Established in 1994 under the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) government, the DCEC has, for the greater part of its existence, been generally regarded as a ‘useless’ entity. Despite Botswana holding it down for years as one of Africa’s most stable democracies with a commendable economic track record, the DCEC came under scrutiny for failing to fully live up to its mandate. However, in the dawn of a Second Republic, talk of a reformed DCEC has thus been topical. So, with the much-anticipated forensic audit lurking in the background and several high-profile corruption probes as confirmed by the DCEC late last year, now said to be nearing prosecution, the year 2026 is anticipated to be a busy one for the anti-graft busting agency.
The new year, often characterised by resolutions, is upon Batswana. It is a period when most reflect and set targets (goals) on how they envisage the year to go. Such a period is usually marked with great optimism and hope for a better fortune. But it appears, this time, the DCEC will leave no stone unturned in its quest to expose corrupt scoundrels and bring to justice those who looted public funds and left the country teetering on the brink of economic collapse. For years, the DCEC was slammed for being toothless and lacking a spine, given their failure to investigate the politically powerful. The DCEC was accused of lacking the operational independence to nail the powerful, whilst it was quick to persecute the small men. In the past, cases like that of the late former political kingmaker for the BDP, Louis Nchindo, the alleged fleecing of National Petroleum Fund (NPF) involving P250 million, the over P500 million siphoning off at the Capital Management Botswana (CMB) and the much-publicised P100 billion ‘Butterfly’ fabrication have all dented the anti-graft agency’s credibility. Even worse, what appeared to have been the straw that broke the camel’s back was the fact that while Botswana was gradually declining in corruption perception indices, the economic hardships continued to afflict the citizenry, while much seemed not to have been done in curbing abuse of public resources.
