Should MoE staff be concerned about job security?

CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI
Staff Writer | Wednesday May 5, 2010 00:00

 

The campaign to revamp its operations under new broom, minister Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, purportedly for a more positive result, is now being viewed with suspicion as employees allege party factionalism as the determinant factor amoung other dubious reasons.Opelo Makhandlela, former deputy permanent secretary (Regional Operations) was retired with immediate effect last Friday, while DPS Molake Baeti Molake was re-deployed to the Office of the President (OP) where he will be serving as deputy secretary with immediate effect from yesterday.

But their departure has sparked much speculation, with the new leadership being accused of pursuing a vendetta against the four DPS.

Until he assumed the position of deputy permanent secretary (regional operations), Makhandlela was the director of the Teaching Service Management (TSM) where he was signatory to the hiring (and firing of errant) of teachers.

Mmegi has learnt that since the time the new leadership took office, the four deputy permanent secretaries have been uncertain about their future. It is alleged that Makhandlela's close working relationship with former minister, Jacob Nkate, who has since moved to BEDIA, might have worked against him as Venson-Moitoi and her assistant minister, Keletso Rakhudu are purported to be from a different faction of the ruling party.

Education Minister Venson-Moitoi is said to have given President Ian Khama the impression that a lot was wrong at the ministry, which later resulted in the interdiction of some officers at the Department of Tertiary Education Funding, formerly known as department of student placement and welfare (DSPW). It has further emerged that during a briefing, Khama is said to have accused deputy permanent secretaries of not doing enough to assist the minister and also advised the minister to observe those at the top not just the junior staff.  It was thereafter that Makhandlela was called to account for a decision taken by Nkate, who had since left.

Information passed on to Mmegi is that early this year, Venson-Moitoi allegedly told a top official that she had called permanent secretary, Ruth Maphorisa from maternity leave as she (the minister) was unhappy with the work of DPS Molake who was acting in her position by then. However, Maphorisa never returned to work until the end of her leave. It is also understood that there was bad blood between Makhandlela and Maphorisa who believed the latter aspired to be the PS.

When contacted Maphorisa refused to comment on this issue, explaining that she would not discuss staff issues in the media. 'They can say whatever they want but I will not comment on that. He was retired by the PSP and not me,' she said. Reached for comment, Minister Venson-Moitoi refused to be drawn into the issue saying, 'I do not respond to unsubstantiated reports'.