Prof Mzwinila's two weeks raid ordeal
In the heart of the capital city, Gaborone, a spectacle of unparalleled intensity unfolded.
The once tranquil residence of Professor Kefentse Mzwinila, a well-decorated former cabinet minister, was a whirlwind of activity as a veritable army of law-enforcement officers descended upon it.
An immense force of over 100 officers, comprising of the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) officers, BURS officers, Directorate on Intelligence and Security (DIS) officers,
Botswana Police Services (BPC), heavily armed Special Support Group officers and nine sniffer dogs, stormed the professor's residence, leaving little doubt that the investigation into allegations of corruption and living beyond one's means, was no ordinary affair.
The Botswana Guardian newspaper followed the events that lasted for two weeks. Prof Mzwinila was searched at his residences and places of business.
The raids resemble those of the former DIS Director General, the late Isaac Kgosi. Since the year 2018, during the Masama water project, which is now benefiting the whole of the southern part of the country, Prof Mzwinila has been accused of having accumulated significant wealth through corruption and underhanded tactics.
Social media was abuzz with reports in December 2024 that at one point Khato Civils company bought him a JCB as a reward for it being allocated the multimillion Masama tender.
Speculation extended to insist that in order to skip the BURS and DCEC radar, Prof Mzwinila kept money in bags in his house and at his farm. There were also unsubstantiated reports that over P20 million in cash was kept in his house including some foreign banknotes.
In another incident news had been doing the rounds that about P1 million had been stolen from his house which he did not report.
The day had come as the final nail in the coffin with onlookers and what some describe as political witch hunters to ululate, as his arrest was inevitable.
The professor, who had built a reputation for his unwavering commitment to public service having served the country from the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) barracks as a commissioned officer right to Parliament and a decorated academic profile as a Professor of Practice at the North-West University (NWU) Business School - was now at the heat of a storm that had been brewing for years.
Accusations of ill-gotten wealth and clandestine dealings had swirled around him like a tempest, threatening to uproot the very foundations of his esteemed career.
The DCEC, the nation's primary watchdog against corruption, had been investigating Prof Mzwinila, amassing evidence that, if true, would paint a picture of a man who had risen to power through illicit means.
Yet, as the officers barrelled into his properties the cooperative Prof Mzwinila seemed to have made it easy for the law enforcement agencies to gather as much information as they could.
Even though he looked calm it was not the same for onlookers who felt sorry for his wife and children together with his employees at his Psychology clinic.
Some of the investigators revealed that they had access to his bank accounts and all the property belonging to him and his wife.
Due to the hostility presented by the investigators, this publication could not establish if any incriminating evidence was discovered during the two weeks long raid. Insiders have however indicated that the former minister remains under investigations.
Prof Mzwinila declined to comment on grounds that he would not want to compromise the investigation.
Observers within the law enforcement agencies argue that for a nation striving for progress, the delicate thread of human rights weaves its way into the very fabric of the society.
They contend that this thread, symbolising the inalienable rights of every citizen, must be handled with the utmost care, lest it frays and unravels, leaving a gaping hole in the tapestry of justice.
They aver that the two weeks-long ordeal, shrouded in secrecy, has painted a grim picture of an authority abusing its power, a far cry from the image of a government committed to upholding the rights of its citizens.