DIS, BDF share P6bn budget
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Friday January 13, 2017 18:00
The funding will be made even as the Budget Strategy Paper, released by the Finance Ministry in October, forecast a P6.8 billion deficit for the 2017-2018 financial year.
According to draft figures seen by Mmegi this week, the BDF is due to receive P2.4 billion for “strengthening of BDF capabilities” in the upcoming budget. Finance Minister, Kenneth Matambo is expected to present the budget statement on February 6, should he keep in line with the tradition of reading it on the first Monday of February.
The “strengthening of BDF capabilities” is expected to include purchase of new equipment such as aircraft, vehicles as well as other military infrastructure.
The BDF will also receive P2.9 billion for its recurrent expenses, with about P2.08 billion going towards salaries and the balance spread across a variety of running costs ranging from P110 million for food to P1.2 million for brass band equipment.
In the 2016-2017 financial year, which ends on March 31, 2017, the BDF expects to have spent P2.8 billion on recurrent expenses.
The DIS, meanwhile, is looking forward to an allocation of P598 million across the recurrent and development budgets after February 6. The spy agency will receive P261.1 million for “strengthening of DIS capabilities” while another P337.8 million will be for recurrent expenses that include salaries.
The P337.8 million planned allocation is an increase from the P288.3 million the DIS is expected to have used by March 31, 2017. The funds for 2017-2018 will be used on running costs ranging from P5 million for special investigations, P12.5 million for aircraft maintenance, P2 million for food and P2 million for arms ammunition and civil defence equipment.
The budgets for both the BDF and DIS have long been harshly criticised by legislators and other social commentators, for being excessive, unwarranted and shrouded in secrecy.
Last year, Members of Parliament asked why the BDF and DIS were being heavily funded, while the economy was slowing. They also asked why such large allocations were being made for espionage and security when the country was not actively in a war.
Legislators have also blasted the BDF, DIS and their parent ministries for dodging questions at parliamentary accountability hearings. Both the DIS chief, Isaac Kgosi and immidiate former BDF commander, Gaolathe Galebotse, frequently declined to answer questions around spending citing the sensitivity of their operations and the need to protect national security.
However, in his appearance before the Public Accounts Committee last year, Galebotswe did concede that President Ian Khama is “concerned and worried” by the army’s off-budget spending.
Galebotswe said Khama was always advising the Defence Minister to explore and establish government-to-government deals than procuring from private entities.
The BDF commander found himself with his back to the wall on the military’s rising spending during peace-time.
“We are not arms-racing. My worry is that it is only in Botswana where people will raise the red flag on army spending while you do not hear such from other countries. I think we need to educate people,” Galebotswe said last year.
The DIS, meanwhile, has been heavily criticised for its shadowy expenditures, particularly as the agency has few operational oversight bodies. Legislators have also questioned why drugs continue to flow through borders and even to primary schools, without the DIS nabbing drug kingpins and their middlemen.
The agency has perennially been accused of using taxpayer funds to target critics of the government and the ruling party either by actual force or intimidation.