Mmegi

Serame’s meteoric rise

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
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

In Setswana, our generation of forebears have deliberately coined a proverb that aptly foretells one’s good fortunes from a tender age. The Setswana proverb, “…ntsanyana ya maitaya/tshwara sebatana e bonwa mabotwabotweng” or roughly translated, it’s easy to tell what someone will become from an early age. Mmegi Staffer RYDER GABATHUSE writes that whoever coined the proverb probably had the case of Finance Minister, Peggy Serame, in mind

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.

Editor's Comment
No room for perjury

It seems some government accounting officers, sworn to tell "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing else but the truth" before Almighty God, may have deliberately lied during the committee’s vital work. If proven, this is not merely unprofessional; it is perjury, a serious criminal offence and it strikes at the very heart of responsible government.The PAC’s role is fundamental. After each financial year, it painstakingly examines how public...

Have a Story? Send Us a tip
arrow up