16 Apr 2013

Anti-corruption in Botswana is not only synonymous with good governance, but is viewed as a developmental imperative, Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi, has said.

“It forms part of our fabric. It forms part of our creed. It cuts across our political devise. And we’re committed to doing it and doing it right” he said.

Officiating at the technical experts workshop on draft model anti-corruption legislation for Africa on April 15, Mr Masisi said Botswana had been ranking fairly well by African standards on matters of anti-corruption.

However, he said, it did not mean that there was an absence of corruption in the country, adding “what you can be certain of is that there is political commitment right from the very highest level of His Excellency the President to fight this malice and to heighten prevention over investigation and prosecution.”

Corruption, the minister said, was an epidemic that needed to be tackled in the same way that any epidemic was fought. As all other epidemics, Mr Masisi said, corruption required a deep understanding across generations and commitment to stemming it. That, he said, could only be achieved through legislation.

He said it was through sanction, incentives and disincentives as well as values and ethical parameters that one could draw up to avert corruption.

Minister Masisi stated that it was also a challenge of who you deal with, the corruptor or the corrupted, adding that “here in Botswana, we deal with both infectively and decisively. It is important to keep the knowledge and the values in the public domain at all times. So we urge and invite the ECA to use and abuse us in this respect.”

Mr Masisi encouraged the delegates, who participated in the workshop, to learn from Botswana, share with Botswana and to partner with Botswana in the fight against corruption.

He said Botswana’s anti-corruption legislation was recently amended to further strengthen it. He also noted that he had requested senior officials to make sure that “we round up everybody in a position of influence to prepare them for the legislation to come, because if they dare do anything contradictory or offensive, they will find themselves before the courts. This includes everybody without exception. And we will begin doing this in a few weeks’ time.” 

In his welcome remarks, the UN Resident Coordinator, Mr Anders Pederson, said the need and importance of anti-corruption efforts was an important topic in trying to promote development.

Mr Pederson said he also found it encouraging that despite the fact that “you are very keen on further promoting questions around anti-corruption, you are also very humble enough to say that we have our challenges.”

He said during the recent celebrations of the anti-corruption day, President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama mentioned that as a country, Botswana was committed to stand up and fight corruption.

He said President Khama also said government recognised and acknowledged the difficulties and challenges, but they were much prepared to address them. “I think what we see here today is one example of that. A country that’s prepared to move forward,” Mr Pederson added.

For his part, the newly elected African Union Advisory Board on Corruption chairman, Mr Lean Baptiste Elias, said Botswana was a model in Africa in fighting corruption because of its good governance. He said the purpose of the workshop was to discuss the Draft Model Anti-Corruption Legislation that had to be presented to African Union. 

He urged all anti-corruption agents in Africa to ensure that corruption was stopped and minimised across Africa. He said it was important for African countries that had no law against corruption to use this legal law to fight corruption in their respective countries.

“We also hope that the UN system would help to make it a priority and translate this legislation into four official languages,” he added. ENDS