Serame’s meteoric rise
Friday, September 27, 2024 | 320 Views |
High flyer: Serame’s progress was never based on the gender card, but it was purely on the basis of her shrewdness as an economist PIC MORERI SEJAKGOMO
This Setswana proverb resonates very well with the words of former Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Solomon Sekwakwa, who from an early stage was able to foretell that Serame, Botswana’s Minister of Finance, was destined for greater things in life.
Serame was elevated in a 2021 Cabinet reshuffle to preside over the national purse and its development trajectory listed as the 10th minister, breaking male domination of the position. She rose after Dr Thapelo Matsheka was dropped from Cabinet after a fall out with the principal, President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
That a single private law firm pocketed P6.5 million for just four cases, out of a total P11.1 million paid for 25 matters, reeks of a system that was not merely disorganised but open to abuse.Bayford has taken a welcome first step by telling the Public Accounts Committee the truth. Now he must act decisively to ensure it never happens again and that any money lost to wrongdoing is recovered.The figures are staggering. Whilst ordinary Batswana...