Can Bakwena please rise

| Friday March 21, 2014 14:41

 

This week saw the release of a report on the over 200 million Rand home for President Jacob Zuma at his home village of Nkandla. The adrenaline is high and everyone wants a piece of the President. Taxpayers want to know why their money was spent to build a private home for Zuma.

It is amazing that the country’s Public Protector, a middle-aged woman Thuli Madonsela handled this investigation and reported to the nation, thanks also to a constitution that promotes transparency.  In our land, almost 24 months after she was appointed to the position, our Ombudsman Festinah Bakwena has never reported anything to the nation, let alone known to have carried out an investigation. We understand her limitations. She was retiring from public service in 2011 when the President appointed her to a potentially politically explosive office.   We say potentially because in the days of the founding Ombudsman, the late Lethebe Maine, Batswana got spoilt to think they can hold leaders accountable.

We got to learn about the then vice-president’s ‘mischievous’ ways when Maine challenged  President Festus Mogae to stop Ian Khama from flying military helicopters.  When Maine’s term expired and the contract not renewed he returned to private legal practice, and another lawyer, the late Ofentse Lepodisi, took over. Among the well-known cases Lepodisi handled was the Botswana Congress Party complaint against the abuse of state media by the Botswana Democratic Party government.  In 2009, he also reported the concern over human violations against government, though he found himself in conflict.

Then came Mma Bakwena.  Not only did the President go against convention in appointing a non-legal professional, but also a true government technocrat who would not challenge the status quo.  She had served in many high positions in government including as Permanent Secretary in the defunct ministry of Communications, Science and Technology and together with minister Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, was instrumental in the passing of the controversial Media Practitioners Act.

She moved to  Education, still with Venson-Moitoi and then to the Directorate of Public Service Management, where she proved her worth to government and the Khama administration. It was during her reign that the mother of strikes of 2011 took place. When she retired, for the second time, the President rewarded her with the Ombudsman position. In these troubled times, Batswana should be expecting a lot from this oversight institution.

Nako kgolo ke eno! She is not alone in her ineffectiveness and obvious inability. In a way, the same can be said about the effectiveness of other oversight institutions such as the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crimes, as well as Parliament.

In other countries where Chapter Nine institutions are effective, the Botswana Development Corporation scandal, the Botswana Meat Commission, the Morupule B project, ‘Mosugate’, to name a few would be keeping the Ombudsman, DCEC and Parliament busy.

Today’s thought

“People shouldn’t be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people.”

– Alan Moore, V for Vendetta