Khama persistently hunts for Magosi’s 'scalp'
Innocent Selatlhwa | Wednesday January 28, 2026 06:15
Khama was left frustrated as Minister for Communications and Innovation David Tshere, standing in for Minister for State President, Defence and Security, Moeti Mohwasa, said the DIS Act does not allow him to answer a question on accelerated promotions.
Khama had asked the Minister for State President, Defence and Security to clarify on the recent answer provided to Parliament on December 1, 2025, regarding the DIS.
He wanted to know the exact number of DIS officers who received accelerated promotion directly from the C-scale to the E-scale from 2020 to 2025. Prior to their accelerated promotion, Khama also wanted to establish what were the professional qualifications, experience, and performance assessments of the officers.
He also wanted the minister to confirm whether amongst those promoted, some moved straight from C-scale to E-scale, bypassing the D-scale entirely; and if so, how many; What was the typical duration spent at each D-scale band before advancement to the E-scale; If these accelerated promotion pathways are explicitly provided for and in strict accordance with the Public Service Act and DIS Conditions of Service.
He also wanted the minister to state whether, in the wider Civil Service, it is considered normal or exceptional for an officer to rise from C-scale to E-scale within five years; How many officers who benefited from accelerated promotion also received overseas scholarships or state-funded further training during the same timeframe.
The former president also wanted to know whether any of the officers who received accelerated promotion or overseas scholarships are related by blood, marriage, or affinity (including being a spouse, child, or sibling) to the DIS Appointing Authority or any senior official involved in the promotion decision; Who was personally in charge of assessing and recommending these accelerated promotions whether it was an individual, a promotions board, or a committee; and whether the minister, as the overseeing authority, personally verified the process by reviewing the promotion files of the officers in question if a board or committee made the recommendations.
In response, Tshere said that, as per the response he had, Section 6 (2) of the Intelligence and Security Services Act states that recruitment and welfare issues of staff are under direct control and administration of the Director General. Further, he said the DIS Council, Tribunal and Parliamentary Committee, which were to look into operations of the DIS, were currently not operational to be able to oversee the operations.
'This is done in acknowledgement of the sensitive nature of the organisation and its operations. On account of this, I feel constrained to give operational details as requested by the honourable member,' Tshere said.
Khama would, however, express his frustration at the response. He called on the minister to respond to the questions individually and point out any which spoke to operations of the DIS.
“This is not acceptable, at least to me. The response given here is nothing close to what was said in Parliament. They are deliberately evading the question. This points to abuse of office, which is what this question is trying to get to. They are running away from the question,” he said.
Khama said it was unfair that, as Ntlo ya Dikgosi, they could not be given such information. He said he would give the same question to the Member of Parliament for Serowe North, Baratiwa Mathoothe, to ask it in Parliament.
Khama has not hidden his disdain for Magosi. He has in the past stated that everyone from the past administration led by former president Mokgweetsi Masisi is all gone except for Magosi. “Go setse e one hela,” he said. Khama has, in the past, not shied away from revealing how the DIS led by Magosi participated in persecuting him and his family during the height of his feud with Masisi.
Khama blames Masisi and Magosi for forcing him into self-exile between 2021 and 2024.