PEEPA board members resigned en masse this week in protest against a unilateral decision by board chairman, Serwalo Tumelo, and his colleague, Parks Tafa, to fire chief executive officer, Joshua Galeforolwe.
Although Cabinet had recommended that Galeforolwe should be reappointed PEEPA Chief Executive Officer, Tumelo, with Tafa by his side, called a board meeting that did not form a quorum last week Thursday where Tumelo kicked out Galeforolwe saying “This man must leave the room. He can not sit in our meeting because he is no longer employed by this organization. Rra please leave this room.”
The directors who resigned include former Permanent Secretary, Morago Ngidi, BHC Chief Executive, Reginald Motswaiso, and businessman Mabuse.
Tumelo had gone on to circulate a memo among PEEPA staff members that said: “Following the expiry of the erstwhile Executive Officer’s contract on August 12, 2006 the board has not yet made an appointment of Chief Executive Officer. The position of Chief Executive Officer of PEEPA, therefore, remains vacant until further notice. The board is extremely concerned about the situation and is working very hard to expedite the appointment of a Chief Executive Officer.
In the meantime, the Board has resolved that Management may refer all urgent matters requiring the attention of the Chief Executive Officer to the Chairman of the board for action.”
This was in spite of a Cabinet decision, a few days earlier, appointing Galeforolwe as PEEPA Chief Executive Officer for another three years.
Other board members who were not part of the board decision broke ranks with Tafa and Tumelo this week and tendered their resignation letters.
By Friday, only Tafa and Tumelo were the only PEEPA board members and it was not clear if they would hang tough or give in to the Cabinet decision. They believe that the board, not Cabinet, should be the appointing authority and felt an independent opinion should be sought.
It is understood that board members who were opposed to Galeforolwe’s reappointment proposed government to seek the opinion of an dvocate. Government has, however, spurned the proposal and stated that this should not be done at government’s expense.
Among candidates who applied for the PEEPA top post were Modise Modise, the younger brother to First Lady Barbara Mogae and Phillip Makgalemele, brother-in-law to Molepolole MP, Daniel Kwelagobe, and presently Chief Executive Officer of Med Rescue International Botswana.
