Masisi’s life is under serious threat – DISS

  • The President’s move to State House will take some time yet
  • Booby traps and wiretaps uncovered in ongoing combing of State House
  • There is increased security around the President’s home, car and flight plans
  • Masisi is not free to do walkabouts

LETLHOGILE MPUANG

It is now official that President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s life is under serious threat, The Botswana Gazette has established.
The Director General of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (DISS), Brigadier Peter Magosi, has for the first time confirmed that the secret service has beefed up security to counter the constant threats to the life of the President.

Since ascending to the highest office in the land in April last year, numerous reports of threats to President Masisi’s life have surfaced in the media but never before have the reports been as stark as now. Speaking to The Botswana Gazette in an interview yesterday (Monday), Magosi said the secret service was closely monitoring and assessing everything around the President’s security. “The security situation of the President right now is not the same as before,” he emphasized. “The President’s security situation in the past allowed the President to do walkabouts but things are entirely different right. We do not want to be caught off guard, in case something unexpected happens.”

“We have to respond to the situation comprehensively, and this means effecting security changes in his official vehicle, his flights and at his house. This we do in order to react to any security situation. There are obviously some measures we have taken that we cannot disclose. But having done our assessment, we have improved the President’s security tremendously.”

Ahead of the extraordinary congress of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) that was held in Kang in April, more than 2000 Battle plus troops were deployed over a 50 kilometre radius of the village. After a plot to assassinate Masisi was uncovered at the Palapye BDP retreat in February, the President’s security detail was also beefed up with more secret agents and bodyguards drawn from commandos of the Botswana Defence Force.

This publication also reported that two male suspects were arrested for being in possession of an illegal firearm at the same event. The Botswana Gazette has also learnt that Masisi’s security detail was once again beefed up last week before the President left for the United States in the midst of controversy around Botswana’s decision to lift a wildlife hunting ban, especiallyon big game.

The Permanent Secretary in the Office of the President’ Cater Morupisi, has told this publication that booby traps and wire taps have been uncovered in ongoing renovations at State House and that this has prevented President Masisi’s move to the official residence of Botswana’s head of state.

Masisi lives at State House II, the official Vice President’s residence of the Vice President, while Vice President Slumber Tsogwane lives at his ministerial house.