- Magosi admits to leading an unhappy lot
LETLHOGILE MPUANG
Former president Ian Khama says the head of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Service (DISS), Peter Magosi, is real reason behind the troubles that currently besiege the secret service.
On Monday this week, Magosi confirmed to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that he is leading an unhappy and divided organisation and appealed to the government to help him deal with the unrest.
At the heart of the situation are agents demanding their back pay and better conditions of service. The situation is so bad that some of the agents have threatened to sell some of the country’s secrets.
Several cases
“DISS is rotten from the top,” Khama said in a Zoom interview over the weekend. “The only way that it can recover is if Magosi is removed from that post. I believe DISS needs a new leader who is experienced and mature enough to be handed such responsibility.”
While Khama and former head of DISS Isaac Kgosi have several cases before the courts and are the subjects of numerous active investigations linking them to corruption and money-laundering that allegedly happened between 2008 and 2018, the former president believes Kgosi was far better than Magosi.
“Kgosi was way better than Magosi,” he said. “He was very passionate about issues of intelligence and was very much all hands on deck while Magosi is a total contrast. What has DISS achieved under Magosi’s leadership?”
Staff meeting
Meanwhile, DISS spokesperson Edward Robert has previously told The Botswana Gazette that they are in consultations with various stakeholders in government with the hope of sourcing funds to pay all affected officers.
He also said a general staff meeting was called to engage all officers on progress in their payments.