Women lose ground in Boko’s power reshuffle
Staff Writer | Tuesday November 18, 2025 08:28
Since he took over last year, Boko has been criticised for failing to wield the axe, and now that he is finally swinging the chopper, it is the female heads who are being sacrificed on the block.
In what once stood as a proud hallmark of gender progress under former president Mokgweetsi Masisi now seems to be rapidly unraveling under Boko.
Barely a year into Boko’s rule, several prominent female figures have been shown the door, demoted, or placed under suspension, signaling a stark shift in tone and policy. 'We have made key appointments to a number of Ministries and statutory entities. We have made meritocratic appointments to the Judiciary. We have made appointments to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions. We have welcomed a new commander of the BDF. We have made appointments at the Attorney General’s Chambers. We have made Board appointments to parastatals that have begun turning their entities around. We have employed public servants in various positions throughout different Ministries whose impact is felt daily. We will continue to make the right appointments. This government does not discriminate,' Boko said during his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.
Nomsa Moatswi - Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)
Amongst the most notable is Nomsa Moatswi, who served as Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Appointed by Masisi, Moatswi was credited for strengthening institutional integrity within the DPP’s office. However, she was abruptly removed and reassigned as a High Court judge. Her replacement is a man, a seasoned lawyer, Kgosietsile Ngakaagae.
Mmako Abram - Attorney General
Similarly, Mmako Abram, who was appointed Attorney General (AG) by Masisi in 2023, has been relieved of her duties as AG. Like Moatswi, she has been appointed by Boko as a High Court judge, and her position was swiftly filled by Dick Bayford, another prominent male lawyer.
Jeanette Makgolo - BURS Commissioner-General
Then there’s Jeanette Makgolo, once celebrated as the capable and reform-minded Commissioner-General of the Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS). Appointed on a five-year contract under Masisi’s watch, Makgolo’s tenure was cut short after being unexpectedly dismissed. No official reasons have been made public, but insiders describe her removal as “political.”
Lulu Rasebotsa - Air Botswana General Manager
The same pattern is visible in the aviation sector. Lulu Rasebotsa, appointed in 2023 as General Manager of Air Botswana, has also been shown the exit door. When she was appointed, her leadership was expected to stabilize the struggling national airline, but her journey was cut short.
Professor Botsalano Mosimakoko - BQA CEO
Adding to the growing list is Professor Botsalano Mosimakoko, the CEO of the Botswana Qualifications Authority (BQA), who has been suspended pending investigations into undisclosed matters.
Taken together, these changes have sparked fierce debate in public and political circles. Responding to Boko’s SONA on Wednesday, Leader of Opposition (LoO) Dumelang Saleshando said Masisi’s administration left many examples of what not to do, and Boko just needed to avoid the same mistakes and do better. He said this tendency to replicate the same mistakes that their predecessors made is deeply concerning.
“One of the most inhumane attributes of the former regime was the practice of placing public servants on long periods of suspension from work, sometimes long enough to last the entire remainder of their contract. Some were forced out of work for no wrongdoing. The UDC seems to have inherited this practice lock, stock, and barrel,” Saleshando pointed out. He added that the so-called mutual parting with the Governor of the Bank of Botswana has raised red flags on the independence of the country’s central bank.
“Today we woke up to what seems to have been an unceremonious sacking of the head of the Botswana Unified Revenue Services without any explanation. At the rate we are going, we should not be surprised if Botswana falls back to the days of Grey Listing, or worse, Black Listing!” he indicated.
It is not just Saleshando, but other critics accuse the Boko administration of orchestrating a quiet rollback of gender representation in leadership. During Masisi’s presidency, he championed women’s empowerment, and at one point, boasted that half of the country’s permanent secretaries were female. His administration was widely praised for opening doors long shut to women, ushering them into decision-making spaces that were once male-dominated. It was under Masisi when the country saw its first-ever female finance minister in Peggy Serame, and Police Commissioner Dinah Marathe.
“Under Masisi, women were visible, empowered, and trusted with responsibility. Now, it feels like that progress is being systematically dismantled,” said one observer who requested anonymity. Observers also note that while reshuffles are normal in any administration, the pattern under Boko is unusually lopsided and that it is disproportionately affecting women who rose through the ranks during Masisi’s tenure.
Supporters of the President, however, argue that the changes are not about gender but competence and alignment with the administration’s vision. “President Boko is reforming institutions and ensuring accountability. Gender does not shield anyone from performance reviews,” said one official close to the Office of the President. President Boko has previously defended his government appointments, stating that they are based on meritocracy rather than political vengeance or partisanship.
Asked why it seems that their government is rolling back the gains of Masisi’s tenure, Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) CEO Patrick Molutsi emphasised that he doesn’t think that Boko is rolling back gender representation in leadership. Molutsi said it was not exactly gains when the previous government was just making appointments.
Molutsi said historically women were just put in those positions and that their impact was limited. He said even in the current political landscape, there are not so many women who push for leadership roles, especially in politics. He said the decisions taken by the UDC government are based on meritocracy rather than gender. “Merit is our primary objective; we are trying to push it,” he highlighted. “The President is setting the standards high, and he has high expectations. He is setting up a transformation team which is efficient,” Molutsi added. Molutsi also indicated that over time, he will bring the gender issue to Boko’s attention.
But some are still unconvinced and feel that women’s rights groups should rise and call for transparency in the government’s personnel decisions, warning that the trend threatens to reverse years of progress in gender equality.
“Appointments should be based on merit, but when a pattern emerges where women are consistently the ones being removed and reshuffled, we must ask uncomfortable questions”.
As the debate rages on, analysts feel that the promise of a gender-balanced Botswana, once within reach during Masisi’s tenure, appears to be fading fast under Boko. Whether this shift is a matter of policy, politics, or pure coincidence, President Boko’s government faces growing scrutiny over its commitment to women’s empowerment.