DIS storm brews as Khama rejects Minister’s defence
Kgosi Ian Khama IV of Bangwato cuts a striking figure in Botswana’s public life, part adventurer, part power broker, and increasingly “a political disruptor’’ whose questions now threaten to shake the very state machinery he once built.
Known for his unconventional lifestyle from driving antique and high-performance vehicles, flying paragliders and piloting speedboats, to enduring military style bush training and experimenting with the latest technology, Khama projects the image of a restless modern royal, permanently connected to the world through gadgets such as a Starlink-equipped official vehicle.
But, behind the thrill-seeking persona lies a calculated and formidable actor who has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to outmanoeuvre opponents and redefine national debates.
As President, Khama broke diplomatic convention by openly accusing Zimbabwe’s former leader Robert Mugabe of rigging elections, a rare public rebuke in a region where leaders traditionally validate each other’s polls.
Now serving as Patron of the Africa Centre for Governance, Khama has returned to centre stage with a question directed at the Minister for State President Defence and Security, Moeti Mohwasa, a move that could expose sensitive government operations and ignite fresh controversy around the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS).
The query relates to alleged covert activities of the intelligence agency between 2020 and 2025, shortly after he left office.
The irony is unavoidable: the man now demanding accountability is the same leader under whose presidency the DIS was created as an institution that has, since its birth, been dogged by persistent public accusations of abuse of power and rogue behaviour.
On Monday, after Minister of Communications and Innovation David Tshere, who was standing in for Mohwasa responded, Khama openly expressed his dissatisfaction with the explanation given.
Tshere had cited Section 62(2) of the Intelligence and Security Service Act, explaining that the law establishes oversight structures to guide the Director General in exercising his responsibilities.
Tshere said he felt “constrained” from divulging the operational details requested by Khama. He acknowledged past concerns about the non-functioning of these oversight structures, adding that his office had now made it a priority to ensure they are fully operational to guarantee accountability at the Directorate.
Khama firmly responded that the questions raised were not operational in nature but purely administrative matters, which should be adequately addressed both in the Act and the Public Service Act.
He insisted that Tshere respond to the questions clearly and individually, and specify which ones he considered operational.
Khama argued that matters such as accelerated promotions were administrative, not operational, that they simply related to numbers and grading scales.
He noted that some of the issues raised had already been partially answered in Parliament and that his current questions were follow-ups.
He questioned why Tshere’s response differed from what had previously been presented in Parliament and challenged him to explain how the same issues could now be classified as operational.
At that point, Chairperson of Ntlo Ya Dikgosi, Kgosi Malope II, intervened, proposing that the matter be discussed outside the House. Khama agreed, noting that Tshere was not the substantive
minister.
However, despite agreeing in the interest of progress, Khama’s body language and remarks made it clear that the matter was far from settled.
Earlier, Khama had accused Tshere of deliberately avoiding the questions and warned that he would hand them over to Serowe North MP Baratiwa Mathoothe to be pursued in Parliament.
It is widely acknowledged that Khama remains deeply connected and is able to access information with ease. His dramatic return from self-imposed exile to appear in court and successfully challenge his fugitive status is often cited as proof that he consistently stays ahead of the system.
Khama confirmed to Botswana Guardian that he had credible information. 'That is why I asked the questions.”
He said he was constrained from fully stating his views and that he deliberately chose not to elaborate publicly, as he intended to hand the matter over to his MP.
“I am going to sit down with my MP so that anything I say now does not allow government to prepare themselves in advance or find ways to avoid answering, just as they did today,” he said.
Khama alleged that the entire episode was designed to protect certain individuals within the organisation, accusing them of abuse of office. He warned that such protection only enables continued abuse and undermines accountability.
“If this is the standard by which such sensitive institutions are run, then we will never have a professional organisation like the DIS,” he said.
He added that what transpired at Ntlo Ya Dikgosi did neither the DIS nor the nation any favours, arguing that avoiding accountability only ensures that the problems persist.
Khama reiterated that referring the questions to Parliament was unavoidable, stating that the new questions would build on those already asked. “Let us see how they avoid them this time,” he said.
With Khama showing no signs of retreat, attention now shifts to Parliament. It remains unclear whether all the questions will be accepted, given the usual limitation on the number of questions and follow-ups.
Complicating matters further is Khama’s choice of MP. Baratiwa Mathoothe, though the MP for Serowe North, is also Assistant Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship and is procedurally barred from posing such questions to government.
This leaves pressure mounting on two other MPs—Serowe South’s Leepetswe Lesedi and Serowe West MP Onalepelo Kedikilwe.
Both members of the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF), the party founded by Khama, whom he later became Patron of before stepping back from active politics to focus on Bogosi.