on and listen to the guest speaker at NBC, the BOCCIM President said no.”
She also accuses Monchusi of a tendency of informing even stakeholders how BOCCIM is not informing him about issues.
The BOCCIM CEO also accuses her President of “inconsistency in making commitments by the President causing the BOCCIM a huge embarrassment and impacting negatively on relations with stakeholders, Trade Missions to Sweden, the Zimbabwe Credit line signing agreement, NBC Press Conference.
The same minutes also show that in his response to Machailo’s presentation, Monchusi expressed concern that she “actually threatened the BOCCIM Finance Committee that she can somehow sabotage the organisation if she does not have her way”.
But the BOCCIM Finance Committee warned that “threatening the organisation by an employee is out of order and CEO should desist from that”.
A special committee comprising, amongst others, Neo Moroka, Denis Alexander, Elias Dewah and Iqbal Ebrahim which is investigating the turmoil at BOCCIM is expected to present findings at the upcoming AGM scheduled for 08 August.
Contacted for comment, Balopi said that he could not see any progress at BOCCIM under the leadership of Monchusi, adding that: “I’m not being personal.”
He wondered who would stop the fight “when a leader fights workers”.
“I have been in BOCCIM council for many years and Maria has been working well with the previous presidents before and she never had any problem. I cannot talk about her performance but about the challenges surrounding BOCCIM,” said Balopi.
He pointed out that the council dwells on very trivial issue during council meeting instead of addressing issues of interest for the business community in order for government to take them seriously.
“We need to work on the mandate of BOCCIM and address all problems in the private sector and there should be good employer and employee relationship,” said Balopi.
The chaos has not been helped by a decision by Bank of Botswana, a major stakeholder and annual sponsor for the National Business Conference to pull out because of poor corporate governance at the organisation.
While he denied that Bank of Botswana ever sponsored the BOCCIM Annual National Business Conference, Sesinyi confirmed that the Bank only hosted delegates to a dinner at the event.
When contacted for comment, Monchusi declined to comment saying the matter was an internal one while Makgato-Malesu also refused to comment saying “I cannot comment on that issue.”
