BOSETU calls for investigation at BIUST
Botswana Sectors of Educators Trade Union (BOSETU) has called upon the Minister of Education and Skills Development Dr. Douglas Letsholathebe to institute an investigation on the alleged rot at Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST).
Alternatively, BOSETU wants the Council to institute an independent forensic investigation. The union said it welcomes a judgment that was delivered by the High Court on 24th March 2023 in a case that involved its Shop Steward at BIUST and the management of the institution.
The court threw out with costs, an application by BIUST management in which the university wanted to be granted an order to muzzle BOSETU Shop Steward, preventing him from whistleblowing some alleged malpractices involving the Vice Chancellor, under the pretext that the information was confidential.
BOSETU Secretary General Tobokani Rari stated that the BOSETU Shop steward at BIUST had earlier written a letter to the Chairperson of University Council Human Resource Committee and the Council Chairperson alerting them of several allegations bordering on maladministration surrounding the office of the Vice Chancellor.
It was alleged that the Vice Chancellor is occupying two houses as his official residential accommodation, one of which is rented by the University for a sum of close to P25 000, and is said to be a guest house, contrary to what is provided for in his contract.
The Vice Chancellor is alleged to be seeking to access the benefit of furnishing and appliances to the value of P400 000 from an expired contract. The University is alleged to have purchased a motor vehicle worth P1 829 000 for the Vice Chancellor, an amount that is much in excess of the stipulated limit in his employment contract.
“The University is alleged to have purchased beverages for the Vice Chancellor from Liquorama Bottlestore with the purchases dating from the expired contract to the current in the amounts of P26 470.40 and P59 025.70 respectively contrary to his employment contract.
“The Vice Chancellor is alleged to have applied for the position of Full Professor in the Earth and Environmental Science within two years of his current contract contrary to the Revised and Approved statutes,” Rari said, adding that instead of the University Council investigating the alleged maladministration, the university turned its blazing guns against the Shop Steward by suspending him pending investigations for what they said was possessing confidential information.
He explained that the Shop Steward in turn, sought refuge from his union and divulged information about his predicament including the contents of the letter he authored to the Chairperson of the Council containing the alleged malpractices.
According the secretary general, the union made several attempts to seek an audience with the university management including with the University Council Chairperson, and the university rejected all union requests. He stated that an appeal to the Minister of Education and Skills Development could not bear any fruits either.
The management of BIUST rushed to court to try and conceal the information stated by asking the court to declare it confidential and also muzzle the BOSETU Shop steward from further sharing the information with third parties.
He pointed out that in dismissing the university’s application, the court stated that, “the respondent’s release of the confidential information to members of the council was for the purpose of investigation of the alleged impropriety, and to the union, for purposes of advice and possible representation”.
BOSETU finds the judgment to be very progressive as it has made a fundamental and landmark pronouncement, that public institutions cannot hide behind confidentiality clauses to bar whistleblowing in order to conceal maladministration and some corrupt practices.
Rari said the union believes that the University Council failed in its duty to direct, govern and set desirable ethical behaviour that is necessary to ensure the integrity, long time survival and effective corporate governance of this public institution.
But the University has rubbished the union’s narrative as mere conjecture. In a recent leaked investigation report, BIUST Council dismissed reports against the VC as “baseless and unfounded” saying some did not even warrant an investigation.
BIUST Council chairman, Eddie Elias expressed disappointment with the manner in which the 'whistle-blower' handled his disciplinary hearing case saying the employee should know that like all other employees, he is subject to the institution’s processes.
He explained that when an investigation has been opened against one, 'you allow the full process to unfold and complete. No one has been found guilty yet but the attitude of some parties to go around trying to circumvent the process is worrying.'
The employee is facing disciplinary hearing and the Council accuses him of scattering institutional confidential information around through his union, BOSETU.