Gaolathe slams lackey appointees in parastatals

The Member of Parliament for Gaborone Bonnington South, Ndaba Gaolathe has criticised government for failing to appoint on merit people in public enterprises and parastatals.He said that these institutions are a collective determinant of how competitive the country can be in certain sectors and also determine the quality of life among citizens.

“We know this to be true about the Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) in respect to the price and availability of power in the country. Another example is the Water Utilities, a parastatal responsible for bulk water supply as well as distribution and now the relatively new mandate of sewerage connection and distribution management,” he said. He added, “The government does not appoint on merit most times, we appoint not just loyalists but friends who are not considered the best or near the best among their cohort or within their professional fraternities.” He said this habit is creating a vicious cycle, a tragic culture that shuns honesty and competence, effectiveness and excellence.

“The government is throwing away an entire generation’s prospects for economic success or a satisfactory quality of life for endless power outages, high energy prices, water shortages and expensive sewerage connections charges, missed opportunities in industries that are water or power intensive or missed opportunities to develop water and energy sectors themselves is a sure way to keep our people poor and struggling,” he said. He said if this is not addressed it’s going to be a major cause of decline in public institutions.

“This is how we have lost hundreds of millions in poorly done projects and billions in potential benefits for our people now and in years to come,” he said adding that if these institutions do not operate with no regard for excellence the government is throwing away an entire generation’s prospects for economic success. Gaolathe cited this as the reason why the country has poor standards in education system. “To achieve even higher quality in our education system, we need to enhance management capacity in schools to help coordinate and manage the affairs of teachers and students alike,” he said adding that students should not be guaranteed automatic progression even when they fail.

He also touched on the troubles bedevilling the science and technology university in Palapye. “After investing billions into the promising institution, Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), the most able Vice Chancellors are resigning from their work, due to poor governance standards being imposed on them from the Executive arm of government. How sad and unnecessary, all due to an encroaching culture of poor governance standards,” he said.