Molosiwa Selepeng discusses the widely successful performance management reforms in Botswana during his tenure as head of the public service between 1999 and 2003. The program was unique in that it was successfully implemented across all branches of civil service without the use of monetary incentives. Selepeng attributes much of Botswana’s success to a culture of communal cooperation, transparency and giving. He believes that this culture allowed Botswana to avoid corruption, muster domestic support for performance management, and avoid reform fatigue. He also attributes success to support from international donors, visionary leadership, and generally democratic, consensus-based government. Selepeng reflects upon several aspects of the initiative, including the training of employees, department-wide setting of objectives for individuals, evaluation, and non-monetary incentives for all ranks of the civil service. He explains the challenges faced by Botswana in this regard, especially in relation to the evaluation of unquantifiable tasks. Finally, he reflects upon Botswana’s general development since independence, and the role of culture, leadership, and international support in encouraging it.
At the time of this interview, Molosiwa Selepeng was high commissioner of Botswana. Prior to this, between 1999 and 2003, he was employed at the Office of the President as secretary to the Cabinet and head of public service. He previously held the posts of senior private secretary to the president, and, starting in 1990, permanent secretary for political affairs in the Office of the President. Before that, he worked at the foreign office under the Office of the President, and was posted in embassies in London and Brussels.
Omponye Kereteletswe talks about the creation and operations of Botswana’s Public Service Reforms Unit. He discusses the importance of performance measurement and performance management in public service reforms. He touches on the use of strategic planning from the national to the village level to coordinate reforms across the public service. Kereteletswe also discusses strategies to build public support for reforms and the importance of getting public feedback on the process. He gives a brief history of reform efforts in Botswana and reflects on the use of technology to reach rural areas, one-stop shops, and dealing with reform fatigue.
At the time of this interview, Omponye Kereteletswe was the coordinator of Public Sector Reform in the Office of the President in Botswana. He earned a doctorate from the University of Birmingham School of Education. In May 2010 he was appointed head of the Botswana National Productivity Centre.
Joshua Galeforolwe discusses the creation of Botswana’s Public Enterprise Evaluation and Privatisation Agency, using a consultancy model. He outlines the goals behind Botswana’s privatization efforts and the challenges of putting together a privatization strategic plan, identifying candidate enterprises for privatization and restructuring other state owned enterprises. Galeforolwe also discusses the difficulty of coordinating privatization efforts and policies across ministries and in dealing with lack of support from many of those ministries. He touches on the challenges for Botswana of a self-directed structural adjustment program. He also offers advice for other countries attempting the privatization of public enterprise.
At the time of this interview, Joshua Galeforolwe was the chief executive officer of the Public Enterprise Evaluation and Privatisation Agency in Botswana. Prior to creating and running PEEPA, Galeforolwe was general manager of Air Botswana. Under his leadership, the airline was restructured and made a profit for the first time since it was established in the 1960s. He earneds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Makerere University in Uganda and a bachelor’s in economics from the University of Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland.
Rose Seretse discusses the role of Botswana’s Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crimes (DCEC) in combating corruption. She explains the establishment of the DCEC in 1994, the process through which staff are recruited, the role of public perceptions and education in combating corruption, and the organization of the DCEC. Seretse briefly touches on the relationship of the DCEC with other branches of government and the level of corruption encountered in Botswana. Finally, she discusses the role of Performance Management Systems in incentivizing productivity and combating inefficiency within the government.
At the time of this interview, Rose Seretse was director of Botswana’s Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC), a position to which she was appointed in 2009. Seretse served as the deputy director of the DCEC from 2007 to 2009. Prior to joining the DCEC in 1997, Seretse worked in the public service in various capacities. Seretse received her masters in public administration from the University of Botswana. She also holds a bachelors of science in construction engineering and management from Ferris State University in the United States.
In this interview, Tymon Katlholo explains his experience as the director of Botswana’s Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime. He explains the importance of establishing and adhering to guidelines when pursuing cases in order to remain politically neutral and non-discriminatory as an anti-corruption agency. He further discusses some challenges he had faced in achieving institutional independence, managing interagency cooperation, streamlining investigative procedures and raising awareness in regions that are beyond the reach of the media. From his experience, Katlholo draws the lesson that corruption is about service delivery and productivity. In order to fight corruption, it is crucial to enhance professionalism, transparency, and accountability.
At the time of this interview, Tymon Katlholo was the director of Tyedo Investments, an anti-corruption consulting firm. He retired from his position as the director of Botswana’s Directorate on Corruption and Economic Corruption in 2009
John P.D. Phatshwe explains his management role in the Botswana National Productivity Center after being contracted by the government to install performance management systems in local authorities. The center comprised government, employers and workers’ organizations. Its goal was to improve service delivery especially after the government received numerous complaints from the public. The government largely funded the organization, although the center also raised its own funds. Phatshwe discusses the performance-management model that was used during the project and explains the distinct modules within it. He also discusses his role as a performance improvement coordinator within the Ministry of Local Government. This position entailed training various departments in order to improve their performance, helping to identify problems the organizations were facing, and developing strategies to deal with the challenges.
At the time of this interview, John Phatshwe was the Public Service program manager at Botswana National Productivity Center. Before joining the center, he worked in the Department of Lands. He later joined the Department of Sanitation and Waste Management, where he worked for about six years before being appointed a performance improvement coordinator for local authorities within the Ministry of Local Government. Phatshwe has extensive experience in civil service.
Motsomi Marobela discusses Botswana’s public sector reforms. He explains the country’s economic dependence on the diamond industry, the government’s efforts at diversification, and its adoption of structural adjustment policies, including liberalization of the economy and privatization of the public sector. Marobela argues for increasing the public sector’s efficiency instead of privatizing it. He highlights the significance of the public sector and the need to maintain Botswana's welfare system. He also describes the changes that took place in the relationship between trade unions and the government. The government initially had draconian laws that sought to control labor activities but more recently ratified International Labor Organization conventions. Marobela also identifies the challenges faced by workers due to trade union bureaucracy.
At the time of this interview, Motsomi Marobela had been a senior lecturer in the Department of Management at the University of Botswana for 10 years. His lectures covered human resource management, research methods, labor relations, organizational behavior and public sector management. A trade unionist, he had extensive experience in advising and supporting small-scale rural industries.
Taboka Nkhwa discusses Botswana’s efforts to improve public service institutions. She reflects upon the role of political impulse, discontent within the private sector, and international political conditions in providing an impetus for change. She also talks about the role of training, technical assistance, consultants, and communication in improving Botswana’s civil service. Nkhwa also offers insights into the obstacles to reform, such as political and bureaucratic resistance, financial cost, accountability and failures of service delivery.
At the time of this interview, Taboka Nkhwa was the deputy permanent secretary in Botswana's Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture. Prior to that, she was deputy director for the Directorate of Public Service. She had worked as a management consultant for ministries in Botswana, where she analyzed ministerial structures and functioning. She was also involved in introducing a performance management system for the public service of Botswana. Earlier, she served as deputy director for human resource management for Commonwealth Public Services under the Governance and Institutional Development Division.