BOKO AGAINST THE WALL
The Botswana Federation of Public, Private and Parastatal Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU) has called for the immediate publication of the Forensic Audit report, arguing that withholding it would undermine public trust and defeat the very purpose of the exercise.
“Public disclosure is essential to accountability. Citizens must be able to scrutinise the findings, understand the methodologies used, and monitor what corrective measures will follow,” the union’s secretary general Robert Rabasimane said.
He stressed that anything short of full disclosure risks reducing what should be a significant accountability process into a public relations exercise, cautioning that failure to fully publish the report could weaken public confidence in the outcome.
Indeed, pressure is mounting on President Duma Boko to make public the long-awaited national forensic audit report, as new details reveal staggering losses and a web of alleged corruption spanning a decade.
The demand follows a commitment made during his maiden State of the Nation Address on 25 November 2024, in which the President pledged a comprehensive forensic audit into 10 years of government expenditure.
At the time, Boko said the exercise was aimed at restoring transparency, strengthening accountability, identifying institutional weaknesses, and recovering embezzled public funds.
Now, with the audit completed and submitted by government-appointed consultants, stakeholders say the real test lies in whether the findings will be fully disclosed to the public.
Rabasimane emphasised that Batswana have a legitimate democratic right to access the report, particularly given the scale of alleged corruption and the economic strain facing the country. Without transparency, he warned, suspicion and mistrust toward government institutions could deepen.
The audit has uncovered an estimated P33 billion in losses linked to suspected bribery, fraud, corruption and embezzlement between April 2014 and March 2024. The figure stems from at least 80 referral cases involving questionable contracts and irregular public spending.
More explosively, the report implicates over 80 current and former senior officeholders, including ministers, deputy ministers, permanent secretaries, CEOs and board members, all flagged for further investigation.
Furthermore, over 150 contractors, suppliers and counterparties have been identified as part of what auditors describe as a deeply entrenched network of irregular dealings.
“A significant feature of the referral population was the recurrence of certain individuals, counterparties, relationships and patterns across multiple matters,” the report states, pointing to systemic weaknesses and coordinated conduct cutting across ministries and government entities.
The findings suggest not isolated misconduct, but repetitive and patterned decision-making, raising concerns that corruption may have been embedded within parts of the public sector over an extended period.
Meanwhile, Minister for State President, Defence and Security Moeti Mohwasa has urged individuals who unlawfully benefited from public resources to come forward and surrender such assets to facilitate recovery.
“This is a foundational step toward restoring the integrity of the state,” Mohwasa said, adding that investigations must proceed without interference and that authorities will act “without fear or favour.”
He called on the public to cooperate with ongoing investigations and allow due process to take its course, emphasising that the audit is intended to strengthen governance and improve public service delivery.