Former President and Bangwato Paramount Chief, Kgosi Ian Khama IV last week mounted a sustained challenge against the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) and its Director General Peter Magosi, using the floor of the Ntlo ya Dikgosi to press government on allegations of impropriety, abuse of office and accountability failures within the intelligence agency.
Through a series of questions directed to the Minister for State President, Defense and Security, Moeti Mohwasa, Khama raised concerns ranging from alleged conflict of interest in promotions at DIS, the handling of the high-profile ‘Butterfly’ matter, the treatment of a senior DIS officer placed on prolonged garden leave, and the use of covertly deployed intelligence officers who do not report to conventional offices.
Khama asked whether a DIS officer had received accelerated promotion from C-scale to E-scale, benefited from overseas study, and was married to the appointing authority at the Directorate, and called for an immediate, thorough and transparent investigation with findings presented to the Ntlo ya Dikgosi.
In response, Mohwasa said appointments and promotions at DIS fall under the authority of the Director General, not the minister. He outlined existing oversight mechanisms, including the Intelligence and Security Council, the Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security, and a statutory Tribunal that receives complaints from aggrieved persons.
These structures, he said, are intended to safeguard the sensitivity of the organisation and provide appropriate accountability, urging members to appreciate the legislative framework governing the security sector.
Khama also revisited the controversial ‘Butterfly’ case, pressing government to explain whether Welheminah Maswabi would be compensated or apologised to, following the public apology and retraction previously issued to Ambassador Bridgette Motsepe over false allegations contained in a 2019 affidavit. He further questioned what steps would be taken to address the impact of Maswabi’s prolonged interdiction on her career and when those involved in fabricating allegations would be prosecuted.
Mohwasa told the House that Maswabi had pursued her own defamation claim against the State and several institutions, which was fully heard and dismissed by the High Court in Lobatse, with costs. The court, he said, found that the statements complained of were made in the course of official investigations and judicial proceedings and did not amount to defamation in law. As a result, government would not compensate or apologise to her, as there was no finding of wrongdoing by the State or its agencies.
The former president further questioned the handling of a case involving a senior DIS officer who, in 2018, was instructed to stay home on full pay for more than a year before being transferred to the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Khama alleged the officer was later unlawfully downgraded, subjected to arbitrary changes to his conditions of service, and denied benefits, logistical support and post-retirement obligations, resulting in personal losses.
Responding, Mohwasa said it is established government practice that an officer who is officially directed to stay away from duty remains entitled to remuneration unless lawfully dismissed or sanctioned through due process. He declined to provide details on the specific matter, citing employee-employer confidentiality.
Khama also pressed the minister to elaborate on DIS’s use of covert deployments, asking whether officers who do not report to conventional offices raise audit and value-for-money concerns, what tangible outputs demonstrate their productivity, and whether an independent review should be instituted.
Mohwasa maintained that all DIS officers report through established command structures to the Director General, even when operating outside traditional office environments. He said such deployments are lawful, authorised and supervised, and that the number of officers involved cannot be disclosed publicly due to the sensitive nature of intelligence work. He rejected suggestions of audit or value-for-money risks and said government saw no need to institute an inquiry or independent review.
Khama’s interventions amounted to one of the most sustained public critiques of the DIS since his departure from the presidency, once again placing the spotlight on intelligence oversight, accountability and the balance between national security secrecy and public transparency in Botswana.