26 Sep 2013

The newly elected president of Botswana Confederation of Commerce, Industry and Manpower (BOCCIM), Mr Leta Mosienyane has apologised to the nation for the internal bickering which has been bedeviling the organisation.

Addressing a press conference in Gaborone recently, Mr Mosienyane admitted that the internal issues within the organisation have hampered progress at BOCCIM and as a result they received negative publicity especially from the media and promised that his new committee will work round the clock to stabilise the organisation.

He said the council was no longer effective and about to collapse, adding that some of the things which exacerbated the condition was the organisation’s constitution as it clearly stipulates that it is only the president who is to call the meeting and when they do  not feel like calling the council meeting, no body else should.

He said his new committee is going to work on revamping the current constitution to align it with the current situation, develop policies, guidelines and procedures to guide the organisation and also induct council members on corporate governance and review their strategic plan.

Mr Mosienyane further said the committee is working hard to implement a robust publicity strategy to reach out to BOCCIM members around the country and conduct stakeholder’s visits for continuous engagements and guidance as well as restructure BOCCIM to serve its members more effectively and play its role as the apex of the private sector.

On what difference he is going to bring, Mr Modisenyane said he is a transformational leader and his main focus would be to transform the organisation by engaging its members, employees and all other stakeholders including the media to help him lead the organisation positively. He said they intend to conduct BOCCIM Pitso around the country and engage with members and also develop programmes aimed at ensuring that SMMEs participate fully in the national economy and communicate timeously to members with various communication tools.

Mr Mosienyane said his committee will work hard in winning back the confidence of the private sector by representing the interests of members more fully through continuous engagement and also endeavor to improve on the quality of service they provide to their members.

On the issue of assurance to members, he said as part of their professionalism, they will strive for excellence and maintain high level of expertise in their specialty area of practice, both as advocates and advisors and will be so committed to their members and assure them that BOCCIM is still serving its members as an independent private sector body representing business across all sectors of the economy.

Regarding the issue of the chief executive officer, Mr Mosienyane said the council will decide on whether to retain her or part ways. He said each and every issue has its own way of solving it and said if the CEO has done something that needs attention it will be dealt with in accordance with the law of employment. ENDS