Prof Fako�s No Show Angers Guma
Oageng Batenegi | Monday September 19, 2016 16:07
Last week Guma chased away the Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) (academic affairs), Prof Martin Mokgwathi seconds after Mokgwathi sat down to account on behalf of Fako to the committee on statutory bodies for the institution of higher learning. A visibly angry Guma said the UB VC has a penchant of failing to account before the parliamentary committee sessions.
The Tati-East legislator said Fako did not come for the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and now he is also not available for the statutory bodies committee. Guma, whose committee recently halted a Botswana Development Corporation (BDC) spending spree, is also a member of the PAC chaired by Abram Kesupile of Kanye South.
Immediately after Mokgwathi sat down with his finance officer to account to the committee, Guma asked him where the VC was. Mokgwathi tried to show Guma and the committee a presumed letter of apology from Fako, but Guma will have none of it. He did not want to see the letter. He said the VC did not even bother to inform the committee about his absence prior to the statutory bodies sessions.
“Where is the accounting officer? Go and tell him he is out of order. He was not even here before the PAC”, said Guma who did not even give Mokgwathi a chance to utter a word. “He must be joking,” fumed Guma referring to Fako. A seemly embarrassed Mokgwathi stood up with his lieutenant and left the conference hall after Guma pointed to the door and told the two to leave.
The scenario comes at a time where there has been a school of thought that some accounting officers are deliberately undermining the parliamentary committees with their well calculated absenteeism.