Recycled leadership as Makgekgenene returns to the DCEC
Innocent Selatlhwa - Sharon Mathala | Monday September 11, 2023 06:00
Mmegi has been reliably informed that Makgekgenene, who has been Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence and Security, returns after several acting appointments since the exit of her former boss Tymon Katlholo.
Her appointment is with immediate effect. After Katlholo departed the DCEC in 2009, Makgekgenene was appointed deputy director general for policy during the tenure of Rose Seretse. Considering that she worked closely with Seretse and Katlholo and acted as DG on numerous occasions, some had thought Makgekgenene would assume the hot seat at some point.
However in 2017, Makgekgenene left the corruption busting agency under worrying circumstances. She was transferred to the then Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security shortly after Seretse was appointed to head the Botswana Energy Regulatory Authority (BERA). According to previous Mmegi reports, there was a sinister plot to finish off the special Investigation and Intelligence Unit at the DCEC. The Unit was seen as a thorn in the flesh of the then DG of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS), Isaac Kgosi.
The DCEC Unit was in 2012 tasked with investigating the rampant allegations of corruption, abuse of power and money laundering against Kgosi. Some of the agents had allegedly been forced to resign, others controversially transferred to other departments while others were redeployed far away from the Unit.
Sources said then that the transfers including that of Makgekgenene were as a result of witch-hunting of the unit by the DIS. The war to destroy the unit had allegedly been going on for years and Seretse had been its last lifeline. In a rebuttal, government stated that the transfer of Makgekgenene and those of other officers was in line with normal governmental transfers. Makgekgenene got well publicised before her departure from DCEC in 2017 when she was accused in various local and South African media for possible abuse of office by businessman, Simbi Phiri of Khatho Civils. Phiri alleged that the DCEC waged a war against him shortly after he had turned down a request from Makgekgenene’s husband Kagiso Makgekgenene, who is a cousin of Phiri, to have a 30% stake in Khato Civils Botswana. Some of the damaging allegations are that the then deputy director received R400,000 money gift from the businessman and a paid R230,000 Eastern Cape holiday package for Makgekgenene and husband.
The DCEC had accused Phiri of underhand dealings after finding out that he had under-declared an amount of US dollars when crossing the Tlokweng border from South Africa. He then allegedly deposited an amount larger than he had declared into Khato Civils’ Stanbic bank account in Botswana. The then DCEC spokesperson, Nlayadzi Gambule, said Makgekgenene was a deputy director-general responsible for policy and “as such, she has no role whatsoever in investigations”. Gambule said the DCEC would not comment on Makgekgenene’s personal relationship with Phiri and her husband’s business dealings.
“The DCEC received a suspicious transaction report from another law enforcement agency. It then instituted an investigation based on this referral. Furthermore, the court action decision was taken by a committee that assesses all reports coming to the DCEC, of which Makgekgenene is not part of,” he said.
“Therefore, the derogatory allegations by Phiri implicating Makgekgenene are baseless, malicious and unfounded. They are meant to tarnish her image and that of the DCEC,” he said. Prior to her appointment to the position of Permanent Secretary, Makgekgenene served as Deputy Permanent Secretary responsible for corporate services and subsequently as Secretary for Safety and Security, in the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security. However, she spent most of her public service at the DCEC, where she rose from Corruption Prevention Officer to the strategic leadership position of Deputy Director General (Policy).
Her responsibilities as Deputy Director General included overseeing, managing, and guiding the operations of the Commonwealth Africa Anti-Corruption Centre (CAACC) from January 2014 until July 2017. She also oversaw the implementation of national, regional and international anti-corruption protocols.
Makgekgenene holds a MSc in Strategic Management from the University of Derby in England, BA in History and English from the University of Botswana, and a Certificate of Executive Development Programme from Stellenbosch University in the Republic of South Africa. She attended the Focused Leadership Experiences (FLEX) Seminar in Oregon, Portland, USA in 2008, and the Executive Leadership Programme facilitated by the Civil Service College of Singapore in Gaborone, Botswana in 2012. She is an alumnus of the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies (ACSS), having participated in the Emerging Security Sector Leaders Seminar in Washington DC in June 2019.
Makgekgene's appointment now means the top brass of the DCEC is now headed by females. Her two deputies are Deputy Direcctor General (Policy) Erica Ndlovu and Deputy Director General (Operations), Priscilla Israel. Israel is the lead prosecutor in the infamous P100 billion Bank of Botswana (BOB). She moved from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and was tipped that she will be the next DG. Her 'cat-and-mouse' fight with the former acting DG, Tshepo Pilane, was widely publicised in the media.
Mmegi is reliably informed that Pilane was relieved from the acting position a month ago. Makgenene's appointment is seen in government enclave circles as President Mokgweetsi Masisi's continued effort to appoint women in key positions. Makgekgenene would not speak about her appointment stating that she was not aware of the appointment as she had not received an appointment letter.
It remains to be seen how Makgekgenene would fare in the DCEC hot seat which has always been followed by controversies with accusations of being used as a weapon against especially political opponents. Having been part of the DCEC that investigated Kgosi, it would be interesting to see how Makgekgenene would deal with the case/s and others she and her bosses worked on before.