Kemorwale appointed acting Gambling Authority CEO
Staff Writer | Wednesday August 13, 2025 06:00
Kemorwale will be at the helm, tasked with steering the organisation during a turbulent period marked by allegations of mismanagement.
Before his appointment, Kemorwale was the Authority’s Chief of Staff, a position he held while working closely with the executive leadership on policy implementation, stakeholder engagement, and organisational strategy.
'Kemorwale will assume full executive responsibilities of his new role. We look forward to his leadership and strategic vision,' read a statement from the Authority.
The leadership shake-up comes shortly after the Ministry of Trade and Entrepreneurship suspended the country’s first-ever national lottery licence, citing issues of mismanagement and fronting.
While details surrounding Kesitilwe’s suspension remain unknown, the appointment of Kemorwale is expected to ensure stability as investigations into the Authority’s affairs continue.
The Gambling Authority plays a central role in licensing, regulating, and promoting responsible gaming in Botswana, and the current leadership shift comes at a time when the sector faces mounting pressure to improve oversight and governance, especially in the issues of betting.
Last week, the government embarked on a shake-up of parastatals, which saw the boards of the Gambling Authority, Botswana Development Corporation (BDC), Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA), Local Enterprise Authority (LEA), and Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA) being suspended. The latest developments come after President Duma Boko pledged a revival of SOEs, pledging in June that there would be ‘big changes’ to come. Parastatal reform has long been a thorn in the side of government, as the country has 62 SOEs, which, for the most part, are either financially failing or underperforming in delivering their mandate or both.
This year, parastatals are due to receive the bulk of P16.2 billion set aside for grants and subventions in the 2025-2026 budget, a massive figure given that many are legally required to run as ‘going concerns’, meaning they should meet their costs from their own avenues. Whilst a good number of SOEs are not required to operate commercially or as a ‘going concern’, many that are required to do so are loss-making, weighed down by operational inefficiencies, lack of strategic direction, and over-reliance on government support. This is even though many enjoy legislative monopolies in their areas of focus, such as electricity and water.
Additionally, many SOEs suffer from governance weaknesses, with a recent study indicating that 31 out of 45 SOEs that were examined were non-compliant with the prevailing codes of corporate governance.