Due to the situation, the Law Society of Botswana (LSB) and various Non-Government Organisations have since called for restoration of the rule of law. In the unfolding war, early this month, the Office of the President released a statement “to inform members of the public that Tymon Katlholo, the director-general of DCEC has been suspended from duty in accordance with Section 112 of the Constitution with immediate effect.” It further stated that, “the decision to suspend Katlholo is necessitated by the fact that in the course of his official duties, he has misconducted himself and exhibited behaviour that is incompatible with the conduct of a public officer.” The decision to suspend Katlholo came less than 24 hours after he appeared before the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) where he reported that his office was investigating over P600 million lost from government coffers in the past 11 months. A collective of 12 civil society organisations such as labour federations have also expressed discomfort at the turn out of events and demand answers.
These include the Botswana Centre for Public Integrity (BCPI), the Botswana Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (BOCONGO), the Botswana Federation of Public Private & Parastatal Sector Unions (BOFEPUSO), Bridging the Gap, DITSHWANELO, Emang Basadi, Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana (LeGaBiBo), the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Putting Women First Trust (PWFT), Rainbow Identity Association (RIA), The Botswana Networks on Ethics Law and HIV (BONELA) and the LSB. “When it was established in 1994, the DCEC was mandated, amongst other objectives, to: promote ethical behaviour in government and public organisations as well as to maintain good governance, transparency and the rule of law.
