Jwaneng-Mabutsane legislator Mephato Reatile asserts that the government should settle the long-overdue back payments owed to Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) officers, aiming to curb instances of alleged robbery by these officers.
“You were here in December asking government to approve funds which you said was among others meant to pay outstanding debts. Look at the situation today, the country is being shamed because the police are no longer chasing thieves but they are now after DIS agents who have overtaken thieves in terms of thievery,” remarked Reatile to Finance Minister Peggy Serame in Parliament while responding to the budget speech today.
He highlighted recent reports indicating DIS agents being caught and implicated in robberies. Reatile further added that the Minister of Defence and Security, Kagiso Mmusi, is busy addressing a problem created by Kabo Morwaeng’s Ministry for the State President.
Reatile mentioned having previously urged the government to pay the rightful earnings of DIS officers. He expressed concern that the President, Vice President, and ministers may not be safe due to protection by disgruntled DIS agents.
In response, Morwaeng dismissed Reatile’s claim about a security threat on the executive as misleading. He emphasised that Batswana should be assured of the country's leadership safety as "there is no threat".
Reatile urged Morwaeng to specify when the government plans to pay DIS agents. He argued that Morwaeng puts the entire country at risk by requesting funds and later not utilising them for their intended purpose. "You have to explain why you are failing to pay people who are doing such a sensitive job," Reatile told Parliament.
Last year, over 400 DIS employees filed a writ of summons against the Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM), the DIS, and the Attorney General, asserting that the government's decision not to pay salary back payments from April 2008 was unlawful. This writ is a result of a long-standing dispute between the officers and their employer regarding the fast-tracking of employees’ progression, with officers bemoaning that the DIS continues to ignore a court order issued against all ministries for salary scales and a subsequent directive by the DPSM enforcing the judgment.
