The decision by the Minister of Finance and Economic Development Peggy Serame to appoint Jeanette Makgolo as the new Botswana Unified Revenue Services (BURS) Commissioner General has raised eyebrows.
Question marks are hanging over the appointment of BURS outgoing board chairperson Makgolo to the organisation’s top post of Commissioner General.
She is believed to have been part of the recruitment process and as such received regular updates on the process in her capacity as the Board of Directors Chairperson.
This was the third time the organisation had gone on a recruitment exercise for the post of Commissioner General. The post has been vacant since November 2018 and the government seemed to have been struggling to get a candidate who can tick all the boxes to take over the taxman’s top job.
Makgolo’s appointment raises questions about issues of corporate governance and conflict of interest.
The situation is not helped by BURS’ long and tortured recruitment for the post which has been vacant for sometime now.
As recent as last year the front runner in the race for BURS top post was former Barclays Bank Botswana managing director Wilfred Mpai. The former Choppies board member’s fate as the new BURS Commissioner was all but a foregone conclusion following recommendation by the Board.
At the time, all recruitment processes had been followed. He ticked all the right boxes. He emerged top on the list of suitable candidates. The BURS Board recommended him to the then Minister of Finance Dr Thapelo Matsheka as their first choice.
Our sister publication Sunday Standard reported earlier this year that Mpai had also passed a mandatory security vetting, which would have automatically disqualified him for the job.
While some members of cabinet had reportedly asked questions about Mpai’s unceremonious exit from his position as Barclays Bank Botswana managing director, the main reason behind the Executive decision to hold off his appointment lies with his short history with Choppies.
Contacted for comment at the time Mpai refused to answer questions saying he was not the right person to speak on the matter.
Choppies CEO, Ram, who had been reported to be instrumental in the decision not to appoint Mpai, pleaded ignorance of activities surrounding the impending appointment of BURS Commissioner. “I don’t know anything about any impending appointment at BURS,” Ram said.
The decision not to appoint Mpai could have been influenced by his past ties with the top retailer. It is understood that the Minister of Finance wanted to go ahead and appoint Mpai in accordance with the BURS Board recommendations had it not been for third party interference.
Recently, BURS’ reluctance to confirm the acting Commissioner General Segolo Lekau has also brought its own share of controversies. Lekau has been acting Commissioner General for almost three years now.
The new Commissioner, Makgolo, is expected to expect to kick-start her job first week of August 2021 at the Gaborone CDB Headquarters. It is not clear what the future holds for Lekau.
