News has emerged that the contemplated appointment of Ms Boitumelo Molefe, the immediate past Chief Executive Officer of the Botswana Public Officers Pension Fund (BPOPF) to the Board of Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTCL), has been rejected by the Office of the President (OP). Reasons for her rejection have not been spelt out but it is safe to conclude she is being victimised by the OP for she has had running battles with the same office during her tenure as the CEO of BPOPF after her appointment thereto in 2015. The recent mantra that deserving women will be appointed to positions of authority is as fake as some news trending on social media platforms. Molefe will be remembered for talking truth to power particularly to the now disgraced former Permanent Secretary to the President Rre Carter Morupisi who himself attempted to fire her on flimsy grounds when he was the Chairman of BPOPF. The rejection of Molefe is not only victimisation of the highest order but an affront to good corporate governance as will be alluded to hereunder. Partisan politics has played a major disservice to the performance of corporate entities wherein executive minded appointments vis-à-vis meritocracy in all its manifests have taken the centre stage and it should be no different in the subject matter. My argument will appear inherently biased towards her because reasons for rejecting her appointment by OP are not spelt out.
Appointments to Board positions have become a contested terrain between politicians and public institutions they oversee on one hand, and the corporate world on the other. It is generally believed public institutions are packed with individuals who are not necessarily capacitated with the skill, experience, moral and ethical imperatives, but with individuals who are being rewarded for one reason or the other. That is why these public institutions, by and large, continue to be rendered dysfunctional to the point of operating without substantive CEOs for so long. There are more than fifteen or so of these public institutions. On the corporate world, one is vividly reminded of the recent public spat between the CEO of Botswana Building Society (Ltd) and members of the Board who attempted to extend their tenure outside permissible legal framework. The shareholders finally put the matter to bed by showing the said Board members the door under vey acrimonious circumstances. It will be interesting to watch how the BTCL shareholders will react to the rejection of Molefe by OP today.
Having reportedly served on many high profile Boards of companies like Mascom Wireless and Botswana Building Society amongst others, Molefe is arguably better placed to serve on BTCL Board as well unless and until the contrary is stated. But reportedly again, cabinet led by the President is said to be very uncomfortable with her. A bit of context to explain this discomfort if at all is imperative.
The newly appointed Permanent Secretary to the President Mme Emma Peloetletse, herself mired in corruption/bribery allegations after accepting a controversial trip to the much sought luxurious Cape Town jazz festival when she was the Chairperson of Fund’s Investment Committee of BPOPF, is said to be the person who communicated the sad news of rejection to Molefe. Ironically, Molefe disputed Peloetletse’s assertion that she (Molefe) authorised the Cape Town trip. By any account, the dispute would have strained the relationship between the two on account that the latter would have regarded the former to have thrown her under the bus assuming their relationship was ever cordial at some point during their interactions at BPOPF. Consequently, the mere mention of Molefe becoming a BTCL Board member where Peloetletse would have a saying in one form or the other would be thwarted at the earliest opportunity. And this is the moment of truth given the foregoing.
But just like in the Botswana Building Society saga where Board members were trying to bulldoze the CEO, OP is behaving exactly the same. The point must be made to the effect that OP or should I say government, is not the sole shareholder of BCTL. There are shareholders who also have a stake in the composition of the Board who could very well scupper the OP’s bad and unfair conduct towards Molefe. It should be remembered that the current Board members of BTCL have ‘recommended the appointment of Molefe and Thato Kewakae as new Directors’ and that this recommendation is to be confirmed at the Annual General Meeting on September 28th 2021. The import of this recommendation is that the current Board has done a due diligence exercise on these individuals and, it is absolutely satisfied they meet all requirements to serve on the Board. Otherwise, it would not have recommended them. It will be interesting if not defining to see whether the very same Board that recommended Molefe will crumble under self-serving political pressure to renege on their very own recommendation. If this is the case, it will be the saddest day in the world of corporate governance in Botswana. It will further show that it is indeed true that Board members across the board serve at the behest of political power and authority however unlawful and illegal that could be. Further as well, it will show that Board members do not have the moral and ethical backbone or courage let alone integrity, to stand their ground when it is absolutely evident they are being driven to commit an illegality under broad daylight.
A question should be asked: having been notified of the recommendation to appoint Molefe as a shareholder in the entity, why did OP immediately tried to block the appointment when they had an opportunity, to attend the AGM where they would formally lodge their reasons for rejecting her appointment and by extension, try to persuade other shareholders that Molefe is not a fit and proper person to be appointed to the BTCL Board if that was indeed so? By demonstrating their discomfort with her appointment, I want to believe, and long before the date of the AGM which in my view would be the appropriate forum to ventilate the matter, is total disregard to the rules of engagement. Only malice and victimisation should be read in how OP has dealt with the Molefe matter.
When all is said and done, I am left with no other conclusion but to say Ms Boitumelo Molefe is seriously being victimised following her corporate governance battles with OP while still the CEO of BPOPF. Unless OP is in possession of exceptional and compelling reasons why she cannot be appointed to the Board of BTCL which I doubt it has. I am reminded of the case of Justice Omphitlhetse Motumise who was denied appointment to judgeship back then by the former President Ian Khama under disingenuous if not dubious circumstances. He had claimed there were reasons for doing so but dismally failed to provide them when asked by the Court of Appeal to do so. Would it be fair for a reasonable person to conclude the battles between her and OP in general and Mme Peloetletse in particular have not in large measure culminated in the position she finds herself in? Indeed! The ball is firmly in the BTCL Board and the other shareholders court to demonstrate what they are made of. I am prepared to be persuaded otherwise as always. Judge for Yourself!
As we move towards the post State of Public Emergency era, we are not out of the Covid-19 pandemic woods. It does not appear we will be anytime soon. Let us religiously continue to adhere to all health protocols.
