A ‘confidential’ correspondence between the Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board (BAMB) and the Ministry of Agriculture reveals how the Board dug in their heels and rejected Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS)’s “unreliable” intelligence report absolving a former CEO.
The DIS were roped in by the Ministry to run a parallel investigation into allegations of maladministration, corruption and fraud involving former CEO Leonard Morakaladi.
The spy agency’s investigation ran alongside that of senior government officers led by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Presidential Affairs Pearl Ramokoka.
In a confidential letter dated October 14, 2021, then Acting Minister Beauty Manake, informs the Board of the availability of the two reports advising them to consider the contents “in light of” a legal case filed by Morakaladi against his former employer at the Industrial Court.
“I request that you offer your advice to the ministry on a way forward in this matter and consider the recommendations contained in both reports. Of particular interest is your advice on the re-appointment of Mr Morakaladi as the Chief Executive Officer of BAMB as both reports have exonerated him of any criminality or wrong doing,” Manake (a persistent advocate for Morakaladi’s reinstatement) says in the letter to the Board.
In his response (also marked ‘Confidential’), Board Chairman Tally Tshekiso informs the Acting Minister that the Board is constrained to provide substantive comments on the DIS report because of glaring issues which if viewed objectively, the report cannot be relied upon.
“Our understanding as the Board was that the DIS was to carry out investigations of impropriety /maladministration. Naturally this would involve a search and analysis of policy documents and interviews of Board members and staff to deduce facts,” Tshekiso says in the letter, dated October 15, 2021.
Not a single member of the Executive Team nor the Board of Directors was contacted by the DIS for interviewing or provision of documents to aid the investigations, the confidential correspondence indicates.
“We are therefore at a loss as to how the conclusions in the said report were reached. On an objective view, the report is hardly one of maladministration or impropriety as it lacks the fundamental content which is the subject of the investigation,” Tshekiso writes in response.
He says in the letter that the Board is hamstrung as the DIS report lacks in rudimentary content.
The report submitted by Permanent Secretary Ramokoka’s team, Tshekiso says, offers no clear recommendations while also appearing to have been pre-emptive of the outcomes.
He says the Board’s audit process made some discoveries of its own which findings the Chairman says are detrimental to the function and mandate of BAMB, Botswana’s food security aspirations, and the interest of corporate stakeholders and staff.
“Although the firm view of the Board is that the investigations were not geared at neither implicating nor exonerating Mr Morakaladi for purposes of retaining his position (as his contract had elapsed), the Board is now asked to comment on the re-appointment of Morakaladi.”
Manake had always made it clear she wanted Morakaladi to be reinstated as the CEO of BAMB.
She has made unsuccessful attempts to re-hire Morakaladi to the BAMB top post which he left early 2021 following the Board’s refusal to grant him an extension.
Morakaladi believes he has a legitimate expectation to have his three year term (which ended in March 2021)extended by another two years following revised BAMB Conditions of service approved by the Board of Directors in July 2019. The Board revised the employment on a fixed term contract for the CEO from three (3) to five (5) year term.
Then outgoing BAMB Board Chairperson Dr Gloria Somolekae had reportedly recommended extension of Morakaladi’s contract in line with the revised conditions.
BAMB Human Resources Committee had also recommended extension. Prior to the end of Morakaladi’s contract the Board had, following complaints and whistle blowing reports of maladministration, resolved to suspend the CEO pending investigations. The Ministry however recommended they let him rundown his contract which was already coming to an end. Somolekae’s recommendation was set aside because she had reportedly taken the decision unilaterally. Morakaladi and BAMB are currently involved in a legal tussle over terminal benefits. The two parties failed to agree on an out of court settlement with the Board accusing the former CEO of refusing to make concessions.
