Paledi�s meteoric rise and rise
Correspondent | Friday August 4, 2017 15:18
It has been a long and exciting professional odyssey for Victor Bruno Paledi, the newly-appointed DCEC boss. His move from the Botswana Police Service (BPS) to the country’s corruption busting agency is as much of a surprise to many as was his unexpected career shift from the teaching profession to the BPS some 23 years ago.
Paledi’s career journey began in 1994, the year the DCEC was established, under the Corruption and Economic Crime Act. He was one of the 90 students from UB’s Faculty of Education who graduated with a postgraduate diploma in education (PGDE) in the winter of 1994. This qualification was additional to a Bachelor’s Degree in Humanities that the class had obtained in the previous year.
Armed with teaching qualifications, Paledi and his class were posted to various secondary schools around the country to assume their teaching responsibilities. Bruno, as Paledi is affectionately known, was as per his letter of appointment assigned to cut his teeth in the teaching career at Shashe River Secondary School. Almost everyone in the group felt and accepted that their fate and destiny had been sealed and that there was no avenue for escaping the noble teaching profession. Anything outside what they were trained for was considered a risky adventure.
Unbeknown to many of the group, Paledi was the odd one. Making it appear like he was going with the tide, Paledi reported for duty at Shashe River Secondary School together with his female colleagues, Kedibonye Mokwele and Masego Legwale. It occurred very little to Mokwele and Legwale that Paledi’s sojourn to the school was more of reconnaissance trip than anything else- just to scan the environment for purposes of making an informed decision about his future. When the two lady teachers accompanying him settled for teaching, he left.
He never allowed himself into the classroom as the next day he jumped ship and followed his heart and passion- a service in the Botswana Police Service. When the news of his joining the BPS reached the four corners of the country, some of his former classmates were pessimistic about his future and thought he had committed the biggest mistake of his life. They thought with time he would come to his ‘senses’ and rethink his career path. It must be noted, however, that none of his compatriots doubted his capability or endurance. It is only that at a time when there were ample employment opportunities for graduates, a career in the disciplined forces was the least preferred.
With the benefit of hindsight, the Doubting Thomases in the group were dead wrong as Paledi’s move was the right one. He joined the BPS as an officer Cadet holding the rank of Inspector, rising speedily through the ranks and within two decades to become one of the youngest Deputy Police Commissioners the country has ever had. This is indeed a rare accomplishment, which can only come from a leader endowed with rare and extraordinary abilities. Those who have worked closely with him strongly attest that his fast progression is well deserved.
Productivity in the public service remains a challenge despite efforts put to raise it. Non-performance is partly caused by the fact that some people find themselves engaged in jobs for which they have no passion. Paledi’s case is different. He did not become a police officer by accident or chance but his choice had been driven by love and passion. He is rated as a leader par excellence who does not only lead but leads by example. His friend, Mmoloki Moreo, now Sir Seretse Khama Junior Secondary School principal, describes him as hands-on leader.
“One day while visiting him, he got a call in the middle of the night reporting a car crash. Instead of wasting time on mobilising his troops and assigning them to attend the accident as his position demands, he personally rushed to the accident scene to provide assistance,” reminisces Moreo. While serving as the head of the police traffic division in Palapye, there were times he fully engaged at roadblocks where he personally checked the roadworthiness of vehicles while his juniors were watching in the background.
This is a very rare thing, especially in a command environment such as in the police service where seniority matters a lot. It is unheard of to see a senior officer in the police or military set-up performing menial tasks while his juniors are standing by. A former colleague in Palapye sees him as an outstanding leader who does not only excel on policing duties, but excels on the human side of things. He cares much about the welfare of those he leads.
He quickly remembers that he once took his juniors to the Land Board in Palapye and encouraged them to apply for land, which they did, and now they own residential plots after his encouragement. Paledi joins the DCEC not only as a graduate, but most importantly possessing good inter-personal skills, which elevates him as a peoples’ person and has endeared him to his charges. A plus for him is that he easily goes beyond the call of duty. His leadership prowess will literally be put to test and the immediate expectation is for him to correct worrying chapters in the history of the DCEC. Paledi is a proponent of teamwork, which he strongly believes will never fail any trials and tribulations.
Highlights of his career in the BPS include the modernisation of the traffic department especially in the areas of the introduction of the popular Booze Bus and others. Paledi has had a bit of exposure and interaction with his principals at the BPS, especially when he worked closely with another former deputy commissioner, Ikwatlhaeng Bagopi on setting staff performance targets. He is humbled by his successes, which he attributes mainly to teamwork in the BPS.
In particular, he credits Bagopi and Makgophe for his professional growth amongst others. He quickly remembers retired police commissioners Thebeyame Tsimako and Edwin Batshu, together with the entire BPS family to have contributed in his career rise. At 47, the sociable Paledi is still full of life and energy to take the 23-year-old DCEC to greater heights.
In fact, that is the expectation of the public that he will be serving and he should be seen to be serving the public interest more than the interest of his principals. Come September 1, Paledi will be the fourth director general to lead the corruption buster. His predecessors include the pioneering head of DCEC, Graham Stockwell and Tymon Katlholo, who had also served in the BPS as head of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and Rose Seretse.
The latter exits on September 1. Paledi will be the cynosure of all eyes as he steps to the plate, taking over at the oversight institution, DCEC that has lately been dogged by controversy surrounding the alleged interfering hands of the ruling elite in ongoing investigations and in particular, Directorate on Intelligence and Security Services. Having successfully made an easy transition from teaching to the BPS, the expectation is that from the police to the DCEC he will adjust much easier and produce the results. He emerges from the BPS much wiser and smarter.