Game on in the espionage world

Ryder Gabathuse | Monday May 26, 2025 16:48

As such, the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) found easy meat at its sister security organ (DCEC) with allegations of political interference a commonplace. Fresh allegations of the interfering hand of the DIS have surfaced at the DCEC headquarters after extemporaneous transfer of Tshepo Pilane, the director of intelligence at the DCEC, stoking a controversy. Pilane has been leading a robust team of intelligence officers who provided the requisite backup to the Directorate’s normal investigators, who have been wreaking havoc with allegations that they are pursuing delinquent and dreaded DIS operatives including the DIS DG Peter Magosi.

Top DIS operatives have been implicated in allegations of sleaze. In the past, the DIS led by the founding director general had declared the DCEC headquarters a targeted place in an endeavour to break up some of the ‘unwanted’ investigations against the late Isaac Kgosi himself, who was most feared at the time. Considering that at some stage Kgosi had officially declared that he doesn’t report to anyone, the DCEC’s investigations on allegations of corruption and money laundering were a wake up call. In one incident, Kgosi did the unthinkable by recruiting one of the DCEC investigators investigating his case by offering him an attractive package that left him with no choice at all. These are but some of the underhand tactics dreadfully employed by the DIS head honchos as they try to counter the activities of the DCEC. Pilane has his own story and experience with the DIS to share. The man does not seem to fear anything and is likely to reveal a lot of State secrets especially on what could have influenced his transfer out of a powerful unit that he heads. His team has been providing counter intelligence to the work of the DIS and how the DCEC investigators conduct their business and all that. The DCEC sleuths that he leads have already opened a war against the DIS operatives.

It’s simply game on in the espionage world. Intelligence gathered is that at the DCEC the intelligence team is not taking the development easy. They are determined to fight against the collapsing stature not only of their intelligence unit but the collapsing anti-corruption ratings and rankings of the DCEC. Even with the incumbent DG, Peter Magosi, his men have been accused of interfering in the DCEC operations. In an interesting development of the past, former DGs Bruno Paledi, Joseph Mathambo and then veteran anti corruption advocate Tymon Katlholo had incessant skirmishes with the DIS, which made their terms of office rough, tough and hopeless. Security of tenure for the DGs of the Directorate (DCEC) has for the longest time been of great concern as if they were serving at the pleasure of the DIS DGs and their political masters. The DCEC has easily become a troubled spot where officers battle so hard for their survival. Political interference has been commonplace with the Office of the President and the DIS literally determining the length of stay of DGs in office. The eyes of the highest office in the land, the OP have become a permanent feature at the DCEC with movement of staff that somehow fail to toe the line of their masters, a predictable ‘corrective measure’. Former DCEC DG Katlholo put his trust in the country’s courts of law and fought the government in a case that saw skeletons tumbling out of the DIS and DCEC closets. This was after he had probed the attitude of the DIS in raiding his office whereupon some investigations’ files were taken without his authority. The Permanent Secretary to the President, Peloetletse and President Masisi could not timeously intervene in turf wars that threatened the country’s democracy.



Katlholo was almost on his own to the extent that in an action that followed, he was suspended from duty until he was forcefully exited from the DCEC office ahead of the end of his contract. Katlholo, who was brought by President Masisi from his retirement because of his level of experience, suffered embarrassment when the DIS operators raided his office when he was outside the country on official assignment. The DIS claimed it was looking for certain evidence from the cases alleging that Katlholo’s leadership was preventing investigation of certain corruption cases, apparently relating to former president Ian Khama and some of his family members. These cases came at a time when Khama/Masisi relations were at the lowest ebb. Katlholo on the other hand insisted Magosi wanted to frustrate the DCEC investigations against him and some of his senior officers. Magosi’s interest in the cases was viewed as a counter measure to kill corruption cases involving spy agency head honchos, charges that Magosi and his men have vehemently denied. Katlholo would later have the last laugh when a court of law in a scathing ruling admonished the spy outfit to simply keep its lane and distance itself from the business of combating corruption and economic crime, as that is the preserve of the DCEC. This was widely celebrated as an endeavour to keep the DIS at bay and allow the corruption-busting agency to do its mandate without the interference of a sister security organ. This week’s move by the Permanent Secretary to the President, Peloetletse is an old tactic, which is condemned by many as an alleged clear case of collusion between Peloetletse and Magosi to further undermine processes at the country’s crime busting agency.

The recent intention to transfer Pilane who is the DCEC director of intelligence out of the Directorate (DCEC) scratches the proverbial old wounds that were apparently healing as the DCEC has been a Directorate under siege from the DIS. In 2017, the current DG of the DCEC, Botlhale Makgekgenene was pushed out of the Directorate by the regime of former president Ian Khama through Khama’s blue-eyed boy and the late founder of the DIS, Kgosi who allegedly influenced the transfer of the now DCEC DG to the then Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security as Permanent Secretary. At the time, Makgekgenene was the deputy director general at the DCEC responsible for policy. In 2023, Makgekgenene was returned to the Directorate’s hot seat during the Masisi regime as the head honcho. Makgekgnene’s former boss, Rose Seretse (former DCEC DG) was the same year in 2017 bundled out to lead the then newly established, Botswana Energy Regulatory Authority (BERA) at a time when the DCEC and the DIS were diametrically at loggerheads. This was a move most believed was to neutralise the strength of the DCEC, which had gotten so close to the former DIS DG who was implicated in corruption allegations including money laundering and abuse of office. Paledi was also bundled out to the Ministry of Youth after endless fights with Magosi’s DIS. He was alleged to be dining with both Khama and former DIS DG, Kgosi especially after the Khama/Masisi fall out. It was not surprising that in later days, the Magosi-led DIS would prefer charges of aiding and abetting against Paledi and his former boss at the Botswana Police Service (BPS), Keabetswe Makgophe. The charges arose from allegations that they had facilitated the issuance of permits for Khama’s weapons.



Charges would later be dropped without sufficient evidence to prosecute. The Masisi regime would then appoint a military man, Brigadier Joseph Mathambo who had also previously worked with Magosi at the military barracks. Although the Mathambo/Magosi relationship seemed stable in the beginning, it was the interfering hand of the intelligence leadership under Magosi that irked the independent-minded Mathambo whose reign was characterised by open skirmishes between the DIS and the DCEC. Matters came to a head at one stage when Magosi without the blessing of Mathambo opened an investigation file against Wilheminah Maswabi, a DIS operative codenamed ‘Butterfly’. Charges against Maswabi were strongly believed to be extremely despicable as even the State struggled to substantiate such charges. Magosi was able to instruct Jako Hubona behind Mathambo’s back and engaged him to investigate ‘Butterfly’ literally taking instructions from his office. This was so untidy as the motive was seemingly to ‘incriminate’ the poor DIS spy by hook or crook. In most cases, the DIS behaved like a superior organ that is also above the law. The combative Mathambo seemingly had no reason to be worried by the Magosi machinations, but his peace from then henceforth was never intact. The duo fought behind closed doors and in the open until President Masisi used Peloetletse who seems to have unencumbered powers to return Mathambo to the military barracks. The reappearance of Katlholo at the DCEC as the helmsman was characterised by his assuring statement that no one is going to instruct him on whom to investigate, how to investigate and when to investigate. This boldness albeit, short-lived, promised independence of a DG which was what the Directorate needed. But, as usual, Katlholo’s words just fizzled out as he was contained by the system that favoured Magosi as it did with his predecessor.

The sad reality is that before the Parliament oversight body, Public Accounts Committee (PAC) this week, the DCEC DG, Makgekgenene decried: “ I am not going to beat about the bush, it is a fact that Botswana was once hailed as the least corrupt country in Africa, as one of the least corrupt countries in the world, but lately, we have seen a decline in our ratings and rankings.' She also conceded that there was a lot of instability within the Directorate’s leadership and pledged to focus on changing the DCEC fortunes upon resumption of office in 2003. She was also worried about leakage of confidential information from the Directorate. The latest turn of events are also interesting as the PSP has now written a letter to Pilane informing him that the urgency with which she wanted to transfer him has somewhat fallen off. “I hereby withdraw the transfer letter and re-instate the intention to transfer and allow you to make any representations. The mistake is highly regrettable,” Peloetletse informed Pilane and this time, toned down a bit. Pilane, who is seemingly hell-bent to fight for his stay at the DCEC strongly feels the move to transfer him out, has been precipitated by a bad motive. A fight for his stay has likelihood to reveal more the enmity between the DIS and the DCEC.