BOSETU Executive Secretary set for hearing

Botswana Sectors of Educators Trade Union (BOSETU) Executive Secretary Othata Batsetswe is set to be hauled before a Disciplinary Hearing Committee.

However when reached for comment Batsetswe said he was not aware of any disciplinary hearing that he is set to face. He insisted though that he still remains the Executive Secretary of the union despite growing claims that he is facing a chop from BOSETU.  

Batsetwe, who has been on suspension while a forensic audit was being conducted on one of the companies in which BOSETU has shareholding, is due to appear before a disciplinary committee early next week.

While it is not yet clear what charges Batsetswe is facing, BOSETU insiders have revealed that the embattled Executive Secretary might have breached corporate governance procedures while representing the union in the board of one of its investment companies.

Contacted for comment, BOSETU Secretary General Tobokani Rari said he could not comment on the issue as it was a confidential matter between the union and its employee.

“What I can tell you is that the union is engaged in an extensive forensic audit as per the resolution of congress in 2017. The audit is on-going and it’s important for us to allow it to proceed without undue influence. We will share information when the time comes,” he said.

The clean-up campaign is said to be part of BOSETU President Kinston Radikolo’s roadmap, themed “Transforming BOSETU into a high performing trade union by 2020.” In his roadmap, Radikolo has promised to improve the union’s internal business processes and push for diversification of revenue streams to reduce over reliance on membership subscriptions.

“We also want to infuse a culture of transparency and corporate governance on the union leadership. In that regard, we will soon require our board members to declare their assets,” said Radikolo in a previous interview.

Asked to comment on the matter, Radikolo called for calm, saying the on-going audit was meant to restore the membership’s trust and confidence in the union.

“You must note that this exercise is on-going, which makes it difficult for us to share any information at the moment. But I must assure the membership that the leadership is committed to seeing this matter to its full conclusion without undue interruptions. When the audit is complete, we will share its findings with our members,” he said.