Administration and Training
This unit is the administrative hub of the department. Some of the activities performed are as follows:
- Provide advice and guidance on personnel and staff issues.
- Preparation of Manpower estimates and maintenance of personnel and staff database both manually and on the infinium HR system.
- Supervision and maintenance of the main and leave registers registries.
- Maintenance of records relating recruitment, performance appraisals, resignations, retirements and death of personnel and staff.
- Preparation of recommendations for promotions, transfers and acting appointments.
- Preparation of casuality returns for personnel and staff.
- Management of the department’s resources; i.e transport, residential and office accommodation, telephone management system e.t.c.
This Section comprises of two units, which are functionally related. Some of the activities performed by this unit are as follows: -
Accounting Unit
- Preparation of the Recurrent Expenditure, Revenue and Development Budgets for the department.
- Maintenance of the Recurrent Expenditure, Revenue and Development vote ledgers.
- Monthly reconciliation of the respective votes ledgers with the computer printouts.
- Maintenance of the Imprest ledgers and Personal Advances ledgers.
Supplies Unit
- Procurement and custody of all consumables items for the department.
- Establishment and maintenance inventory cards in each and every office of the department.
- Periodic inspection of office supplies and inventories.
Training Unit
The objectives and functions of the unit are enumerated in details below:-
- To ensure that the Training Unit in addition to selection of officers for further education and monitoring of logistics accompanying it, the Unit should also induct and train newly staff of the Accountant General to their respective duties.
- To ensure that the Training Unit provides access for orientation, induction as well as training of some government officers who will be/are involved in the decentralization of payments of Goods and Services in Ministries and Departments countrywide.
- To ensure that the staff of the Ministries and Departments who are currently assisted by existing Accounting Units (which are now the check points) should now go through orientation, induction and training provided by the Accountant General “Training Unit” and that this training should be vigorously done from zone to zone.
- The unit will also be responsible to equip the above targeted groups (Ministries and Departments staff involved in preparation and payments of Goods and Services) in particular with the following:-
- Correct documentation required in the preparation of every payment.
- Correct allocation of costs into correct votes and the consequences of misallocations.
- Importance of payments into the vote with enough funds and consequences of payments from accounts or votes without funds.
- Importance of accurate ledger balances and consequences of incorrect and inaccurate ledger balances.
- General ledger operation and its maintenance together with reconciliations.
- Introduction of participants to know how to prepare budget.
- This unit will co-ordinate functions of the unit with Ministries and Departments and ensure that all targeted officers receive the required training, induction and orientation they need before being posted and establishment of appropriate course contents relevant to each targeted group.
- To arrange for relevant and appropriate staff from Ministries and Departments to receive inductions training and orientation and liaise with Ministries and Departments on training needs and to see that this training programme that are in place are implemented and followed and timeously disseminated to targeted groups.
- To keep the Accountant General constantly briefed on developments pertaining to training and welfare of the Department regarding delivery of services to Ministries and Departments as well as the general public.
- Planning and drafting of course contents relevant to each grade of officer who receive such training and drafting of time tables and supervision of seminars country-wide in liaison with institutions like Botswana Accountancy College and University of Botswana for negotiation of special contracts for specialised upgrading courses. Planning of seminars logistics and engaging of necessary facilitators for the given seminars as well as production of concise and narrative report on all seminars held.
Government Procurement Office
The Procurement Office is a department under the Office of the Accountant General which is under the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. This office is tasked with contract management of items/services on behalf of user ministries/ departments and is also responsible for facilitating the procurement of items/services to user ministries/ departments thereof headed by the Assistant Accountant General (Procurement). The head of Procurement Office reports to the Senior Assistant Accountant General (Procurement and Compliance); who deputizes the head of Procurement and Compliance division being the Deputy Accountant General (Procurement and Compliance).
VISION STATEMENT:
The Procurement Office will provide the highest possible quality of Goods and Services.
MISSION:
The Procurement office exists to efficiently and effectively provide goods and services to stakeholders achieved through;
• Proper custody and safety of Public supplies
• Transparency in tendering procedures and procurement
• Maintenance of proper supplies records and adherence to supplies regulations and procedures.
• Applications of Total Quality Management (TQM) concept.
MANDATE:
The Mandate of the Procurement Office is to develop, manage and issue guidelines regarding the procurement of Goods and Services to ensure proper management and implementation of procurement regulations and procedures.
The Procurement Office discharges its mandate through the following functions:
1. Purchasing: -The unit is responsible for tendering and contract management to facilitate economic acquisition of common user goods and services for the entire Government sector, and also plays an advisory role to Ministries and Departments in all procurement related matters. It is a liaison office between the procurement office, suppliers as well as the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board.
2. Stock Control: - The unit is responsible for projecting demand and consolidating user requirements for new tenders.
3. Warehouse Management: - The unit is responsible for warehousing of goods for Ministries and Departments.
4. Uniform: - This unit provides technical support in the design and quality assurance of uniform and protective clothing throughout the public service.
5. Office Equipment: - The unit provides technical advice on the type and model of office equipment required by Ministries and Departments. It is also responsible for the maintenance and repair of office equipment.
6. Carpentry: - The unit carries out inspection of furniture on receipt to determine conformity to specifications. It is also responsible for the maintenance and repair of furniture used throughout government departments.
VALUES:
The Procurement Office exists in order to guide, serve and satisfy customers in terms of good quality of goods and Optimum delivery of services timely. Furthermore the office is committed to the following set of values;
- Gender: The office will maintain gender equality in all aspects of its operations in order to ensure equitable distribution of resources.
- Integrity: The office is committed to ensure honesty, effectiveness, transparency, efficiency in decisions made and action taken and inspires a culture of integrity.
- Employees: The best workforce is the success of the office in the delivery of mandated services. The office is therefore to develop its employees into a well motivated, trained, hardworking, productive and supportive workforce. We commit to the development of proper reporting channels in order to enhance efficient and effective service delivery.
- Tolerance: The office will Endeavour to stimulate a culture of tolerance by the input of its employees and accommodates divergent views in soliciting ideas for the purpose of sharing knowledge and experience.
- Teamwork: Employees are critical to the success of the office and the attainment of its strategic plan. As thus, in the quest to promote team work, such committees that promote compassion and togetherness will be given maximum support by the office.
CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDARDS:
1. Procurement:
- Informal Tendering of P 20 000 or Less: 10 Working Days
- Informal Tendering of P 20 001 up to P 100 000: 22 Working Days
- Formal Tendering- MTC (up to P 5 000 000): 44 Working Days
- Formal tendering- PPADB: 66 Working Days
2. Order processing: 5 Working Days
3. Maintenance Service of Furniture:
- Spares in stock:3 Working Days
- Spares not in stock:12 Working Days
4. Maintenance Service of Office Equipment:
- Spares in stock: 3 Working Days
- Spares not in stock:12 Working Days
5. Order Processing (Warehouse):5 Working Days
6. Processing of Loss Report:
- Simple write off: 8 Working Days
- Complex write off: 42 Working Days
- Surcharge without Appeal: 39 Working Days
7. Production of Uniform and Protective Clothing: 72 Working Days
8. Submission of annual statements of Accounts to the Office of the Auditor General:
- By 31st August each year.
9. Tabling of Annual statements of Accounts before Parliament:
- 60 Days after receipt of Audit Certificate.
- 10. Publication of Monthly financial statements in the internet/ intranet:
- By the 15th of the following month.
11. Payment of Guardians Fund: 5 Working Days
12. Publication of the Pay Day Schedule for the financial year:
- By 31st December each year.
13. Payment of Wages, Salaries and Allowances:
- Monthly as per the Accountant General Pay Day schedule.
14. Distribution of Tax Certificates:
- By 31st July each year.
15. Payment of Payroll deductions to third parties:
- By 20th each month.
16. Payment of Passages: 5 Working Days
17. Payment of Terminal Benefits:
- Industrial Class: 10 Working Days
- Permanent and Pensionable: 1 Month
18. Payment of Goods and Services:
- External Customer- Local: 2 Working Days
- External Customer- Foreign: 5 Working Days
- Internal Customer: 10 Working Days
19. Payment of Imprest:
- Less than P 3 000: 1 Working Days
- More than P 3 000: 2 Working Days
20. Cash payment at Revenue counter: 5 minutes per Person
21. Receipts at revenue over the counter (Excluding Revenue collectors): 3 Minutes per Person
22. Supply and Monitoring of accounts Documents:
- 2 receipts books per collector at any given time.
23. Responding to correspondences/ compliments and complaints: 10 Working Days
UNITS CURRENTLY IN THE PROCUREMENT OFFICE:
OFFICE EQUIPMENT UNIT
This Unit is charged with the responsibility of maintaining and serving office machinery throughout the entire Public Service. It is also responsible for the installations of new equipment.
OBTAINING OUR SERVICES
Maintenance of machine can either be carried out in the Procurement Office workshop or at the customers’ site (Government Ministries or Department).
WORKSHOP PROCEDURES
- The customer being the user Department brings the office machine to the workshop accompanied with a properly completed standard form GEN 12.
- On receipt of the machine the responsible officer at Office Equipment workshop will acknowledge receipt by signing the relevant GEN 12.
- Immediately a job card will be created on the system (computer).The customer should provide the following information for entering in the job card:
- Make and model of the equipment or machine
- Government and manufacturer serial number
- Contact person
- Fault information
- Location i.e. Ministry/ Department/ Area
- The Technician will be assigned to do the job. If the equipment/machine is found to be unserviceable or uneconomical to repair will be recommended for boarding and Technical Certificate will be issued.
- The customer will then arrange to collect the machine and prepare form GEN 21 necessary for disposing off process. The customer will forward form GEN 21 together with Technical Certificate to Inspection Unit for further processing. After obtaining the write-off authority the customer will then collect the machine and issue it to Allocated Stores Office for Auctioning. In the meantime arrangements will be made for replacement.
REPAIR DONE AT CUSTOMER SITE
In this case the customer makes a telephone call to report the defective machine or equipment
with the following information:-
- Make and model number of machines
- Ministry / Department
- Address / Location
- Office Number
- Contact Person
- Telephone Number
- Fault Information
A service Job Card will be created and a Technician will be assigned to do the job. On completion of the job the customer will sign the Job Card to ensure that the repairs have been satisfactorily done.
BENEFITS OF USING PROCUREMENT OFFICE EQUIPMENT UNIT
- Reliable quality service (maintenance and repairs of government office machines/equipment throughout the whole country).
- Providing spare parts and on site visits by technicians.
- Customers enjoy free technical expertise to determine the type and model of machine/equipment to be used.
UNIFORM COORDINATION UNIT
The main role of this unit is to ensure that all uniforms and protective clothing are of good and/or acceptable quality standards. The unit offers the service by playing the following crucial roles:
Maintaining the uniform master data (Procurement Office Computer Applications)
Writing and reviewing of specifications for uniforms and protective clothing, fabrics, flags, footwear and accessories
Carrying out fabric tests in the Textile Testing Laboratory to check conformity to standard specifications.
Providing technical expertise to all government ministries and departments regarding their uniforms.
Quality checks for uniforms and protective clothing, flags, footwear and accessories.
Generating the government purchase order for subcontract orders.
Order closure, completion and reporting
Preparing scale of issue for all government ministries and department uniforms.
Preparing material ratings for all ministries and departments uniforms.
CARPENTRY WORKSHOP UNIT
This unit is charged with the responsibility to repair government furniture i.e. for office and domestic use. Provide installation and repairs services of furniture from different user departments/customers. Also responsible for furniture preservative measures and advises to customers.
MAJOR ACTIVITIES
- It is involved in the furniture evaluation panel.
- Makes recommendation for write off in case of furniture beyond economic repair.
PROCEDURE FOR CARRY OUT FURNITURE REPAIRS
- Properly authorized form Gen 12 is completed for the movement of furniture from user department to carpentry workshop.
- After repairing the furniture the document will be counter signed in the carpentry office. (System service job sheet).
REQUEST FOR FURNITURE INSTALLATION
User departments will officially submit the request for furniture installation by carpentry workshop.
Note: Relevant forms must be properly filled considering budget allocation for furniture spares.
BENEFITS ENJOYED BY GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS
- Maintenance/repairs of furniture.
- Technical recommendation for write off of furniture beyond economic repair.
- Savings obtained through prolonged usage or utilization of government furniture.
- Technical advice provided for furniture consignments.
CENTRAL PURCHASING UNIT
The main objective of this unit is to ensure timely acquisition of goods and services aimed at obtaining value for money. It is charged with the responsibility of safeguarding government spending through proper procurement planning, cost effective and ethical procurement procedures.
This includes the following:
- Sourcing – Looking for the appropriate suppliers through quotations and tenders, evaluation and awarding of contracts.
- Processing orders.
- Order follow ups.
- Correspondences on discrepancies or defects to suppliers.
- Evaluate suppliers’ performance.
- Contract management.
TENDER NOTICES
The advertisement of tender is done by the Purchasing Unit through the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board published in the government gazette and it includes:
- Time and place where tender documents are obtainable.
- Time, place, date and mode of submission of application as well as opening of tender.
- The right of management for acceptance or rejection of tenders.
- Technical advice provided for furniture consignments.
- Detailed description of goods and services and estimated quantities
Adequate time of about six weeks (this may vary according to the nature of the items) is provided in the tender notice so that suppliers may participate.
SELECTION FOR SUITABLE SUPPLIER
An evaluation committee is appointed and is responsible for selecting suitable suppliers. In the selecting process, the following factors must be considered.
- The lowest tenderer will normally be accepted provided the goods and services are in accordance with the specification and the offer is complete in every respect.
- That the past performance (in case of old client) with the Office was fair, honest and satisfactory.
- In cases where lowest prices have not been accepted reasons are recorded and justified to the stakeholders.
INSPECTORATE UNIT
The main objective of this unit is to ensure that government policies, procedures and instructions in relation to supply and Materials management are adhered to by all civil servants in the entire public service, with a view to:
- Ensure proper utilization of public funds through the application of economic and ethical purchasing practices.
- Employment of proper accounting system and maintenance of records.
- Proper maintenance and care of government property.
- Cost effective utilization of materials.
- Safe custody and minimization of losses
The major focus of the unit is on auditing/ inspecting and monitoring through performance of various inspection activities summarized below:
- Undertakes inspection in all government ministries and Departments. Checks accuracy/ correctness of physical stocks with up to date stock records. Establish any irregularities such as losses, shortages, surpluses, obsolesce, damages etc. and submit a report with appropriate recommendations.
- Analyze reports to ascertain whether any officer mishandled / misused or misappropriated Government property and make appropriate recommendations.
- Maintain surcharge records, monitors recovery and reconcile with Ministries and Accountant General.
- Process write-offs /write-on of unserviceable/ surplus supplies from all ministries. At the end of every financial year the unit compiles Annual Statement of Accounts for inclusion in the Accountant Generals Annual Statement of Accounts book, the cases of which are subjected to Public Accounts Committee discussion.
ORGANIZATION AND MAJOR ACTIVITIES
It comprises of two categories namely:
- The Desk Duty
- The Field Duty
DESK DUTIES
Officers who are in the office from day to day perform various tasks including the following:
- They analyse inspection and Hand/take over reports and schedules from field officers, Auditor General and other departments. They obtain all necessary explanations from Heads of Departments and recommend write off or surcharge as the case may be. In case of matters arising, they correspond with the respective department(s) as a follow up on issues raised by the different parties in their reports.
- If an officer has been surcharged, and has not contested the surcharge or has contested and lost, they make necessary arrangements with Ministries concerned to effect deductions on the officer’s salary.
- Maintaining Below the Line Account for all officers surcharged and reconciling it on a monthly basis as payments are received.
- Maintaining a register of all losses reported and with the help of this compiles Annual Statement of Accounts (Statement 22), for inclusion in the Accountant General’s Annual Statement of Accounts book.
- Receive and process requests for write off /on unserviceable supplies from all departments.
- Receive and process requests of write on of surplus items from all ministries.
FIELD DUTY
Officers in the fieldwork are entrusted with the responsibility of inspecting all Government departments to:
- Verify the internal control systems with a view of establishing weaknesses and strengths. Particular attention is paid to the weaknesses so as to provide inventory holders and accounting officers with proper advice.
- Scrutinize various records held by each department to ascertain that proper records are maintained. They verify the accuracy of such records and undertake physical counting to ensure that materials have been utilized for their intended purposes without wastage or loss.
- Rectify errors from the records and investigate major ones through interviews with staff members.
- Check on existing security measures to ensure that the system is working properly to curb loss or abuse. Where necessary changes are recommended so as to comply with laid down rules and regulations.
- Discuss all irregularities with the Head of Department. In cases where systematic fraud is suspected, the Police would be brought in to investigate.
- Finally, to prepare a complete report for each department inspected with schedules of discrepancies and anomalies noted.
- On other occasions, field officers undertake surprise visits as a matter of follow up to ensure that corrective measures have been taken.
STOCK CONTROL UNIT
The Procurement Office ensures continuity of supply to meet customers’ needs at the same time maintains low stock investment by efficient and effective stock control system. Stock control includes:
- Study of stock movements
- Proper/accurate maintenance of stock records
- Study of stock usage value.
- Setting stock levels.
The customers of the Procurement Office are mostly government departments, ministries and councils. However, the office also make cash sale of national flags to general public and other organizations which may be obtained from any of the Procurement Office Depots countrywide.
Download quotation for National flag (Form to be submitted)
TRAINING UNIT
This unit is responsible for designing and conducting in house training programmes in Purchasing and Supply Chain Management for performance improvement at basic, operational, and management strategic levels. As part of its focus on increased professionalism, the Training Unit offers a variety of specialized training courses to staff of the Procurement office. Routine programmes are conducted for junior staff (Storekeepers) throughout the year and developmental programmes for junior and senior supplies staff are conducted at different times based on identified training needs (for supplies officers in different grades).
Training Unit also conduct seminars, workshops and conference in various supply management related subjects, which are widely attended.
SYSTEM SUPPORT UNIT
This unit is charged with the responsibility of maintaining and supporting computerized system used in the Procurement Office. All major business functions in Procurement office are computerized. The system is hosted at Department of Information Technology Headquarters and accessed by the six depots across the country and the Headquarters offices through the Government Data Network (GDN) .
ADMINISTRATION UNIT
The Administration Section of the Procurement Office plays the advisory role for the entire Procurement Office personnel. Duties performed by the section includes amongst other are:
- Personnel and Administration
- Interpretation of the government rules and regulations.
- Health and Safety
- Registry Services
- Process payment and adjustment vouchers.
ACCOUNTS UNIT
The accounting unit is responsible for the overall financial and budgeting control of expenditure for the Procurement Office by ensuring the following:
- That all books of accounts e.g. consolidates registers, votes ledgers, monthly statements of Accounts etc, are maintained in accordance with the financial instructions, posted and kept up to date.
- Provide financial advice to the department regarding purchase.
- Examine payment vouchers (T25) for payment to ensure that no payment is made without proper financial authority being obtained and quoted on the voucher relating to it.
- Timeous preparation and submission of annual estimates pertaining to development, recurrent and revenue budgets.
- Ensure timeous preparation and submission of statement of unallocated stores i.e. (Tabular Summary statement number 21 of annual statement of accounts).
- With advent of computerization of Department of Supply, the finance books of accounts are updated daily, based on logistical transactions. Supplier payment, imprest, journals and all employee-based payment are processed through computerized system ensuring speed and transparency.
The unit is also helping Accountant General Office to maintain centralised accounts in respect of supply of store items to various Government Departments. Data related to customer issues, sub-contractor issues, payment advice e.t.c are transferred through electronic interface, which updates the system of Accountant General.
WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT
WAREHOUSING
The Procurement Office provides goods and services to different parts of the country through six procurement depots namely:- Central Procurement Office Depot, Francistown Regional Procurement Office, Maun District Procurement Office, Kasane District Procurement Office, Ghanzi District Procurement Office, and Tsabong District Procurement Office.
Warehouse management includes the following:
- Safekeeping of goods
- Receipts and despatch of materials to various government departments and ministries.
- Disposal of unserviceable materials.
For disposal of unserviceable materials, public auctions are conducted in depots located in various parts of the country.
ASSISTANT ACCOUNTANT GENERAL CONTACT DETAILS:
Ms. Pauline Pule
Acting Assistant Accountant General (Procurement)
Procurement Office
P. O. Box 80
Gaborone
Botswana
Telephone: (00267) 3924800
Fax: (00267) 3164294
eMail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
PROCUREMENT OFFICE CONTACT DETAILS:
Procurement Office
P. O Box 80
Gaborone
Telephone: (00267) 3924800
Fax: (00267) 3164294
Physical address: Plot 14412/14414
Makgadigau Road
Gaborone West Industrial
Gaborone
Website: http://www.finance.gov.bw
General Account Function
Annual Statement of Accounts
General Accounts Section processes the various Annual Statement of Accounts. Section 34 (2) of the Finance and Audit Act provides that within the period of eight months after the close of each financial year, the Accountant General shall prepare, sign and transmit to the Auditor General, for the purpose of auditing, the accounts and statements specified in the Second Schedule in relation to that financial year. The accounts and statements prepared to comply with the provision of the Second Schedule of the Finance and Audit Act are summarised below:
Statement of Assets and Liabilities (Statement 1)
This is the Balance Sheet of the Government indicating its affairs on a given date. It reflects the balances of the various funds viz. Consolidated Fund, Development Fund, Special Funds and Contingencies Fund and how these are represented in assets like Cash /Bank balances and other items. This statement also reflects the revenue received and expenditure incurred, and the deficit/surplus, which is the cash result of the given period. Ince the accounts are not maintained on accrual basis, this Statement does not indicate items of fixed assets, receivables, payables, loans etc. However, with the support of other Statements included in the Annual Statement of Accounts, reader of the government accounts can very conveniently form opinion about the statement of affairs of the government. For example, Statement of Arrears of Revenue helps in assessing the receivables; Statement of Public Debt generally indicates the outstanding debt; Statement of loans made from the public revenues indicates the outstanding advances etc.
Statement of Recurrent Revenue (Statement 2)
This Statement reflects itemised recurrent revenue collected by the Ministry/Department compared to the approved estimate.
Statement of Recurrent Expenditure (Statement 3)
Statement 3 reflects Ministry/Department wise itemised recurrent expenditure incurred compared to the approved estimate and warranted provision.
Sources and Application of Development Fund (Statement 4)
This Statement indicates the sources of Development Fund i.e. foreign and domestic sources, and Ministry wise application of the Development fund.
Details of amounts credited to the Development Fund (Statement 5)
The details of fund rose for Development Fund through bilateral and multilateral grants, loans, and appropriation from the Consolidated Fund etc. are shown in this Statement.
Statement of Development Expenditure (Statement 6)
This Statement reflects itemised estimated cost of the Development expenditure for the plan period compared to the actual expenditure incurred.
Details of Development Fund by donor (Statement 7)
Donor wise analysis of the Development income vis-à-vis the Development expenditure is shown in this Statement.
Statement of Investments and Loans made from Special funds (Statement 8)
Details of investment such as bank fixed deposits, BOB certificates etc. made out of Special funds are reflected in this Statement.
Statement of Special funds (Statement 9)
This Statement reflects the summarised position of the Special funds.
Statement of Special funds - Details (Statement 10)
Statement 10 indicates the details of the Income and Expenditure account and Balance Sheet of the respective Special funds.
Statement of Public Debts (Statement 11)
Outstanding in respect of Public Debt is shown in this Statement.
Statement of unspent Development Fund (Statement 12)
This Statement indicates the details of the unspent Development Fund.
Statement of loans made by Government from Public Revenue (Statement 13)
Details of loans outstanding against the councils and parastatals are indicated in this Statement.
Statement of balances of other Deposit Accounts (Statement 14)
Contractor’s retention money deposit and other miscellaneous deposits are included in this Statement
Statement of Advance Accounts (Statement 15)
This Statement includes advances such as Industrial Class Employees advance, Surcharge, Emergency advance etc.
Statement of Cash and Bank balances (Statement 16)
Balances held in various bank accounts and in cash are reflected in this Statement.
Statement of Contingent Liabilities (Statement 17)
This Statement indicates the outstanding position of loans secured through Government guarantee.
Statement of Assets held by Government in commercial undertakings, statutory bodies etc. (Statement 18)
Shares held by Government in the commercial undertakings, statutory bodies and international organisation are shown in this Statement.
Statement of Arrears of Revenue (Statement 19)
Ministry/Department wise itemised arrears of revenue are indicated in this Statement.
Statement of Contingencies Fund (Statement 20)
This reflects appropriation to the Contingencies Fund and withdrawals from the Fund.
Tabular summary of Unallocated Stores (Statement 21)
Summarised position of opening stock balance, purchase, writes off/write on, issues and closing stock balance of the unallocated stores are shown in this Statement.
Statement of Loss of Public Monies and Stores (Statement 22)
This indicates the position of loss of monies and stores in respect of each case.
Agencies
Payment for some services are centralised in the Accountant General’s Department and Agencies Section arranges for such payment. Agencies Section also maintains accounts for the Guardians Fund and makes payments to beneficiaries. Migrant Mine Workers are also paid by the Agencies Section. The functions of the Agencies Section are summarised in the following paragraphs:
Air and Rail Accounts
Travel warrants are issued by various Ministries to Air Botswana and Botswana Railways for provision of tickets for official journeys. Air Botswana and Botswana Railways submit invoices directly to the Agencies Section supported by copies of the travel warrants. Agencies Section arranges for the payment debiting the appropriate account under advice to the respective Ministries.
Guardians Fund
Established under section 101 of the Administration of Estates Act (Cap.31:01), the Guardians Fund provides for the administration of moneys belonging to minors, mental patients or other persons who are considered unfit to be able to look after their own affairs. The Guardians Fund is administered by the Accountant General subject to directions given by the Master of High Court. The Guardian/beneficiary approaches the Master of High Court for payment from the Guardians Fund. Based on the advice received from the Master of High Court, Agencies Section arranges for the payment.
Migrant Mineworkers
A number of Batswana seek employment in the South African Mines. Money payable to these workers by their employers under the account of Deceased Estates, Pneumoconiosis Awards, Deferred Pay, Workmen’s Compensation etc. are remitted to the Botswana Labour Representative in South Africa for onward transmission to the Accountant General for disbursement. When remitting the money, the Labour Representative provides particulars of the District, Village, Ward and Headman for each of the beneficiaries.
This information is forwarded to the District Commissioner concerned who informs the appropriate Headman who in turn informs the beneficiary. The beneficiary presents himself at the District Commissioners office producing a passport or other identity documentation. The District Commissioner thereafter sends advice to the Accountant General for payment giving full particulars of the beneficiary. The Agencies Section prepares the Payment Voucher and arranges for payment.