Dow's blue-eyed boy under DCEC radar
Innocent Selatlhwa | Friday July 13, 2018 14:51
Having been in the public service since 2014, Maruapula abruptly resigned his plum job last year after whistleblowers blew his cover to the DCEC, that he did not possess the requisite qualifications to work as a private secretary.
“The man never graduated at Limkokwing University in Malaysia. Why do you think he ran away from the public service without bidding goodbye to anyone?” a source disclosed.
It is alleged that when Maruapula was patently informed that DCEC was after him, the following day he dropped the resignation letter at the ministry and then beat such a hasty retreat, he apparently never even bothered to clear his table.
Maruapula, who is also married to Dow’s niece, was handpicked by her when she was appointed to that ministry after 2014 general elections.
In his Curriculum Vitae, he had claimed that he had attended the prestigious English medium Maruapula Secondary School in Gaborone before he was admitted to Limkokwing in Malaysia to study for a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Marketing.
“This was all fabrication,” the source said. Now, DCEC is investigating him for fabrication of qualifications, conning government of hundreds of thousands pulas in salaries.
He is also investigated for possible corruption at the ministry regarding Target 20000, a flagship programme for Dow.
“Apparently, he received large amounts of money amounting to millions together with two known lawyers from institutions in exchange for students.”
Confronted with these damning allegations, Maruapula laughed off such talk against him. He denied knowledge of any investigation against him or in relation to the Target 20,000 project and fabrication of academic certificates. “I do not know anything about that. I was not anyhow involved in the project as there was a committee that was responsible for student placement. I was only a private secretary to the minister,” Maruapula told Mmegi.
He also denied fabricating any documentation. “I indeed attended Limkokwing Malaysia from 2001to 2008 and was also employed by the institution on a part time basis.
I was also part of those who brought the university to Botswana in 2008,” he said. He said he only left the public service to return to the private sector, which he regards as this proper domain.
“I only joined the civil service in 2014. I left to pursue work in the private sector, working mostly in education-related projects. I left to join the London School of Business set up in Botswana and I am not involved in a project to encourage council employees to attain qualifications through BALA and local institutions,” he said, referring the Botswana Association of Local Authorities by its acronym.
Last week Thursday, he promised to avail his academic certificates, but up to now he has not done so. The DCEC has a policy not to comment on their investigations.