Matsheka’s short-lived political career
Mompati Tlhankane - Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday August 8, 2022 06:00
News that Matsheka has been arrested came as shocking and it may as well be a final nail on the coffin of his political career.
The legislator is one of the suspects in Tlotso Karema’s murder and is currently detained together with Councillor for Peleng East, Ontiretse Mosimanewamacha and Tlotso's Aunt, Nono Karema.
Matsheka is headed for an exit but future events and the outcome of the Tlotlo’s murder investigations will determine whether he leaves office mired in the scandal or with reputation still intact.
Little was known about Matsheka in the political circles of Lobatse until the 2018 BDP primary elections when he managed to beat the then incumbent MP and former Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security, Sadique Kebonang.
Matsheka started on high note by gaining 1 376 votes against Kebonang’s 1 073. This was just start but the biggest test for Matsheka was onthe following year at the general election where he had to defend Lobatse constituency for the BDP. Remember, Kebonang had snatched the constituency from long serving Nehemiah Mudubule of the UDC in 2014 in what was a David vs. Goliath battle.
Modubule had been area MP since 1999 after unseating then incumbent Otlaadisa Koosaletse who had defected from the BNF to form the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) in 1998.
Lobatse has never been easy and it is the same constituency which made history by voting Modubule as an independent candidate in the 2009 general election. For a long time, Lobatse had been in the hands of the opposition and it turned out Matsheka’s big test in 2019 was not a big test after all as he swiftly retained the constituency for BDP. Matsheka won with 6,705 votes, Orapeleng Kakoma of the UDC got 2,238, Shaffi Pandor of Alliance for Progressive (AP) got 238 while Modubule of the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) got only 166 votes.
Independent candidates Kamal Jacobs, Kader Badat, Patrick Kebailele got 1,413, 40 and 40 votes respectively. Matsheka thrashed his opponents convincingly and his profile as Masisi looked at the potential candidates for his cabinet was right up there as one of the most qualified MP to run a senior ministry. Speaking of senior ministries, Masisi chose Matsheka as his Minister of Finance and the latter became the first financial economist to become finance minister. Matsheka has a Bachelor of Arts (Economics & Demography) from University of Botswana attained in June 1988. In October 1990 he accomplished Master of Philosophy (Monetary Economics) from University of Glasgow.
He later acquired Doctor of Philosophy (Economics) from University of Kent in October 1997. Matsheka was Botswana’s sixth finance minister after Sir Ketumile Masire, Peter Mmusi, Festus Mogae, Baledzi Gaolathe and Kenneth Matambo. Until 1998 when former president Ian Khama broke the trend, the position of Vice President also doubled as finance minister.
Gaolathe became the first finance minister who was not the VP. Matsheka delivered his first budget speech in 2020 much to the impression of many and finally people felt that the finance minister position has finally got its swag back since the days of Mogae and Gaolathe. The COVID-19 pandemic hit the world in 2020 and Matsheka’s ministry became the busiest as the country’s coffers dried up. The country was under the State of Emergency (SoE) and COVID-19 had a huge fiscal impact on the economy, resulting in large budget deficits.
An audit report tabled by the Auditor General before Parliament last year revealed that millions of pula were wasted, unaccounted for or misused in the first eight months after the declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.
This happened during the time when Matsheka was at the helm of the finance ministry and it is said that some of the events which occurred at the time eventually led to his fallout with Masisi.
For instance, Matsheka had not been in the good books of the BDP leadership and his place in the backbench became an eventuality. Being dropped from cabinet and to finally being pushed out has always been the plan of the BDP.
Another issue that might have rubbed the BDP leadership on the wrong side is the fact that Matsheka is one of the residents who called for direct Presidential election during the Presidential Constitutional review at a Kgotla meeting in Lobatse. Now being a suspect in the murder of a six-year old boy is nothing to be taken lightly and historically, it is difficult for one to make a comeback in politics after being implicated in such an issue. The society always judges one harshly regardless of the outcome of the investigation of the matter.
Even if the investigations clear someone, the society never let bygones be bygones and the opponents normally use the past against someone. Lobatse constituency is one of the dicey areas and it might take voters years to forget about the matter more especially after the riots which forced the security agents to take the matter more seriously. Therefore, the issue will haunt the BDP and taint Matsheka together with the Peleng East ward councilor Mosimanewamacha. Also if this turns out to be a political witch hunt against Matsheka, Lobatse might stand with him as it once did when the BNF suspended Modubule ahead of the 2009 general election.
Modubule did win an independent candidate. Meanwhile, information reaching Mmegi indicates that Matsheka’s friends and some of his family members believe that he should quit active politics and resign from his MP seat. “He can still do well even if he is not a politician. This is going to tarnish his life and family as well. He needs to take a break from this political life which is now ruining his life. Even if the investigation clears him, he must just quit. This is a dirty game,” a friend who did not want to be named said.
Matsheka’s trouble in the BDP even forced him to drop from the party position race and he confirmed that to Mmegi. He was initially was supposed to challenge the Vice President Slumber Tsogwane for BDP chairmanship.
Tsogwane will now be challenged by former cabinet minister, Nonofo Molefhi. Matsheka said: “As it is typical as a build-up to any elective congress, members of the party are free to canvass for positions and even approach other members with a view to lobbying them to stand for available positions in the leadership of the party.
I have equally been approached and assessing the way forward.” Before his arrest Matsheka was said to be planning his retirement from politics. And before running for MP, he was the Managing Director at Fiducia Services (Pty) (Ltd), from 2017- 2019. Before that, he had a stint at AON Botswana from 2010-2016 as Managing Director.
He was the Chief Executive Officer of Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) from 2003—2010. UB’s staff development fellow from 1983 until he became lecturer and eventually senior Lecturer from 2000 – 2003.