DISS double-agents escape the axe

  • Magosi informed all that he is willing to give them a chance to reform
  • Introduces strict checks and balances

TEFO PHEAGE

The director general of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (DISS) Peter Magosi says he is aware of all DISS spy agents who have continued to pledge allegiance to former spy boss Issac Kgosi and former president Ian Khama despite several warnings.
The DISS is reportedly rocked by factionalism as some operatives are alleged to be receiving hefty side-payments from the past administration to continue assisting them with information using sophisticated counter intelligence capacity acquired during their tenure.
“I know what is going on and I can confirm that some of my employees seem to be caught between history and the future. They continue to sidestep this organization to feed external forces,” he said.
When asked to be specific on what he means by external forces Magosi singled out the past administration but said he is not willing to go into further details. Former president Ian Khama is litigating the state for refusing to grant him the green light to hire former spy boss Isaac Kgosi as his personal secretary. President Mokgweetsi Masisi fired Kgosi a month after assuming office and replaced him with Magosi. The two are long time nemeses.
Magosi said he has not yet decided to fire anybody because he believes they are adults and will reform and focus on their job. “I have given everybody a chance, and I continue to do so, but if push comes to shove I will act,” he warned.
Impeccable sources say the double agents often dis-inform and influence decisions meant to favour external forces and funders.
“The developments are scary because they might polarize the organisation. There are trust issues and some are using the opportunity to try and back-stab others. I think that is why the director has decided not to act swiftly and do his own investigations. He has repeatedly reminded us that we should let bygones be bygones, but the challenge within this organisation is that we have never been equal,” said a source in the intelligence outfit.
He continued that some agents have always been the favorites of the past administration and earned several times beyond their salaries. “Now they cannot survive with their normalized salaries because they had gotten used to a lavish lifestyle funded by the organisation and rogue operations. Now they have to survive and it is only by serving external forces where we hear they are rewarded handsomely for their leaks,” he revealed.
Meanwhile Magosi is said to have rubbed a few agents the wrong way when he introduced stiffer procedures to be followed in the course of agents’ work. Among those, sources say is to provide extensive information and paper trails of their operations to avoid the rogue operations that the DISS was known for.
Magosi however says this is not true. “What I did was to centralize the operations for effectiveness and efficiency,” he said, further adding that he wanted to completely do away with the culture of a one-man organization which made the DISS a briefcase organization.

Spy wars reignited

Meanwhile The Botswana Gazette is reliably informed that the previous administration and current administration spy wars are indeed at play. A source said they have learnt that the previous administration has maintained their connections with Israeli security and intelligence firms whose services were procured during their tenure.
“We know that they had a hand in the construction and reconfiguration of the former president’s retirement home and office and we know how it is wired,” hinted a source in the intelligence community.
The DISS still owes the Israeli firms a lot of money, debt that was accumulated during the past administration’s tenure, the source revealed.