Apology not enough: Prosecute the persecutors
The Monitor Editor | Tuesday July 1, 2025 11:42
It’s a stark, global advertisement of a shocking abuse of state power that must be answered for, not swept away with mere words.
Ambassador Bridgette Motsepe’s victory in forcing the government to publicly retract vile, fabricated allegations linking her to money-laundering and terrorism financing is a step towards justice. But let’s be clear: the government’s admission that investigator Jako Hubona’s sworn affidavit was entirely false and reckless isn’t the end. It’s the bare minimum start. To trumpet a 'commitment to the rule of law' whilst those who weaponised the state against innocent citizens remain unpunished, is hollow indeed.
As former president Ian Khama rightly insists, an apology is insufficient. The current administration, whilst not responsible for this web of lies created under the previous regime, is absolutely responsible for upholding the law now. That means one thing: holding every single person involved to account. This wasn't a minor clerical error. It was a calculated, criminal fabrication designed to destroy reputations and lives using the full machinery of the state – the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) and the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS).
The targets were high-profile: Motsepe, Khama, the late Isaac Kgosi. But the most chilling victim, as Khama powerfully highlights, is Welhelmina 'Butterfly' Maswabi. Her only 'crime' was being caught in a malicious plot. As Khama said, her resilience in the face of state-sponsored torture makes her a true heroine, a symbol of innocence crushed by corrupt power. That she endured this nightmare while her persecutors potentially remain in post or escape consequences is a national disgrace.
The government’s consent to the court order acknowledges the lie. But true commitment to human rights and the rule of law demands action. President Duma Boko’s government must immediately launch a full, transparent, and independent investigation into the country's most sensational whodunnit‑style scandal. Who ordered Hubona’s false affidavit? Who directed the persecution of Butterfly? Which politicians or officials in the past administration greenlit this criminal enterprise? And crucially, are any of the implicated 'functionaries' still operating within the current system?
This government must demonstrate its proclaimed principles are more than just slogans. Prosecute those responsible, from the highest architects to the willing foot soldiers. Provide full redress to Maswabi and all the Butterfly case victims. Only when the architects of this national shame face the full force of the law and the music in the courtroom can Botswana begin to repair its shattered reputation and prove such abuses will 'never reoccur'. An apology is cheap. Justice is essential. Deliver it.