As Peter Magosi’s departure from the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) appears imminent, the former anti-corruption chief who lost his job after investigating him remains remarkably composed, insisting that the law,
rather than personal retribution, must prevail.
Inside headline and blurb
Magosi’s Reckoning, Katlholo’s Quiet Resolve
He lost his position after a confrontation with Botswana’s intelligence establishment.
Now, as fresh scrutiny falls on Peter Magosi, Tymon Katlholo refuses to celebrate,
standing instead by an investigation he never disowned.
GAZETTE REPORTER
As Botswana awaits what appears to be the imminent departure of intelligence chief Peter Magosi, one man whose career was derailed amid a confrontation with him is showing little appetite for a victory lap.
Tymon Katlholo, the former head of the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC), stands by the investigation that brought him into conflict with the country’s intelligence establishment. But he is not celebrating Magosi’s anticipated exit.
“I still stand by the investigation we conducted and the findings we reached. My position on that has not changed,” Katlholo told The Botswana Gazette.
THE BDP GOVERNMENT
Under former President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) government, Acting President Slumber Tsogwane suspended Katlholo in June 2022. Masisi terminated his contract in May 2023. Those decisions followed his confrontation with the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS), and ended his tenure months before his contract was due to expire.
The confrontation followed DCEC investigations involving Magosi and other senior intelligence officials. Among them was an alleged abuse-of-office case arising from the blacklisting of China Jiangsu International, a contractor on the Mmamashia Water Treatment Plant expansion.
THE DIS RAID
A leaked DCEC docket alleged Magosi had declared the contractor a national-security threat without referring the decision to the Central Intelligence Community as required. The contract dispute ultimately resulted in a P112 million settlement. The allegations have not been tested in a criminal trial, and Magosi has denied wrongdoing.
In May 2022, DIS officers sealed Katlholo’s office while he was abroad on official duty, seeking access to sensitive investigative files. Katlholo challenged the action in court, arguing that the intelligence agency had no authority to interfere with DCEC investigations.
In June 2024, the Court of Appeal upheld the ruling against DIS, finding that it had acted unlawfully in taking control of the offices. The judgment vindicated Katlholo’s legal challenge, although it did not determine whether Magosi had committed corruption.
CASES STILL OPEN
At Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee in August, DCEC director general Botlhale Makgekgenene confirmed investigations involving Magosi, saying two had been completed and were ready for the next legal stage.
She did not publicly identify them, leaving unanswered whether Katlholo’s original docket is among the cases now moving forward. Magosi told the committee he wanted the investigations expedited and maintained that he had done nothing wrong.
NO PERSONAL TRIUMPH
Asked about Magosi’s prospective departure, Katlholo offered no personal verdict.
“I would rather not comment on his departure. It is not really a matter of interest to me,” he said.
Instead, he returned to the principle at the heart of the dispute: “Like everyone else, Magosi must answer to the findings through the proper legal processes. The law must apply equally to all of us.”
“What I wish and pray for is reform in our law-enforcement system, so that institutions can carry out their duties independently and without interference.”