Batswana flood DCEC to report corruption
Pini Bothoko | Monday August 10, 2026 06:00
Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) this week, DCEC Director General Botlhale Makgekgenene revealed that allegations of corruption reported to the anti-corruption agency have risen sharply over the past three years.
She revealed that the DCEC received 652 corruption reports in 2023, a figure that increased to 687 in 2024 before soaring to 957 in 2025. By August this year alone, the Directorate had already received 556 reports from Batswana, putting the country on course to record another exceptionally high number of corruption complaints. The figures paint a worrying picture of the scale of alleged corruption in Botswana, particularly in public procurement, abuse of office, conflicts of interest, unexplained wealth, tender manipulation and governance failures. At the same time, the rise suggests that more citizens are willing to report suspected corruption than ever before.
Makgekgenene said the changing nature of corruption has forced the Directorate to adopt more sophisticated investigative approaches, including lifestyle audits.
“One of our investigation strategies is to continue with lifestyle audits,” she told PAC members. “We deliberately employ this strategy because we know how effective it is. It has enhanced our ability to detect unexplained wealth, identify misconduct and conclude investigations within a reasonable time.”
The DCEC boss explained that lifestyle audits have become an important tool in uncovering corruption linked to illicit wealth accumulation and abuse of public resources.
Meanwhile, despite the increasing workload, Makgekgenene said the Directorate remains severely understaffed, telling the committee that the DCEC currently has only 72 investigators covering the entire country, including five who have recently completed their training.
On average, each investigator is handling about 20 cases, far above the recommended workload of between three and six cases.
As at December 31, 2025, the DCEC had a caseload of 1,614 matters, of which 1,095 were under active investigation, 89 were before the courts and 269 had been referred to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for assessment and possible prosecution.
The Directorate has also intensified efforts to recover proceeds of corruption, with Makgekgenene revealing that assets worth more than P131 million had been preserved as at December 2025, while more than P7 million had already been successfully recovered.
She further revealed that in 2024, the DCEC restrained assets linked to corruption valued at more than P144 million, a significant increase from approximately P1.9 million restrained in 2023. Beyond investigations, the Directorate continues to focus on preventing economic crime through corruption prevention audits in high-risk sectors, engaging Permanent Secretaries and Ministers on governance risks and strengthening anti-corruption units across government ministries.
Makgekgenene also updated the committee on several high-profile investigations. Of the 50 high-profile cases previously identified, 14 have reached an advanced stage, with seven already before the courts. Some of these involve asset forfeiture proceedings while criminal prosecutions are still being pursued.
She said investigations into allegations surrounding the appointment of Development Manager (DM) Model consultants and contracts covering 148 infrastructure projects are at an advanced stage in two matters.
Makgekgenene also confirmed that the Directorate had concluded investigations into allegations that the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) interfered with DCEC operations.
She said a court judgment had already confirmed that the DIS unlawfully interfered with the work of the anti-corruption agency by sealing the office of the DCEC Director General even though no action has been taken thus far.
“When I joined the DCEC last year, there was a lot of turmoil because of the interference. As we speak, we are no longer experiencing that interference because I engaged the DIS Director General. They now refer cases to us as they are supposed to do, and everybody is keeping to their lane,” she said.
However, members of the PAC said the rising number of craft reports should be matched by visible results. Committee members challenged the DCEC to become more effective in investigating and prosecuting perpetrators of corruption, arguing that economic crime continues to weaken Botswana’s economy.
They also expressed concern over allegations that some DCEC officers themselves are implicated in corrupt practices, urging the Directorate to uphold the highest standards of integrity while leading the country’s fight against corruption.