Paledi’s bittersweet civil service to end
Lebogang Mosikare | Monday August 15, 2022 06:00
Paledi is currently suspended from his lucrative job for allegedly aiding former president Ian Khama and the Directorate of Intelligence (DIS) boss, Isaac Kgosi, to acquire ammunition and weapons of war.
Before he was appointed as deputy permanent secretary at MYSC, Paledi held the position of Director-General of the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC).
In 2019, he was also transferred from the DCEC to the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security as the secretary for defence, justice and security. He also rose through the ranks at the Botswana Police Service (BPS) where he attained the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police before his stint at the DCEC. According to a credible source at MYSC, Paledi’s contract at the ministry will elapse at the end of September.
“It is a given that Paledi’s contract will not be renewed because he is facing some criminal charges. His situation is not helped by the fact that nobody knows when the legal challenges will be finalised.
His contract will elapse at the end of September this year,” alleged the source within the ministry. When contacted for comment about his ‘impending exit’ from the public service, Paledi said it was not prudent for him to discuss his work related issues with the media. Contacted for comment about Paledi’s ‘looming exit’ from MYSC, the Permanent Secretary to the President (PSP), Emma Peloetletse, referred Mmegi to MYSC. She said MYSC was better placed to comment on whether Paledi’s contract will be extended or not.
This, Peloetletse reasoned, is because the MYSC management is the one which is directly working with Paledi and as such, it knows how he was performing. Peloetletse also said her office makes recommendations on whether to renew or not renew contracts based on the report they receive from line ministries. “I have not received any correspondence from MYSC about Paledi.
The MYSC is in a better position to comment about the issue you are asking me about,” said Peloetletse. Repeated efforts to contact MYSC permanent secretary Kitso Kemoeng about Paledi’s issue were fruitless.
The minister of MYSC, Tumiso Rakgare, told Mmegi on Wednesday that Kemoeng was outside the country. This is not how Paledi had expected his illustrious career, which spans over 30 years within the public service, will probably end. Paledi will join a group of former senior civil servants who left the public service under a cloud since President Mokgweetsi Masisi assumed office – Kgosi arguably being the most prominent amongst them.