The Ministry for State President, which the DIS falls under, has requested P530 million for the implementation of various development projects during the 2025–2026 financial year.
These projects include geospatial, security, and communication-related projects, procurement of vehicles, acquisition of equipment, and new installations to strengthen security interventions.
Minister of Labour and Home Affairs Pius Mokgware told Parliament this week that instead of buying equipment for the controversial security organ, the government must also check whether DIS agents are being treated properly.
Suspended top agents have recently flocked to the courts to sue the organisation for, amongst others, harassment and unlawful arrests. In the last few years, the DIS roof has been leaking with agents complaining about poor housing and lack of progress amongst other welfare-related issues. “We need to look at their welfare because it goes hand in hand with the conditions of service, we should not keep quiet about these things,” Mokgware said when responding to the budget presented by State President Minister Moeti Mohwasa.
Mokgware, who is a retired Major General, told Mohwasa to deeply look into the security agents’ conditions of service. Mokgware said if the government makes a mistake and does not give agents the right conditions of service, then the latter might not do the right job.
“We will think we are safe and secure as we deliberate issues in this house only for the security agents to down tools because they are unhappy,” he highlighted.
He said the government cannot keep ignoring the officers’ welfare because it is the same government that is stopping them from unionising. Mokgware said that the government should stand up for the security forces because they do not have unions to fight for their welfare.
“Soldiers, just like the police, can stay in one rank for many years and this as a result demoralises them. It strips them of their dignity and in the end their lives do not improve,” he said. He added that at the moment there are cases involving DIS officers because some of them are owed money.
“Why have they not been paid? We do not understand, and these issues stem from way back. Their working conditions are bad, especially those who joined from the security to DIS. Their cases have been dragging on for years, let us fix this issue, or else we will hold our mouths one day. These people are demoralised and not happy,” he shared. Mokgware said Botswana should benchmark from other countries where security forces never take the government to court. He said there is a high prevalence of cases where disgruntled agents take the government to court. “Let us avoid cases like these, let us deal with these people in-house and talk. Let us try to pay them accordingly. DIS officers frequent the court. There is a lot of money. Soldiers are in the courts, and there is a lot of money involved. I ask that these issues, especially welfare, be prioritised and see to it that they are paid,” he said. He added that it will not work for them as leaders to lead people who are demoralised. For his part, Minister of Local Government and Traditional Affairs Ketlhalefile Motshegwa said as much as the government is spending millions to strengthen the DIS, he believes that the DIS has to be reconfigured. He said the DIS must be dismantled and built from scratch. Motshegwa said the equipment that is going to be purchased for the DIS should then focus on real intelligence after DIS restructuring. “You cannot continue with DIS in the form it is and claim you are strengthening it. How do you strengthen a rogue department? You want to make it worse, a stronger rouge? You cannot do that! You could be telling us that you are increasing the budget to cater for the reformation process of the DIS, not strengthening it. You could be speaking of reformation, transformation, not strengthening of DIS, there you are not doing the public any good,” Kapinga said. Kapinga said the government has to rethink what it wants to do with the DIS.
“I am informed that governance in that organisation is very poor. There are what they call operational funds. I am told they are given about P18 million at the beginning of the financial year and within four months that money is exhausted, and a budget that is supposed to cater for 12 months of operation,” Kapinga added.
Kapinga said that exhausting P18 million in four months is a reflection of utmost irresponsibility and unprofessionalism. He said the UDC, as the new government, has to show Batswana the intention, commitment, the political will to turn things around.
“It cannot be business as usual. You have to change these things, otherwise, there is no justification for having a new government,” he said.
Leader of Opposition Dumelang Saleshando said the DIS should not be getting more money than the police because it has been criminal to the public coffers. He said there were allegations that money goes missing all the time with no accountability in place.
“Now we are taking P530 million saying it is a developmental budget. Please, reflect Mohwasa and consider halting all new development projects of the DIS until we know what is happening there. Don’t throw money into the same hole where corruption takes place under the DIS administration,” Saleshando highlighted. He added that the UDC government should part ways with the DIS leadership because a lot of alleged corruption has been taking place under the organ's watch.
