Serame’s meteoric rise
Ryder Gabathuse | Monday February 21, 2022 06:00
This Setswana proverb resonates very well with the words of former permanent secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Health and Wellness; Solomon Sekwakwa who from an early stage was able to foretell that Serame, Botswana’s new Minister of Finance and Economic Development was destined for greater things in life.
Serame was elevated in a recent Cabinet reshuffle to preside over the national purse and its development trajectory listed as the 10th minister, breaking male domination of the position.
In soccer, traditionally, the number 10 shirt is given the team’s playmaker or star attacking midfielder, which leaves Serame as the cynosure of all eyes as number 10 in the list and a woman for that matter. Like in soccer, she will not take her position lightly as all indications are that she has really earned the 10th position.
In Serame, Sekwakwa has always known that he was raising a PS material, “because of Serame’s thorough understanding of economics and her passion. Serame’s progress was never based on the gender card, but it was purely on the basis of her shrewdness as an economist.”In fact, Serame’s meteoric rise to the top was not by any fluke as she has always applied her very best.
Sekwakwa, who was also a permanent secretary at the Finance Ministry could see that his mentee possessed the requisite qualities of a PS in her area of profession. Little did he know that Serame would rise and assume a powerful Cabinet position as the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development head.
By profession, Sekwakwa is also a respected economist. When he was a director at the Ministry of Finance, he was able to spot Serame’s astuteness and prowess as a rising economist and nurtured it.
He supervised and mentored the young Serame and a team of other economists according to their strengths. In essence, the mentor and the mentee interacted a lot professionally. Serame’s thick resume shows that she started off from the lowest rung and rose to become a PS as Sekwakwa had foretold. She started off her career in the public service as an assistant economist in 1994 and rose through the ranks to become a director, macroeconomic policy in 2009. As if that was not enough, Serame rose to become a deputy permanent secretary, economic diversification drive.
It was her rise to the permanent secretary, Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry that she became even more visible.
Her popularity rose even more after the 2019 general election when Serame was appointed Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry especially during the lockdowns that characterised the early days of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic that saw businesses subjected to openings and closures in an endeavour to control the virus.
She became the cynosure of all eyes as she would close and open liquor outlets in particular as they were at the mercy of the virus. It was during this era that Serame was called with all sorts of sobriquets such as ‘Pegzozo’ and many others in an endeavour to soften her up to open the liquor outlets.
She knew how to deal with her hard to please stakeholders who will take their time to address her with those Monikers that never offended her at all. The social media was often abuzz with ‘thirsty’ people pleading with her to open up the liquor outlets.
“She was one of those that we could see from the early days of their profession that they had potential,” reminisced Sekwakwa who conceded that Serame in 2007 was sent to the World Bank for about seven months to familiarise herself with its operations as appreciation for her commitment to her work.
“Like I am saying, she was very intelligent and had a sense of independence and forthrightness. If you are a good manager, you look at those elements,” he noted and added: “Serame was open and shared feedback with others and in short, she has always been a team player.”
Sekwakwa will further describe Serame as a simple person and was quick to add: “When proposing policies, she always had in her mind, even the ordinary people. She has always believed that a policy is as good as implementing it, as without implementation it has no meaning.”
Interestingly, as a young girl playing in the dusty streets of Phitshane-Molopo, ‘Pegzozo‘ as the 52-year-old Minister is popularly called, never considered economics as her first choice career.
“Growing up I believed I was headed for a career in the science field, but I also knew that I feared reading for medicine. I feared the sight of blood, wounds, cuts and others,” explained the mother of three.
What was important to her though was getting an education and a good job that will enable her to help her family improve its livelihood.
Luckily, when she went to apply for a career at the University of Botswana (UB), she had proper career guidance and counselling which led her to Economics and her next choice was Bachelor of Commerce Degree.
Serame is not ready to disclose whether come 2024 she will contest for a parliamentary seat, safe to say: “As I have explained in a number of interviews already, my focus is on the current responsibility. I have been given a ministerial portfolio. In time, I will make the necessary considerations and make a decision at the right time and announce through the right channels if need be.”
Besides her ministerial portfolio, she is involved in a number of community projects like Women’s Shelter, working with teachers and other stakeholders to assist in the education sector (adopted Phitshane Primary School).
She is also assisting in a Disability Group community project in Mabule. The minister is also working with a number of groups on youth projects (mainly character building and empowerment initiatives - some at inception stage.) Her interest is on youth character development and empowerment.
Serame’s former Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Vincent Seretse worked with her when she was his deputy PS and later a substantive PS.
“She was my PS - a very strong character, and well versed in government administration and she played the role very well. She displayed maturity, experience and sharpness,” remembers the former minister who indicated that Serame actually chose to do things how they should be done without bending rules.
“You know when you talk about people...for the time I worked with her, I will recommend her for any job without any fear of disappointment, notwithstanding that people sometimes can disappoint you,” emphasised Seretse.
His impression about Serame is that she was consistently detailed and analytical and shrewd in the execution of her role.
“When you are a minister, sometimes we mistake and misrepresent that we have so much power. But, the job of a minister is simplified by the duties of a PS as an administer,” he conceded and added: “So, she did just that with so much thought and detail.”
Former Permanent Secretary to the President and now SADC Executive Secretary, Elias Magosi has described Serame whom they interacted when he was the permanent secretary at both Transport and Agriculture, as a shining star.
In summation, Magosi said Serame excelled in her service as PS at the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry where she was meticulous, hardworking and a team player in the execution of her functions.
“Those are the qualities that she possessed and to some of us, her rise to the top is not surprising,” concluded Magosi in a telephone interview from Brussels this week.