DIS does recruit thieves – Magosi

Spira Tlhankane | Wednesday May 14, 2025 06:04

Explaining the hiring criterion of the intelligence body before the 61st Public Accounts Committee (PAC) yesterday, Magosi said they could hire someone because he/she is a thief.

He said they are forced to bring in criminals amongst their ranks because it complements their covert operations. The head of spy outfit added that it is part of the criterion they need to build certain specialities within the DIS.

“It is now calling for me to get into the operational side, which I am very uncomfortable with,” he said.

Asked if they do not fear that the same thieves they have hired would steal from them in the future, Magosi said they are not.

He said they have not been accepting applications from the public but were rather reliant on headhunting for people looking at the speciality they need.

He said the criterion they have been using from way back is to leave the hiring to three people being the Director-General and his two deputies.

“There were operational reasons why we did that,” he said. Magosi said going forward, committees will be responsible for various roles like recruitment and promotions.

He clarified that the committees which are now in place will, however, not be responsible for headhunting people, but rather people will now submit their names on the DIS database for possible future recruitment. He said end of May, the DIS will launch a website where vacancies will be advertised.

On their image as the DIS, Magosi said they are continuously trying to redeem themselves because public confidence has eroded.

“I agree that the DIS used to abuse people in the past, and I did put an end to that as the leader. Currently, I don’t believe there is any Motswana who can come before the courts and say he was abused by the organisation.

“Mistakes have happened in the past, and we acknowledge that. I had taken actions against those who abused their powers, and some of them are before the courts of law,” he revealed.

The Director-General said some of the mistreatment happened without his knowledge, and cases like that came to his attention after they had happened.

He said he put an end to the point where he had to suspend the officers who were abusing the system. Magosi clarified that the DIS is allowed to investigate some matters, but the problem arises when some officers mishandle these issues.

Magosi promised that cases where civilians were abused by DIS officers would never happen again. 'Going forward, Batswana are to see that the DIS is an important organ, not an enemy,” he further assured the PAC.

He said the intelligence agency is not changing because there has been a regime change, but it was a result of self-reflection. 'We long decided on change before change of government. It was a way to improve service delivery,” he said.