Katlholo spills the beans
Kabo Ramasia | Monday December 15, 2025 06:00
The erstwhile director general of the DCEC, Tymon Katlholo, alleges that during this period the graft-busting agency was infiltrated, impunity became entrenched, institutions were weakened, and innocent citizens were persecuted on trumped-up charges in the absence of evidence.
Katlholo has publicly detailed what can be described as the “shenanigans” the nation endured under the Masisi presidency. Speaking at the Botswana Peace Conference & Festival held in Gaborone last week, Katlholo presented a paper entitled “Living in perpetual fear: The swelling incidences of crime and corruption”.
He painted a picture of a troubled chapter in Botswana’s recent history, one marked by abuse of power, a regression in the country’s Corruption Perceptions Index, prevailing impunity, and the weakening of key institutions such as the DCEC and the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Katlholo further alleged that the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (DIS) operated outside its legal mandate and that certain courts failed to live up to public expectations.
“Those who were prepared to do something about the prevailing situation of corruption and abuse of office became subjects of investigation under the so-called threat to national security,” Katlholo said. He added that critics were ridiculed through what he described as a propaganda pseudo-Facebook page known as France Museveni.
Central to Katlholo’s presentation was the controversial P100 billion case widely known as the “Butterfly” case, which he characterised as a fabrication that symbolised the excesses of the Masisi era.
The case involved allegations that P100 billion had been embezzled from the Bank of Botswana (BoB) in a self-enrichment scheme allegedly linked to a DIS agent, Wilheminah Mphoeng Maswabi, codenamed “Butterfly,” and other politically connected figures.
“The DCEC never knew about the docket,” Katlholo said. “The DCEC even questioned how the Directorate of Public Prosecutions went to court.”
He further alleged that impunity escalated when DCEC offices were barricaded at a time when the agency was investigating senior DIS officials. Katlholo also addressed the late former DIS chief, Isaac Kgosi, ammunition case, in which the DCEC was accused of refusing to investigate the licensing of firearms. According to Katlholo, the agency declined to proceed only after establishing that there was no case to answer based on the available evidence.
“That became a problem, which led to the arrest of DCEC officers,” he said.
Reflecting on the structural challenges facing the anti-corruption agency, Katlholo identified insecurity of tenure for the DCEC director general and political interference as the weakest links. He noted that in other jurisdictions, the independence of such offices is constitutionally protected.
In a particularly alarming revelation, Katlholo claimed that the DCEC itself was infiltrated. “Some officers transferred into the DCEC had criminal cases against them by the DCEC, and that compromised our investigations,” he said.
He alleged that experienced investigators handling serious corruption cases were deliberately transferred out, while less experienced officers were brought in, some, he claimed, to monitor the organisation’s management and senior officials.
Meanwhile, Katlholo argued that civil society must play a more active role in safeguarding democratic institutions. “When these things happened, they only issued statements,” he said, explaining why he chose to speak openly at the conference.
Katlholo himself became a casualty of the fallout. In June 2022, he was suspended by the then-acting president, Slumber Tsogwane, following a highly publicised dispute with the DIS. A brief statement from the Office of the President cited “misconduct” and behaviour “incompatible with the conduct of a public officer”, promising that disciplinary procedures would be followed. Katlholo, however, maintains that his suspension epitomised a broader loss of moral compass in the fight against corruption. He revealed that he personally paid legal costs to defend the integrity of the DCEC during sustained attacks, at high cost to his family.
As he concluded his presentation, Katlholo called for decisive corrective measures, urging leaders to demonstrate genuine political will to combat corruption.
He argued that while leaders often make promises and issue strong rhetoric, many are themselves implicated in corrupt practices. “There is weak political will,” he said. “Despite the initiatives that exist, commitment has yet to be tested. Leaders are yet to establish credibility,” he added.
Katlholo’s revelations have reopened debate about one of the most contentious periods in Botswana’s recent political history, raising difficult questions about accountability, institutional independence and the future of the country’s anti-corruption fight.