The hunt for a new Botswana Railways (BR) Chief Executive officer (CEO) has intensified following the BR’s engagement of a consultancy firm.
A local consultancy firm has been working with the company’s board in the recruitment process, appraising the merits of shortlisted applicants.
The Minister of Transport and Communications, Nonofo Molefhi, remained tight lipped on who would possibly replace axed CEO Taolo Sebonego, who left the corporation under a cloud.
BR Board Member and Chairperson of the Human Resources Committee, Lesedi Moakofhi, told Sunday Standard that the interview phase had been completed and the candidate is expected to assume the role once all the stakeholders had been consulted as per the requirement of the BR Act.
“The BR Board confirms that the advert attracted a high number of applicants from candidates with diverse backgrounds,” said Moakofhi.
He stated that to ensure continuity in the business operations, the Board appointed Dominic Ntwaagae as the acting CEO effective 1st October 2011 until the substantive CEO is appointed. She further revealed that the contract is for three years, with an option for renewal for a further two years.
“The BR CEO, like in any other parastatals, is charged with strategy and policy implementation, business growth, profitability and the establishment of BR as a self-sustaining, viable and market driven commercial enterprise, inclusive of its subsidiaries,” she explained.
Moakofhi said that the contract for the former CEO Taolo Sebonego ended on September 30, 2011. She added that the recruitment process has since ensued and involved a rigorous phased approach to identify a suitable candidate for the position.
Minister Molefhi is expected to take the recommended name of the applicant from the BR Board of Directors to the Cabinet.  Moakofhi added that the intention is to fill the BR top post as soon as possible.
Former BR CEO Taolo Sebonego left the position at the end of September 2011, making the BR top post vacant for the past four months.  Sebonego was appointed to the plum post in February 2009 after an acting stint following the departure of Andrew Lunga.
Lunga’s stint at the helm of the BR was mired in controversies, ranging from the stoppage of the passenger train service to issues of corruption and maladministration, which at some point attracted the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC).
BR Board Chairperson Raymond Watson has also remained tight lipped as to who would replace Sebonego. He did not reveal any information about the hunt for the new CEO, referring queries to the BR public relations department.
The new boss is also expected to identify areas of weaknesses and initiate remedial measures, make contributions to streamlining of operations, systems and achieve reasonable return on investments.
