Speculation mounts on why Masisi removed tourism minister
The President, Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi sent tongues wagging Tuesday when he redeployed Tourism and Environment Minister, Philda Nani Kereng to West Africa, where she will serve as High Commissioner to Nigeria!
This has created room for a cabinet reshuffle. Indications are that Masisi is creating room for someone, probably a much stronger candidate to replace Kereng.
Speculations was rife that such a candidate could be former Minister, Dorcas Makgato, who has recently completed her tour of duty as Ambassador to Australia.
There have also been suggestions that Kereng was positioning herself to contest against Minister of Energy and Minerals, Lefhoko ‘Fox’ Moagi in Ramotswa.
Masisi seems to have a soft spot for Moagi, and has gone to extremes to ensure that he remains ensconced in that sensitive ministry which holds the keys to the country’s economic future.
Moagi has thus far acquitted himself diligently, especially after pulling that stunt on De Beers, which secured Botswana a larger piece of the diamond cake!
The departure of Kereng however, now deprives the Botswana Democratic Party any bragging rights with respect to women representation in Parliament.
Kereng, along with fellow women – Peggy Serame, Unity Dow and Beauty Manake - was brought in as Specially Elected Member of Parliament.
The four ladies were joined as SEMP by their fellow male counterparts, Kgotla Autlwetse and Kefentse Mzwinila – all of them Cabinet Ministers.
Dow, a former Cabinet Minister, has since decamped to the opposition Botswana Congress Party. Only Annah Mokgethi, Naniki Makwinja and Talitha Monnakgotla managed to secure electoral victories in the 2019 general election.
Masisi will certainly have to dig deep to rearrange his furniture and replace Kereng at the tourism ministry.
He cannot choose a Minister among any of the Specially Elected Members of Parliament because they are all fully engaged as Cabinet Minsters already.
His hope lies in the Backbench since he cannot pick from outside Parliament. The idea of picking Members of the Executive from outside the Legislature, for which Masisi has himself been an ardent advocate, was shot down during the Review of the Republican Constitution.
This, therefore discounts Makgatho. However, it opens the door for her to contest the party’s primary elections and if she loses, but the party eventually wins the general election, she can then be brought in as SEMP.
Whatever the case, Masisi seems to have pulled the plug on his own party. He recently refused flatly to say when his party would hold the primary elections ahead of the general election.
Speculation is that he may elevate one of the youthful MPs, either Thapelo Letsholo or Tumisang Magwegape-Healey as full Minister to replace Kereng.
As for the Ministry staff, they have lost a capable person, whose footprints are firmly entrenched in the programmes and policies, especially of citizen empowerment, that she leaves behind.
But then, it is not the first Ministry to lose a capable Minister. Specially Elected Memper of Parliament and former Minister of Trade and Industry, Bogolo Kenewendo also suffered a similar fate, except that she was left to fend for herself in the international corporate world.
But for Masisi, this is a chess game that he is playing. He is steadily moving his pieces in the hope of thwarting mounting pressure from the opposition, whose advance this year has certainly been causing panic in the ruling party.