Local Gov’t, Transport most corrupt ministries
Mompati Tlhankane | Monday June 6, 2022 06:00
Appearing before the Public Accounts committee (PAC) on Wednesday before he was suspended a day later, the director-general of the DCEC, Tymon Katlholo was responding to a question by PAC member and Francistown South legislator Wynter Mmolotsi. The latter had asked which government ministries and departments recorded the highest number of corruption cases. The MP said he was interested in knowing the ministries that are more prone to corruption than others.
In response Katlholo said looking at the number of reports, the Ministry of Local Government leads the pack. Katlholo did not give further reasons as to why the ministry led by Kgotla Autlwetse has the most reported cases of corruption. The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development oversees 16 local authorities and semi-autonomous local authorities categorised into City, Town and District Councils inclusive of tribal administrations. These institutions are decentralised to facilitate the ministry’s development programmes and services at local level. They foster local democracy and governance while also promoting social welfare and economic empowerment of disadvantaged groups. Katlholo indicated that the Ministry of Transport is high up there with Local Government Ministry because of the notorious drivers’ license saga.
The Transport ministry has been in the news for the wrong reasons with allegations of corruption by officers. The latter were said to be implicated in corruption ranging from fraudulent issuance of drivers’ licence, issuance of roadworthy certificates, issuance of theory tests, receiving bribes, issuance of permits, soliciting money from customers and mismanagement of licensing forms among others. Few years ago the Department of Road, Transport and Safety (DRTS) and Botswana Police Service embarked on a mission to take action against officers who indulged in unlawful practices leading to the suspension of 19 examiners from different stations around the country at the time. The suspected fraudsters from within the DRTS were arrested on suspicion that they issued various classes of drivers’ licences without following proper procedure. Katlholo also revealed that even though the two ministries are leading, between 2017 and 2019, the DCEC experienced a decline in the number of allegations of corruption reported.
Despite the decline, he said they had observed that corruption had grown in sophistry, complexity and value mutating from petty theft to grand theft. He said they always look at the annual transparency international scores and rates, which assess countries according to the level of perception of corruption in the public sector. “In 2019 Botswana was ranked number 34 out of 180 countries with a score of 6.1 out of 10 but the 2021 report shows that the country has been relegated to position 45,” he said. Katlholo said in the latest data sources, Botswana was accessed on economic performance, government efficiency and business efficiency. On all the three, he said Botswana did not fare well. He said it is becoming increasingly clear that the level of corruption is measured through different data sources as opposed to the number of cases before the courts. He said in order for Botswana to improve its ratings, it needs to pay attention to data sources like government efficiency and adherence to the rule of law and service delivery. “As an oversight institution, the DCEC is an instrument that monitors abuse of power which may negate the foregoing. Good governance is the bedrock of economic development therefore public institutions must more than ever be accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient in the delivery of public service,” he further highlighted. He said the role of the DCEC is to ensure that entrusted power ascribes for implementation of economic development but not abused for personal gain. He said the DCEC currently has 215 cases being considered for prosecution by the DPP while 140 cases are pending before different courts with a backlog of 619 active investigations.