DCEC, DPP ‘born again’
Innocent Selatlhwa | Monday January 12, 2026 06:01
It is alleged that with President Duma Boko as the helmsman, relevant institutions have finally been given teeth to bite and operate independently. It is said that even some of the files that had been gathering dust at the DCEC and the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) will finally be pursued fully.
The founding Director General of the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC), Tymon Katlholo, who also had another stint at the directorate during the presidency of Mokgweetsi Masisi, has in the past alleged that during his period, the graft-busting agency was infiltrated. He had also stated that 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 recently, 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 DPP.
Katlholo further alleged that the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (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 matter 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.
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 also 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.
Upon taking over, President Boko’s UDC, which had long shared similar sentiments with Katlholo and many other stakeholders, promised to ensure the institutions could operate independently to be able to carry out their mandate.
Boko has since kept Botlhale Makgekgenene as the Director General of the DCEC, only appointing attorney Thabo Malambane as her deputy, while one of the top criminal lawyers, Kgosietsile Ngakaagae, was appointed as head of DPP.
Makgekgenene has admitted that they experienced ‘challenges’ working with the DIS in the past. Addressing members of the media last year, Makgekgene stated that the two institutions have, however, buried the hatchet and set boundaries.
She said properties and monies traced in 2024 and referred to the DPP for recovery amounted to P144,240,085.52.
This is a big increase when compared to the P1,088,474.49 recovered in the previous year.
“Traditional forms of bribery and corruption have become increasingly difficult to trace. The accumulation of unaccounted wealth or living beyond one's known sources of income has emerged as a glaring indicator of potential illicit activity,” the DG said.
She said lifestyle audits have allowed investigators to target individuals living well beyond their declared income.
As such, the Directorate now pursues “parallel investigations” that combine corruption probes with financial crime analysis, such as money laundering, enabling asset tracing and disruption of complex networks.
The DG also disclosed that in 2024, the DCEC received 687 reports on alleged corruption and economic crime. Of these, 238 cases were classified for investigation, representing 34% of all reports. The rest were either referred to other institutions or dismissed as outside the agency’s mandate.
However, already in 2025, by late August, the Directorate had registered 612 reports, pointing to what could be another record year.
Amongst its current caseload are 54 high-profile investigations, nine of which involve politicians from both the previous regime and the current administration.
The cases, Makgekgenene said, have seen progress through searches, interviews, and other legal means of evidence collection.
Looking ahead, the DCEC’s 2025-26 plan identifies procurement, land, and transport licensing as priority areas. The three sectors have historically been dogged by corruption allegations and will now be subjected to heightened scrutiny.
Meanwhile, the government has delinked the DCEC from the public service, with about P83million budgeted for its transformation.
President Boko revealed this in the State of the Nation Address (SONA) in November, indicating the government's commitment to grant the economic crime-busting agency greater autonomy. Boko said in recognition of the need for a modern, independent anti-corruption institution, the government has prioritised the review of the Corruption and Economic Crime Act (CECA) of 2013.
'The revised Draft Bill, currently under legal vetting, proposes to grant the DCEC greater operational independence, including a redefined reporting structure and enhanced protections for the office of the Director General,' Boko said.
He further stated that the delinking of the DCEC from mainstream public service has been initiated and submitted for inclusion under NDP12, with a projected budget of P35 million for Development, and P48 million for Recurrent.
'Once approved, this will lay a foundation for a more robust and independent DCEC. Notably, Section 3 (e) of the Employment and Labour Relations Act has officially delinked the DCEC from the Public Service, and implementation is pending the conclusion of the review of the CECA,' he said, further indicating that stakeholder engagements regarding the project have already commenced.
The issue of delinking DCEC from the mainstream public service has been mooted for a while, with different stakeholders describing its lack of independence as a hindrance in the organisation’s fight against corruption.
Meanwhile, President Boko said they aim to establish a top-tier Asset Declaration System to enhance systems that monitor economic crime. 'The Ethics and Integrity Directorate continues to work closely with key stakeholders to safeguard the interests of the nation. The aim is to establish a top-tier Asset Declaration System that will significantly assist in the monitoring of these interests, income, assets, and liabilities to effectively detect corruption, money laundering, and acquisition of property from proceeds of crime. Furthermore, the Directorate, in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, is in the process of developing comprehensive guidelines on Conflict of Interest,' he said.
According to media reports, from December 2025, the DCEC denied claims that there is a rift between Makgekgenene and her Deputy Director of Operations, (FULL NAMES) Malambane.
There were allegations that there is a strained relationship between the duo, especially in the handling of high-profile corruption cases in the country involving past and current cabinet members. The stand-off is said to have followed some complaints lodged with Makgekgenene against Malambane.
'The DCEC would like to dismiss innuendos purporting that there is a rift between the Director General and her Deputy. The Directorate had in the past announced that we are pursuing several cases involving politicians and none of them is wrongly targeted', DCEC spokesperson Nlayidzi Gambule was quoted by Botswana Guardian newspaper.
According to Gambule, the DCEC is committed to maintaining the integrity of its processes and ensuring that investigations are conducted fairly and confidentially.
While the possible corruption cases against former ministers Lefoko Moagi and Kefentse Mzwinila, the nation is watching keenly to see whether the matters are not yet another “P100 billion Butterfly case”.
In the same breadth, with some of the new rulers having been accused of corruption, it remains to be seen whether the DCEC will ultimately ‘catch’ any of them to demonstrate they are indeed after corruption and not political opponents of the rulers.