Notably, we respect the man for stepping down from the same position last August when corruption charges were brought up against him.However, we have a problem with his appointment on Wednesday, only a day after he was acquitted and discharged. Admittedly the last quarter of the year is a time when a cabinet reshuffle can be expected, especially with the opening of Parliament in November. But the President could have waited a little because nothing would prevent him doing that during the session. Even next week, just before the Christmas session, would have been a better time for the reshuffle. It is the alacrity with which President Khama rushed to reshuffle that betrays a propensity for nepotism, Seretse being his first cousin.
In fact, the fact that no one was appointed to hold the powerful portfolio in a substantive manner raises disturbing questions about the integrity of the President. First of these is whether there is a likelihood that President Ian Khama knew the outcome of his cousin's trial from the onset. Second is whether the trial was merely about going through the motions and therefore a mockery of due process. Third is how much the President understood the import of the serious charges his cousin faced. Fourth is whether under Khama, the desirability of a leadership above reproach is an alien concept.
