Salakae-DCEC public war serves neither justice nor Botswana
Mmegi Editor | Monday August 31, 2026 06:00
When institutions trade accusations with suspects, citizens begin choosing sides before the first witness enters the box or testifies.
Salakae and six others are due to appear in court over allegations linked to the Ghanzi–New Xade road contract.
The State alleges that the Member of Parliament for Ghanzi received cash, a Toyota Fortuner and bush-clearing services in return for influencing the award of the contract. However, Salakae denies wrongdoing and argues that the procurement was completed before he entered office. These competing claims remain allegations until tested before an independent court.
Salakae is entitled to defend his name. He is also entitled to question the conduct of investigators. His allegations of unauthorised leaks, an intrusive nine-hour search involving about 15 officers, and an effort to build a damaging public narrative cannot simply be waved away.
Section 44 of the Corruption and Economic Crime Act prohibits unauthorised disclosure of information about an investigation. If an officer leaked protected information, that would be a grave breach demanding an independent investigation.
However, a Kgotla meeting cannot become a substitute courtroom. Salakae should place his evidence before the court, lodge formal complaints and identify those he accuses through lawful channels. Repeating untested claims before sympathetic audiences risks turning a criminal case into a political campaign and may unfairly damage individual officers.
The DCEC carries an even heavier duty of restraint. It represents the State and possesses powers that can invade homes, seize property and change lives. Its response that it investigates impartially and that contrary allegations are “false and misleading” is insufficient. It need not reveal evidence before trial, but it should state whether Salakae’s leak and procedural complaints have been referred for independent examination.
The timing of the DCEC leadership’s public education tour in Gantsi, immediately after Salakae’s address there, has also fed perceptions of a counter-offensive. The tour may have been planned earlier, but institutions must understand that appearances matter. Public education should never look like an answer to an accused person.
The Botswana National Front is correct to warn against tribal or regional mobilisation around the case. Corruption has no tribe, and justice must have no political colour. The party must support Salakae’s right to a fair trial without becoming his defence team or attacking investigators.
This ugly dispute also exposes an old institutional weakness: the DCEC’s independence is still vulnerable to doubt because its Director General is appointed by the President and the institution remains tied to the Executive. Government has promised a new independent anti-corruption agency. That reform must now be expedited, openly debated and protected from partisan control.
President Duma Boko should remain outside the merits of the case. The Director of Public Prosecutions must act independently, the DCEC must preserve evidence and confidentiality, and Salakae must answer the charges in court.