BERA fires accounting staff
Staff Writer | Friday February 28, 2020 18:29
Except for one employee, the staff were on grounds that they had wilfully discussed information relating to the organisation with newspaper outlets. The authority confirmed yesterday that Chawada Machacha, (director of finance and procurement), Tshegofatso Keitumetse (accountant) and Tshepang Nyepetsi (accounts officer) have been dismissed with immediate effect.
Two weeks ago, a local newspaper published damning allegations about the BERA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Rose Seretse.
One shocking allegation was that while in her present position, she forged a declaration that was written to the then President Ian Khama by her in her then position as Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime General Director (for an unlawful purpose).
The newspaper also claimed that the CEO’s contract of employment was falsified to hide the fact that she was being paid a car allowance in addition to being provided with a car worth P1. 5 million.
The car allowance was renamed professional allowance as a cover-up to enable her to continue receiving it. No tax was paid for this, the publication claimed. When the Chief Operation Officer, Duncan Morotsi discovered this, Seretse then allegedly authorised that he purchase a second-hand Demo Volvo vehicle as his own car despite drawing a car allowance.
When the previous Board took issue with the unlawful benefits that the two had extended to themselves, the then Minister, Eric Molale decided to fire the entire Board in what observers saw as “protection of illegal and fraudulent conduct by management”.
Those in the know say the accounts department was fired on contrived charges because they were viewed as disloyal and were loathed by both Seretse and Morotsi for calling out wrongdoing at the organisation.
“Despite the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security being aware of the rot at BERA, it seems loyalty to friends has become an overriding consideration and that the Board’s and Ministry’s oversight roles only exist in name. As one opined, people are terrified of management. It’s the reason there is no accountability,” lamented a high-ranking source at the authority.