BOSETU Calls The Bluff On BFTU

By Ephraim Keoreng
Staff Writer | Monday June 28, 2010 00:00

 

In an interview, BOSETU secretary general, Kwenasebele Modukanele, said they were shocked when last April, BFTU secretary general, Gadzani Mhotsha's report failed to mention that BOSETU loaned the federation money amounting to P2 million. He said in 2007 they were approached by the federation to rescue them financially, when Babereki House, owned by BFTU, experienced serious financial challenges. They forked out the P2 million in the hope that they would be given controlling shares of Babereki house. 'We did it in good faith believing that this was a good investment. We don't even have a share certificate to prove that indeed we are shareholders. That is why we withdrew our monthly subscriptions to pressurise them to release an audited financial report that will show what the P2 million was used for.

'If we continue subscribing when there is no evidence of how the BFTU spends the money, it puts us in a precarious situation,' he said. Modukanele said his union, which is the largest contributor, pops out P70,000 monthly to the BFTU. He said when an organisation pops out so much money it would want to know how it is being used, 'So, ga re iphetlhe - We are not being ridiculous,' he said.

Responding to the accusations, BFTU's Mhotsha confirmed that it was agreed that the P2 million payout by BOSETU will be converted to shares on Babereki House. However the share allotment took long, but it does not mean that the BFTU has embezzled funds, said Mhotsha. 'They expected me to state in my report to congress that we received P2 million from BOSETU but it was not necessary because mine was not a financial report. That would be covered in the audited financial report, which unfortunately has not been released,' he said.