AGRIEVED: Colin Khali
Silence on the law regarding the running of businesses by Members of Parliament became loud this week as a dismissed employees of Ellies Botswana questioned the involvement of Tsapong North MP Prince Maele in their sacking.
Maele’s credibility to run a Human Resource company was put under spotlight amid scenes of anguish and disappointment as disgruntled Ellies employees, Collin Khali and Sugar Molefhe complained that his move to sack them compromised his political position.
The complaint comes in the wake of a disciplinary hearing chaired by Maele in which Molefhe, a former Sales Representative was sacked.
A distraught Khali, a former General Manager for Ellies who has taken his case to the labour office told The Voice this week that he had refused to have his case heard in the MP’s presence.
“On the day of the hearing, my boss appeared with Maele. At the time I didn’t even know that he was an MP as he was introduced as Prince Oitsile and that he had been with the company for eleven days as a Human Resources Manager. I refused to have him in the hearing of my case.”
CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE: MP Prince Maele
Khali said he discovered that Maele was an MP from some friends and was surprised that an MP could be embroiled in labour issues. He was further infuriated when he read a news article in the Daily News where the legislator was ironically quoted defending the payment of severance benefits to employees.
The article that was published on July 26 this week,cited how Maele was behind an amendment of the Employment Bill read in part: “… an amendment to compel employers to pay employees whose contracts have been terminated before they have served a period of 60 months as well as a severance benefit proportionate to the length of the time the employee has served will address a situation whereby employees are dismissed when they are about to reach five years of service.”
Khali was shocked that the MP backed this Bill while he was intent to support his former company Ellies not to pay him his due gratuity.
Ellies Botswana Managing Director Peter Van Vuuren said he engaged Maele as he needed a human resource expert. “I dont know the name of his company but I was referred to Maele by a friend as I was told he has a consultancy company that deals with labour disputes. I had only known him for a few days and he was involved in the two cases,” he said.
An equally distraught Molefhe said the legislator’s involvement in labour disputes compromised his position as a legislator. “This is not ethically sound at all. Just imagine how it would feel like for someone that I voted for turning around to fire me,” he quipped.
MANAGING DIRETOR: Van Vuuren
At the disciplinary hearing Molefhe says he was denied the right to engage external representation. “Maele recommended that I should engage a fellow employee to represent me and since I did not want to jeopardise anyone’s job I refused to proceed and I was fired.”
At press time there was no comment from Maele who did not answer his mobile phone. When contacted for comment, Speaker of the National Assembly Margaret Nasha said the law was silent on the issue of MP’s running businesses.
DISGRUNTLED: Sugar Molefhe
She further said in the absence of a Code of `ethics it was difficult to address the issue as there was nothing that stopped MPs to run businesses.
“The law is silent on MP’s actively participating in their businesses. I have heard that Mr Maele runs a Human Resources Consultancy, but as we do not have a Code of Conduct barring MP’s from running businesses, it is difficult to pin down an MP.” she said.
The speaker said that unlike ministers who were expected to declare their interests on record to avoid a conflict of interest, they didn’t have a Code of Conduct for MPs.
this is a crucial story , i mean an MP is in tittled to support batswana this are the people we vote it clear that they are not supposed to be engaged in other business activities where is mr Maeke finding time for firing peole and how about his job as an MP.I donot under standard about the Silence on the law regarding the running of businesses by Members of Parliament what law? one other question who is Prince Oitsile and who is Prince Maele .the voice can you clearify on these issues.
this is an offence of frauding with names which is which Prince Oitsile or Prince Maele
Sugar Molefhe and Colin Khali contact the presidenthe is very host with citizens ,im sure he will listen to you,about the MANAGING DIRETOR Van Vuuren
i think he is not telling the truth ,so to me Ellies Botswana Managing Director is hiring MPs to fire its employees
Sugar Molefhe and Colin Khali contact the president he is very honest with citizens issues ,im sure he will listen to you,about the MANAGING DIRETOR Van Vuuren
i think he is not telling the truth just defending him self ,so to me Ellies Botswana Managing Director is hiring MPs to fire its employees
the guy is clearly greed. he proved to us that he is not an MP with the interest of Batswana at heart but for his own benefits.
And why were they fired? For this is important, event though the media’s focus is on the MP owning a business.
o ne o ikutlwa jang o gata o ya go koba ngwana wa batho mo tirong???switch ur fone on re go utlwe, mare why o tlhabisa ditlhong so?? gone jaana ga o popular sentle, e bile bontsi ga bo go itse ole MP ka gore o nna fela mo palamenteng when debates are on, o gopotse “who am i sacking next” RE go shebile boy, hav u rily declared all ur interests
prince maele is a gisgusting human being wus always greedy…shame on u on wat u did to the poor man…u shud b sacked wena n neva allowed in palement….
Besides the LAW being silent, WHAT HAPPENED TO MORAL JUDGEMENT AND RESPONSIBILITY? Its not rocket science to figure out that when you are a legislator, there are certain businesses you cant be involved in…its just logic..You cant be a priest/pastor and sell morning after pills or weed..it doesnt make sense…This dude needs to do some soul searching…Its either he continues being a legislator or he quits to go and practice his cornmanship..whatever it is…Voters need to be very careful about people you send to parliament…
Whats the problem here? The fact that he fired them or that he is an mp acting on behalf of a private company.i trust that maele’s hr skills are credible and the decision he made is the correct one whether he should have been involved in the disciplinary hearing its another story on its own.this is a case of soar grapes anyway they probably defrauded the company in some way and got fired and the fact that the person hearing this was an mp gave them an opportunity to attack him.
Why were they fired? Isn’t that the key to this issue? Why is it not mentioned? Journalist?
Prince Oitsile ke leferefere, one a tsaya gore bo Khali gaba itse gore ke Maele, shame on this guy who is suppose to be a representative of the people who voted him eseng bo VAN VUUREN next time bata go thopha bo VAN VUUREN boy.
maloba rene re botsa ka fridge, gompieno ke bogagaupa jwa bo maele. ke sone o bona batho ba sa tlhophe, bagana lone leswe le!
@Chris M, you are on the mark!! Why were they fired?
Whether or not their sacking was justified is a whole different issue..The contention in this case is how do you run a company that is involved in the sacking and firing of people when you are “supposedly” the person representing the people. Its not wrong to have that company but being a legislator, and what you stand for is in contrary to the ‘firing and sacking”…thats how it is..Its all based on moral judgement
Now who is the real Maele, if at all he can appear as Prince Oitsile? Vultures, vultures, vultures. How do such individuals end up in Parliament? A pure conman
The question should not be why they were fired but why there is a third hand in the matter (MP). Any company that hires is expected to be aware of labour laws and to include such cluses that cover conditions (in the employment contract) under which employment could be terminated. What is Ellies if they cannot comply with the basics. Who has shares in Ellies, Hahaha. Some imposter perhaps, Oitsile>>>?
you guys are crazy! bcouz you are not given the whole story, whoever presented the story heard one part of the story and was also up to something. le gone fa o le an MP are not suppose to get decisions tse ditshwanang letse fa o sengwe se sa tsamaya sente. you guys le ipaya botoka how about di housemaid ta lona they even hardly eat at you house, so fa o le mp doesn’t mean you can keep quit fa o dira judgement bcouz batho ke batswana against a foreigner. Mr Prince Otsile Maele will be coming back to parliment ka 2014.
you guys are crazy! bcouz you are not given the whole story, whoever presented the story heard one part of the story and was also up to something. le gone fa o le an MP are you not suppose to get decisions tse ditshwanang letse fa sengwe se sa tsamaya sente. you guys le ipaya botoka how about di housemaid tsa lona they even hardly eat at your houses, so fa o le mp it doesn’t mean you can keep quit fa o dira judgement bcouz batho ke batswana against a foreigner. Mr Prince Otsile Maele will be coming back to parliment ka 2014.
Ah! I think I am slow, nna fa ga ke utlwe gore gatweng. Kante gatwe batho ba kobetsweng. Is the issue that they were dismissed or the MP’s involvement. A ko le thuseng ba itse ba puo e ya ga Mma Mosadinyana!
MP le wena a ko o arabe mogala re tlogele go utlwa kgang ka bontlha. Legone o hire batho ba ba go berekelang o tlogele go tlhola leina le gogwa gogwa mo seretseng. Goo!
Bathong kante what are the proper proceedings for a hearing, ga gotwe you should have a representative kana go tewa hela ba o berekang nabo, but wat if sum1 outside ke ene a itseng kgang e o botoka go raya gore Mr Oitsile ke gone ha kobang teng ha o bata moemedi konte. Mr Oitsile a mme le ne le sa gobelele Sugar ka mahoko ka gore go lebega gone go na le Chairman, Complainant, HR Rep (Yourself) and Management Rep. Myself I would say you had ganged against the youngman, maybe you could have postponed the hearing so that Sugar could get a representative so that his dismissal won’t leave batho ba ipotsa ka fairness ya teng.
@justo….O lebega o bereka ko ellis o le mongwe wa batho ba ba ratang go senyeletsa, backstabbers. U wanted Sugar to be fired so that u can have his position. And since u r saying Mr Oitsile o ta bo a boetse ka 2014, I hope he wont do voter trafficking a tsietsa yo a phadisanang nae. On my side he is not a fair player.
Tsooooollllllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetsa Ditomo-ka-krag!!!
bo justo le bone, ijaa! legale ke tla didimala ka tota ga ke itse gore gatwe go kobetsweng batho, a digratuity, a ba senyeditse leburu gare itse. justo ane le itsenya mo ditlhakong tsa batho, gatwe se tshege yoo o oleng.
tjis x solders ba twaela batho…..hu du thy thnk ey a?????????????? periods!!!!!!!!!!!……ba tshwantse ba fole lyn like any otha pple ha ba bata go thusiwa…….ba mar………ba twaela….hw culd sum a hitlhela motho mo ofising ya gagwe o bo go te the owner of the office a tswe mo setilong Merafhe a bo a se kotoma…. thts bullshit!!!!!!!!..dilo tse tsa go swa di thulwa ke dikoloi…..
sugar le ene bathong
It is very clear,the law becomes silent on BDP MP’s.If Maele was in any opposition party,mma Nasha would have differed.
dis shws d end f tym, d bibl says ‘js as death nd grav r nevr satisfd, so z d heart f man.’wht wl profit a man if he owns d whole world nd loses hs own soul, dz s vanity of vanities. now 2 doz wu r being persecutd, opresd nd living n absolute depresion God shal ansa 4u, cz he z able 2 smash d unbreakabl, sink d unsinkabl nd xpose dt whch z hiden. ba tlogele ba je bt iz 4 a season, d 1st shal b last. b ye comfotd ye dat r unlwfuly dismsd, sorow may last 4 d 9t bt ur joy cums in d moning
@ chris M & Nnan…good questions
@ Ricveld..exactly
eiish some things are better left alone…. everything is now political thz dayz…. ELLIES you have sunk so low u r putting your reputation on the mud……2 the poor guys know where 2 put your vote next time….coz it seems u cant win this 1…..
There is no law which is silent. If you are a person whose level of sanity is still within what we define as normal person you are supposed to know how to avoid such delimas as Maele oh! sorry Oitsile finds himself. Maele lacks integrity and the fouth “D” Discipline. I could forgive him if he called himself Maele but he preferred to use a password. People vote these imposters to Parliament with the hope that if anything they could mediate in such situation but they elect to pray on their electorate. Ba Maele baa lapisa thuuu! I wonder how people like justo really want to idolize snakes, vultures and hyenas. Batswana are people known for their good morals and I dont know why I should idolize Maele/Oitsile for going against the electorate and knowingly using passwards/nicknames. He should go back to his constituancy and apologize. Otherwise o jilwe. PERIOD. In some countries whose representatives do not pray on their citizens the real Maele could be in prison now for face charges of identity theft and conflict of interest.
guys, nna tota i donot think gore batho ba kobetsweng is an issue. the issue here is; you are an mp cause you were voted by people gore o ba buelele and once you are in parliament you turn against them. i dont encourage batho go senya either but being an mp you should know better. when you are in parly o motho o sele, o apara letlalo la nku n when u go out o nna ur own self, phokoje. this is not acceptable.
go tshwana le fa o bua ka bo discipline and delivery mme wena o dira se sele.
viva BMD viva
i would like to join the club.
is tym 4 batswana 2 c that their rites are now abused nd they still yell for anada conspirances from this voultures. let change and c just like in ada countries. let go 4 opposition nd c in 2014.