Mabeo, Fitt joyride irks MPs
Innocent Selatlhwa | Thursday October 6, 2016 16:07
The comments arose after it emerged that Fitt failed to advise the redeployed Minister Tshenolo Mabeo accordingly in relation to taking a trip to Brazil, Canada and France. Fitt also authorised the P88 million Air Botswana contract.
“This is not good for governance at all. It raises eyebrows and perceptions that political leadership interferes with governance, and that should not be happening.
Fitt with his experience and having sat in the board and leading the Ministry should have advised the Minister that there should never be time without a board and that they could not go on the trip while consultants had been engaged,” he said.
He argued that Fitt should have advised the Minister to respect that the board was not comfortable with the Brazilian trip in May, as they had involved consultants.
Mabeo washed his hands off the controversial contract. “It pains me to tell you that I only learnt of the contract which the PS authorised recently after the Acting General Manager Agnes Khunwane mentioned it before the committee.” On the board appointment, “we were challenged by the fact that it was festive season and we could not do much, but we never stopped trying to get the right people on time,” Mabeo said.
The committee learnt a fortnight ago that shortly after Mabeo dissolved the board, Fitt approved a request to enter into a three-year contract with Pratt and Whitney Canada without floating an invitation for tender.
It was also revealed that the management tender committee had told them that the then general manager, Ben Dahwa was unhappy with the manner in which the tender was handled.
Mabeo said they undertook the Brazilian trip to be in a better position to advise on what aircraft to buy.
“I was aware it might raise eyebrows, I was therefore careful with the line of questioning, I even told them in all meetings that we were not there as part of the procurement process, even the engineer we went with was not expected to report to anyone as we only took him so he could ask the right questions as he is knowledgeable,” he said.
Fitt acknowledged that he was wrong to have authorised the contract. He however said it had to be done to keep Air Botswana in business while looking for replacement of the dissolved board he was part of.
He said he could not remember whether he consulted the Minister on the matter.
“I had made it clear to the Minister that we needed a board as soon as possible, but due to holidays, the process was delayed as we also wanted to appoint the best candidates to take the airline forward,” he said.