Africa-Press – Botswana. In an explosive upcoming book titled Turning Back the Clock, veteran politician and businessman Dr David Magang boldly reveals that former finance minister Dr Thapelo Matsheka was politically persecuted by former president Mokgweetsi Masisi for his independent thinking and calls for accountability and transparency
Veteran politician of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) and prominent businessman Dr David Magang has delivered a scathing assessment of former president Mokgweetsi Masisi’s leadership, accusing him of persecuting former finance minister Dr Thapelo Matsheka for his independent thinking and unwillingness to toe the line.
In his soon-to-be-released book titled Turning Back the Clock, a treatise on the leadership of former president Ian Khama and a commentary on the country’s political trajectory under Masisi, Magang cites, among others, Matsheka as a high-profile casualty of Masisi’s alleged intolerance for dissent and accountability.
“Of the people who incurred Masisi’s unpropitiable wrath, perhaps the figure that immediately comes to mind is Dr Thapelo Matsheka,” Magang writes. “Matsheka, one of the finest economists this country has ever produced and arguably the most eloquent of his ilk, was literally head-hunted by Masisi for the Chancellor of the Exchequer perch. It did not take long, however, before he fell foul of the famously churlish president.”
Admirably stoic
According to Magang, Matsheka’s fall from grace had little to do with incompetence and everything to do with principle. “A number of Matsheka’s ‘sins’ have been confided to me, not by the admirably stoic Matsheka himself but others in the know,” writes Magang.
The former cabinet minister suggests that Matsheka’s insistence on real authority, comparable to the influence wielded by legendary finance ministers such as Quett Masire, Festus Mogae and Baledzi Gaolathe, clashed with Masisi’s desire for control.
One of Matsheka’s first offences, says Magang, was his vocal displeasure over the alleged misuse of COVID-19 relief funds by politically-connected individuals. His concerns, which might have prompted investigations under a different administration, reportedly enraged the president.
P470m Steve Harvey tender
“He wanted to be a finance minister in substance and not in name only,” writes Magang. “When he voiced displeasure at how funds committed to the war on COVID-19 were being exploited for personal aggrandisement, the President reportedly saw red.”
Adding to the friction, Matsheka publicly lamented that a third of government funds were being lost to waste and corruption. Rather than appreciating the warning, Magang says Masisi viewed it as a public indictment of his administration.
Further straining relations, Magang writes that Matsheka opposed the controversial P470 million consultancy contract awarded to American TV personality Steve Harvey, meant to revamp Botswana’s creative industry. At a time of fiscal strain, Magang suggests, Matsheka questioned the wisdom of such extravagant spending.
Sent packing
“He expressed misgivings, and rightly at that, at Government’s decision to purchase a house vacated by the Swedish Embassy for visiting Heads of State. Five years later, the house remains unused,” Magang points out.
But the final straw, according to Magang, was political. Matsheka allegedly hinted at his intention to challenge Vice President Slumber Tsogwane for the chairmanship of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) – an ambition that may have been interpreted as an indirect challenge to Masisi’s presidency.
“Whilst this was well within his democratic rights,” Magang writes, “the President interpreted it as a veiled tilt at the very office he occupied. And before anybody could plead ‘please MEKS’, Matsheka, the most educationally accomplished of the front benchers who had a runaway popularity in his constituency (he won the Lobatse seat by an astounding margin of just under 4500 votes, a surpassing feat countrywide), was unceremoniously shown the door.”
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