Ntuane tells two ministers to quit

BAME PIET
Staff Writer | Tuesday July 13, 2010 00:00

 

The MP called for the heads of the Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, Kitso Mokaila; and his Youth, Sport and Culture colleague, Shaw Kgathi because Botswana did not derive any meaningful benefit from the just ended World Cup held in neighbouring South Africa. He said that if they fail to voluntarily leave their posts, President Ian Khama should sack them because they have failed to deliver - an obsession with the president.

Ntuane tabled a motion in Parliament yesterday requesting government to institute a commission of enquiry with the objective of determining why, despite massive investment of public money into a variety of infrastructure projects, Botswana did not derive any meaningful benefit from the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He said the commission should apportion responsibility for the failure and recommend appropriate action.

He said that a Task Force appointed in 2006 should account to the commission on its mandate. The Task Force should tell the commission whether appropriate people were appointed, how many times it met, what their strategy was and whether they had achieved anything. Ntuane said the Botswana Football Association (BFA), Mokaila and his staff, Kgathi and his staff, transport companies and hospitality investors should come and account to the commission and share experience that could be used in future plans for big events. 

He said that instead of doing their work, the Task Force engaged a consulting firm from the United Kingdom and the nation should know what exactly transpired. 'How bizarre? The nation needs answers to this. Somebody ought to account on who is responsible for this mess,' he said. Ntuane said that Khama and Kgathi gave contradicting answers to a recent edition of the Daily News on whether or not the country has benefited from the World Cup. 'These contradictions reinforce our case for a commission of inquiry,' he told the House.

He said the main problem was that the two ministers were fighting to please Khama in the same process, thus thwarting the Task Force. He said that the two ministers sidelined the private sector, despite many offers they presented. He said that many Batswana went to enjoy themselves at Fun Parks in South Africa because there was no such facility in Botswana and that the government has criminalised fun.

Meanwhile Kgathi was the first to take the floor defending government saying the construction of Lobatse and Francistown stadia and the refurbishment of the National Stadium had nothing to do with the World Cup because they had long been planned for. He said that the projects were included in the National Development eight and nine and had no relationship with the World Cup.

He said that Botswana was not a co-host of the tournament and did not have much to do when FIFA and South Africa went into agreements on where the participating teams should camp. Other members of the cabinet were opposed to the appointment of the commission saying more money would be spent on it.

The Minister of Trade and Industry, Dorcus Makgato-Malesu said the commission would cost the state more money, while her assistant Maxwel Motowane said that he saw no point in having a commission. Khathi was still holding the floor at the time of going to press.