Reducing Wastage At TK�s Ministry Is Critical

Monitor Editor | Monday March 20, 2017 11:43

Someone has to beat prudent management of resources into the head of Minister TK. He is one Minister who for the most part of last year had been in the news for spending close to P300 million on a jet, which flies him all over the world.

No other Minister has ever spent those amounts of money on such luxury since Botswana gained Independence  over 50 years ago.

Minister TK has also been accused of setting up a very expensive and unnecessary wildlife intelligence at his Ministry, which is said to be burning a lot of multi-millions buying weapons of war, paying hefty salaries, if what we read in some reports is anything to go by.

Minister TK’s pet project critics, the wildlife intelligence, are baffled that a duplicate effort had been produced at a very high cost when the Botswana Defence Force and other organs of security have joined forces in anti-poaching initiatives.

Minister TK’s critics also like to quote his decision to open a tourism marketing office in Dubai for millions of pula, his decision to stage expensive air shows running into tens of millions, as some of the glaring wastages by the Minister, which with a bit of prudence could save any Ministry hundreds of millions of pula to continue the management of the Ministry.

It is perhaps about time that TK shows his mantra by reversing some of these costly decisions, including putting up the P300 million jet for sale to recoup the public funds.There are also concerns that the wildlife intelligence agency, if ever it exists, appears to be rivalling the army with its arms race.

With stories awash that the mysterious wildlife intelligence agency is recruiting experts from the army and other security organs, one is left to wonder just how much is being spent into this mystery agency, and who approves such huge sums of money since we never get to see a request for its budget in Parliament.

Perhaps Minister TK should come out into the open and address this burning issue of the expensive pet project called military intelligence, and other burning issues.