A new Auditor General report has exposed how hundreds of millions of pula meant for Botswana’s COVID-19 response were diverted to activities unrelated to the pandemic, including parties, retreats, boat cruises and other questionable expenses
GAZETTE REPORTER
Botswana’s COVID-19 relief fund has been rocked by fresh explosive findings from Auditor General Keneilwe Senyarelo, who has uncovered widespread misuse, irregular spending and weak oversight involving hundreds of millions of pula meant to fight the deadly pandemic.
MISUSED MILLIONS
In her just released report for the 2022/23 financial year, Senyarelo revealed that a staggering P416.3 million was spent on activities “not related to COVID-19” in direct violation of the COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Fund Order of 2020.
The Auditor General said the expenditure represented “non-compliance with the governing legal framework” and exposed glaring weaknesses in financial controls and oversight mechanisms.
PARTIES AND RETREATS
Among the shocking revelations were payments linked to Christmas parties, recreational outings, accommodation, boat cruises and stress management retreats, all charged to the COVID-19 fund under the guise of psychosocial support.
“A total amount of P25 101 699.44 was used to finance psychosocial support activities specifically for employees, exceeding the authorised amount of P14 950 000,” Senyarelo stated.
PUBLIC FUNDS
She noted that while psychosocial support formed part of the pandemic response, the law specifically intended such assistance for public counselling centres accessible to ordinary citizens, not internal staff recreational activities.
The report singled out questionable expenses, including P5 444.95 spent on a Ministry of Health Christmas party, P62 580 paid to Wild View Resort in Kasane for recreational activities and P80 080 paid to Key Intelligent Holdings Solution for accommodation, a boat cruise and game drive for 55 officers attending a stress management workshop in Kasane.
MISCLASSIFIED SPENDING
“The expenditure represents misclassification and misuse of funds under the guise of psychosocial support therapy,” the Auditor General charged.
The report further exposed irregularities within the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, where P8 million from the COVID-19 fund was used to settle a lawsuit arising from the unlawful termination of a contract for electronic movement tracking devices.
LAWSUIT PAYMENT
“While I contend that this Special Fund may not be the correct vote of charge, I consider that the circumstances leading to nugatory expenditure should be investigated through a submission of loss report by the Ministry,” Senyarelo warned.
The Ministry of Basic Education also came under sharp scrutiny after auditors failed to obtain supporting documents for expenditure amounting to P3.1 million.
MISSING RECORDS
Senyarelo said the missing records made it impossible to determine whether the money had been used in compliance with the law or whether transactions recorded were complete and accurate.
“Failure to provide adequate documentation represents non-compliance with the provisions of Section 124 (2) of the Constitution,” she stated.
IDLE FUNDS
The report also showed that while ministries spent heavily, huge amounts of COVID-19 funds remained idle. The Ministry of Trade and Industry reportedly received P84 million from the COVID-19 fund but spent only P17 234 on a hospital bill, leaving almost the entire allocation untouched.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance recorded total COVID-19 fund income of P2.36 billion, with 99 percent representing unutilised funds transferred back from ministries.