Response Minister Mokaila blows P300.000 on Home Furniture

source: Republic of Botswana TAUTONA TIMES of 8/8/2010
The Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President
“Democracy, Development, Dignity, Discipline and Delivery”


C8) 26/7/10: RESPONSE MINISTER MOKAILA BLOWS P300.000 ON HOME FURNITURE

Please find below a Press Statement that was issued earlier today by the PPRO MEWT. Please further note that the Ministry of State Presidency, as the responsible authority for such procurement, also finds it odd that the Sunday Standard should try to insinuate that this particular procurement, which was carried out five years ago, for the purchase of what was in the end Government Property for the Hon. Minister's use, should now be tied to current belt tightening issues. In our view the purchase, which was approved by PPADB, was carried out in a proper and appropriate manner.

[Start] Response to: MINISTER MOKAILA BLOWS P300 000 ON HOME FURNITURE

We refer to the above subject matter published in Sunday Standard Newspaper on Sunday 25th July, 2010.

The Ministry of Environment Wildlife and Tourism regret the impression that this article gave which implies that the Minister’s furniture was bought recently, while in actual fact the furniture in question was procured in 2005. Therefore, the article is very misleading to tie the recent development of financial recession to the event of 2005.

It is also unfortunate that Sunday Standard through their article particular the Headline: MINISTER MOKAILA BLOWS P300 000 ON HOME FURNITURE insinuates that the Ministry went overboard in procuring the furniture. We wish to state that the furniture that was bought for the Minister in 2005 at a total cost of P299 685.00 is within the allowed limit which was and still stand at P380 303.00.

The procurement of the Honourable Minister’s furniture was done in accordance to the President, the Vice President, Minister, Speaker, Assistant Minister, Deputy Speaker and Leader of the Opposition; Function, Pay and Privileges booklet (commonly known as the Green Book) and met all PPDB regulations and procedures.

The Honourable Minister Onkokame Kitso Mokaila like any other minister, as stated in the Green Book, Section VII, sub-section 41. (1) Scale of Furniture is entitled to furniture set out in Annexure 4 of the booklet. The list of furniture in Annexure 4 was provided to Sunday Standard on Friday 23rd July 2010.

It is highly regrettable for Sunday Standard to claim that the Permanent Secretary did not respond to Sunday Standard enquiries on whether the P300 000 price tag was the going rate for all cabinet ministers furniture, while the actual fact is that in Sunday Standard questionnaire sent to the Ministry on Thursday, 22nd July, 2010 the newspaper only wanted to be provided with the full list of items bought for the minister, which the Ministry availed to Sunday Standard on Friday, 23rd July, 2010