At Botswana Railways, officers can place orders for spare parts and not account for them, rent their spouses' houses for the company at inflated rates, write off company property without input from the board of directors and hire friends at any remuneration. This shocking conclusion is contained in a report compiled by the Parliamentary Committee on Statutory Bodies after examining parastatals for the financial year 2010-2011.At the end of the examination of each department, the committee recommended strengthening controls, put control measures in place, or scrutinized contracts entered into between BR and its suppliers.
In one incident, the committee noted that BR had engaged a private attorney who was a former board member to assist in the collection of old debts."It was observed that the collector, who is also the legal advisor to the Railways, was charging and being paid upfront an amount of P2,750 for every debt assigned to him for collection irrespective of the amount involved and the age of the debt," says the report of the committee that is chaired by the MP for Gaborone West North, Robert Masitara.The committee says BR's outsourcing exercise had serious financial implications on the organization and raised suspicions.
