In the interest of ethical governance

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It comes in the wake of vicious criticism by the opposition and civil society that as Prime Minister ,Matekane could not, with a clean conscience, continue to run his businesses while still Prime Minister.
Matekane was elected Prime Minister in October last year.

His business endevours had proven an albatross on his neck. This separation with Letšeng Diamond is a giant step in correcting perceptions among Basotho who felt strongly that he was conflicted.
This separation will kill off such charges.

But this of course is not a Matekane issue. Its scope is much wider than Matekane himself.
We are aware that there are still ministers who were running successful businesses before they assumed office under Matekane. There is still some perception that these ministers are conflicted as well.

In the interests of transparency, such ministers would need to relinquish control of such businesses so that there is no conflict of interest.
After Matekane’s victory in the polls, we expected that those involved in business would cross over from the private sector to the government. That process had to be real and not a half-hearted attempt to hoodwink Basotho.

They could not eat their cake and have it at the same time.
Others have however argued that they could manage this conflict of interest.

But history has shown us that it is not enough to declare a conflict of interest. Much more than a declaration of conflict of interest is required if the people are to genuinely believe the process.

It is important that politicians separate the two – either they are in government or they are in business. They cannot have it both ways. They cannot be a referee and player at the same time.

Relinquishing control might sound too big a request for some of the politicians. It could be a bitter pill to swallow. Yet it is a price that politicians must be willing to pay for daring to be servants of the people.

That way, they would not give an impression that they are out to use their positions to line their own pockets. They must give an impression that they are in government to serve.

It is extremely important that the Matekane-led government goes all out to manage this perception.
This is because from the moment they were elected into office, they have had to fend off allegations that they were driven by self-interest and that theirs was a “government of the rich”.

Matekane and his team have a great opportunity to correct this perception by doing what is right.
For decades, Basotho had observed at close range what they felt were the politics of exclusion.

Only a tiny minority who were in close proximity to the previous regime appeared to benefit from government tenders and key job opportunities.
This sentiment was extremely strong among Basotho and became a rallying point for any individual who sought to bring a fresh start to our politics. Matekane was a beneficiary of this state of affairs.

By weaning himself off the Letšeng deal, Matekane has set the pace. Others must now follow.