President Mokgweetsi Masisi executed a daring cabinet reshuffle Friday night, highlighting the tension in his ranks.
News of a possible Cabinet reshuffle has been floating around the media for some time, but it became a must execute option for Masisi this week as he faced an insurgency among his ranks.
It is believed that Masisi picked intelligence that Matsheka was part of an underground movement that sought to subvert his presidency.
In a classic textbook example of interest group conflict theory, Masisi and former Finance Minister, Thapelo Matsheka found themselves on opposite sides of a power struggle between competing interest groups.
Sunday Standard investigations have turned up information that a benign request by Matsheka to start producing monthly finance audits on Covid-19 expenditure for Parliament fouled the air in the executive and snowballed into an underground movement that picked up diverse groups that are unhappy with Masisi’s presidency.
Sunday Standard has picked information that a small group made up of some cabinet ministers, BDP and opposition backbenchers and a clutch of finance officials were alarmed that the Government Investment Account that houses the Foreign reserves was depleting. The country’s foreign reserves currently stand at P4 billion. They started holding small and discreet meetings on how to react and rescue the situation. For the first time in history, Botswana saw the rise of a political alternative that was barely acceptable in the margins of society before.
Their strategy centered around identifying a figure in cabinet who they could rally around, elevate his political profile and ultimately get him appointed vice president. As vice president he was to keep guard over the president.
“We needed somebody who as VP would provide a buffer against all the excesses we are seeing,” said a one insider.
Matsheka who had fallen out with the president and was known for fighting his corner in cabinet fitted the profile. He had already indicated to close associates that he wanted to step down as Minister of Finance after delivering the budget speech.
“We knew he was totally unhappy with the level of quality generally, including with some of his cabinet colleagues.”
At the height of their misunderstanding both Matsheka and Masisi went to see former president Festus Mogae to air their grievances and seek cousel.
Matsheka was adamant that he needed to brief parliament frequently about the Covid-19 procurement he was being made to sign out.
Some in the group proposed ousting Masisi. The suggestion was shot down by some Cabinet and opposition members who argued that fighting a sitting president was a non-starter.
“It was easy for all of us to agree that fighting a sitting president, especially in Botswana is the most difficult thing. Lack of capacity was one reason that united us against the idea,” added the same source.
On Friday evening Matsheka was moved from the ministry of finance to the ministry responsible for infrastructure.
He was replaced by Peggy Serame. Mmusi Kgafela was moved to investment and trade.
In another shock redeployment, Permanent Secretary to the President, Elias Magosi has been made Ambassador at Large.
He has been replaced by Emma Peloetletse.
