Vice Chancellor’s P300,000 alcohol bill at the centre of controversy
The Minister of Education Dr Douglas Letsholathebe was caught by surprise by the Botswana University of Science and Technology decision to expel Dr Malatsi Galani early this month.
Confirming in an interview that the expulsion caught him off guard, Letsholathebe said the expulsion happened while his focus was on his constituency and away from his ministerial duties.
The minister said to his best knowledge, the University was still embarking on a disciplinary process against the lecturer.
“I have engaged the council, I engaged the Vice Chancellor on the matter and they said they were still investigating, and I refrained from interfering in their operations. The matter was also before the courts. Unfortunately they were quick to expel him whilst I was away from the office and there was nothing I could do about it,” Letsholathebe said on Wednesday, a day after a press conference called by Botswana Sectors of Educators Union (BOSETU) to discuss latest developments in the education sector and the expulsion of Dr Galani for exposing suspected corruption at BIUST.
When quizzed about his ministry’s position on protection of whistleblowers, he said the law unconditionally protects whistleblowers.
He added, “ I am waiting for a report on their investigations, and the report will explain whether Dr Galani was a whistle blower or not”.
At the Tuesday press conference, BOSETU vowed to fight the expulsion of their Comrade at all avenues available, including taking the matter to the International Labour Organisation for which convention on corruption Botswana Government is signatory to.
According to BOSETU, Dr Galani’s troubles started more than a year ago when he found an envelope underneath his vehicle in which there was the Employment Contract for the Vice Chancellor, a receipt for the purchase of a Range Rover for the Vice Chancellor, and receipts of P300,000 for purchase of alcohol beverages for the VC over a short period of time.
Dr Galani, who was a BOSETU Shop Steward took the matter up with the University management for possible investigation of maladministration or embezzlement.
This did not go down well with the Vice Chancellor who allegedly insisted that the documents were confidential and ultimately instituted disciplinary proceedings against the lecturer.
BOSETU successfully challenged the disciplinary hearing at the High Court and it was declared unlawful and set aside.
BOSETU Secretary General, Tobokani Rari said despite their victory at the High Court, BIUST once again instituted another disciplinary hearing against Dr Galani leading to his expulsion in January 2024.
“The so-called disciplinary panel was a kangaroo court, which was assembled illegally with the sole intention to come up with a cooked-up verdict of guilt against Dr. Galani. The guilty verdict that they arrived at was predetermined and an instruction from their masters, the top brass of the university,” he told journalists on Tuesday.
Rari added that BOSETU has long pointed out to the panel that they have been illegally assembled, contrary to article 10.5.1 (ii) of the BIUST Terms and conditions of Service that points out that each committee shall consist of Chairperson, two Management Representatives, Human Resources Official, Legal Services Official.
“The panel was rather made up of all people that are not members of the university, single handedly picked by the university management without adhering to the above regulated composition. We brought this to their attention and asked them to recuse themselves, but they rather chose to ignore this legitimate call and decided to stick on and proceeded with the hearing with the intention to pronounce a guilty verdict as assigned, just as they did.”
BOSETU lamented that corruption has cost the country a lot and something should be done urgently, to protect those who expose it.
