Mmegi
Boko’s Con Court plan riles Batswana
● Batswana accuse gov’t of misplaced priorities ● Worry Con Court will divert money, question its timing ● Nationwide consultations expose public anger over health crisis ● Councillors also question urgency of Con Court ● We can’t all crowd at the...
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DCEC, DPP finally begin to bite
● Moagi, Mzwinila cases seen as the tip of the iceberg ● Long-dormant DCEC, DPP files set for full prosecution ● BDP heavyweights reportedly caught in widening probes ● Corruption in procurement, land, transport now priority targets ● Boko wants...
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BPC unveils nasty Christmas gift
Botswana Power Corporation has asked the Botswana Energy Regulatory Authority (BERA) for an average 46% increase in tariffs from April 2026, with the adjustment for households proposed for 68%, Mmegi has learnt. According to documents filed by the...
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To buy or not to buy
● IMF warns Botswana against buying De Beers ● Says deal would worsen public finances ● De Beers’ stake could cost $3bn to $5bn ● Focus should be on cutting spending, avoiding debt spiral, IMF says ● Finance Ministry experts spend sleepless nights...
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Boko’s judicial ‘headhunting’ riles LSB
LSB argues headhunting undermines justice, fairness Says JSC’s unadvertised appointments deprive lawyers of a fair chance ‘People wonder whether the decisions are political’ LSB insists Botswana has many qualified, experienced, lawyers Fears system...
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Salakae ‘implicated’ in Baaitse’s scrapped BR deal
● Deal cancellation was just a love letter - Baaitse ● Deal involved recapitalisation, provision of rolling stock investment ● Baaitse threatens to take legal action ● Insiders allege Salakae pushing fiercely to revive scrapped deal ● Sources whisper...
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Kgosi’s widow wins back key assets
The recent High Court settlement in the long-running estate dispute of the late former spy chief, Isaac Kgosi, has brought partial closure to a matter that has dragged on for years. While the agreement paves the way for the release of a significant...
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‘Hands off DIS’
● Magosi says the court should not interfere in DIS’ internal matters ● Says interfering, micromanaging undermines independence of disciplinary bodies ● DIS head of legal Kgoadi approached court to stop disciplinary hearing ● Magosi argues Kgoadi’s...
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Magosi, Macholo could still be jailed
● The Court of Appeal dismisses the State’s application for leave to appeal ● Order effectively revives contempt proceedings ● Now, Magosi, Macholo could be imprisoned ● The duo previously managed to block their arrest ● Argued jailing them would...
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Unions warm up to remove UDC gov’t
● Labour unions accuse employer of negotiating in bad faith ● Say the negotiations were toxic, acrimonious ● Claim they signed because they wanted peace ● Negotiations took a record period in unions engagements ● Say gov’t is starting a serious war,...
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Bonno Kgale project collapses
● Agreement with Namibian investor fails ● Project was to deliver 3,000 housing units ● Ousted investor allegedly considers litigation, BHC unaware ● BHC moves swiftly to identify new investor, insists project remains on course ● Kgale was Bonno’s...
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Judiciary gripped by familiar tensions
● CJ Ketlogetswe at the heart of a growing judiciary storm ● CJ previously battled Rannowane, Kebonang in current episode ● Same script, roles reversed, judiciary trapped in a loop ● Concerns judges begin to turn against each other ● Don’t be swayed by...
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Boko grants the wealthy shortcut to citizenship
● Citizenship for sale, gov’t puts a P1 million price tag ● Initiative will unlock the much-needed capital for the country – Boko ● Botswana signs deal with international consultancy Arton Capital ● Critics warn deal could undermine national identity,...
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DIS ‘unsettled’ dues haunt Magosi
● About 106 DIS officers owed P7.4 m in outstanding benefits ● Magosi insists late payments, revised amounts were not acts of defiance ● Says it was result of budgeting delays, administrative miscalculations ● ‘We didn’t refuse to comply; the mistake...
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UDC tensions rise as Boko plays ‘wounded healer’
● Boko’s recent wave of gov’t appointments irks UDC members ● More discontent kicks in as Boko appoints former adversary Pilane ● Boko seen to be favouring outsiders, former rivals ● President ignores party recommended cadre deployment policy ● Many...
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‘Magosi, Macholo set dangerous precedent’
• Magosi, Macholo, off the hook after challenging imprisonment order • Justice Kebonang, yesterday rescinded imprisonment order • Judge found out the duo not personally served with contempt application• DIS employees argue duo should not use their high...
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‘Magosi, Masisi corruption allegations can’t hide behind confidentiality’
● State wants court to strike out ‘scandalous’ allegations against Magosi, Masisi ● Claims allegations breached the Intelligence law prohibiting disclosure of classified information ● Suspended top DIS spy accused Magosi, Masisi of corruption in...
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Boko’s son Qatari meet was ‘customary gesture’ – OP
Government has found itself on the defensive mode after photographs surfaced showing President Duma Boko’s son, Andile Tau, amongst dignitaries welcoming a high-powered Qatari business delegation at the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport this...
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‘My wife is not corrupt she is misrepresented’
● PSP’s husband insists on tendering for gov’t, says no one will stop him ● Peloetletse linked to ‘conflict of interest’; company queried by Parliament ● Says Parly question meant to taint him, scare people off ● Notes corrupt allegations affect him,...
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Gov’t unruffled by Motsepe’s apology expenses
● State says apology financial implications are secondary ● Focus on legal resolution than speculative costs – State lawyer ● Says there is a misplaced focus ● Growing public discourse, apology probable heavy burden to taxpayer ● State says it’s too...
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Fifteen villages dry as Masisi’s sister & Co cut supply
Phadi-Mmutle & Co shuts down water supply, chambers padlocked ● Unlock the padlocks or face legal action – WUC cautions ● P549.6 million tender controversially awarded in 2022 ● Corporation says actions border on a criminal activity ● Contractor...
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Familiar storm as BNF enters Palapye
● Flashes of ‘98 as BNF weekend congress commences ● Tempers flare as rival camps face post-election dissolution ● Congress to test BNF’s power balance ● Claims of rigging rock BNF ahead of congress ● Voters’ roll wrangle threatens to eclipse congress...
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PSP greenlights accused, DCEC red flags
● PSP lifted Assistant Accountant General’ suspension before DCEC pounced ● PSP had declared that accounting boss resume duty ● Accounting boss had been suspended since June 2024 ● Now accused of corruption in P12.5 million tender ● Ass Accountant...
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BNF discontent mars 60th anniversary
● Growing tensions, discontent overshadow party’s anniversary ● Long time members formally raise grievances ● Feel side-lined in terms of employment opportunities, benefits ● Urge Boko to ditch BDP old guard, reward loyal diehards ● BNF deviating from...
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State, ‘Butterfly’ perpetrators under fire
● The infamous ‘Butterfly’ case unfolds rapidly on multiple fronts ● Motsepe’s P20m defamation suit continues as gov’t seeks to settle ● UK-based law firm requests Boko to swiftly address the matter ● Pushes for perpetrators to face the law, feels DPP...
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No deal: Civil servants, gov’t reach deadlock
● Broke gov’t avails P256 million for workers salary increase ● Cooperating trade unions reject increase ● Demand what is owed to public servants ● Gov’t proposes allowances to reach the P4,000 living wage Public servants to be consulted on gov’t...
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Boko feels the heat
● Dry coffers cripple new gov’t ● Boko under pressure to walk the talk ● We can’t do much in the first five years – Molutsi ● BNF tussles add more pressure ● Molutsi convinced troubles won’t spill over to gov’t ● UDC insiders worry about securing...
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Debt spirals
● Govt P3bn away from domestic debt limit ● Inflows of P15bn wiped away in five months ● Cash-poor govt burns P6bn in days ● Turns to risky hard-currency debt ● Talks initiated with OPEC, World Bank ● Cabinet considers cost cutting proposals ●...
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Gov’t billion Pula arrears crippling construction sector
● Cash-strapped gov’t fails to pay major contractors ● Projects abandoned ● Retrenchments loom, businesses face closure ● Banks refuse to lend, deputy sheriffs chase contractors ● Contractors misuse advance mobilisation funds – PS ● President Boko...
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PSP panics, blunders in Pilane’s transfer
● Peloetletse apologises for hastily transferring DCEC Head of Intelligence, Pilane ● She U-turns, says Pilane’s transfer was a mistake ● Pilane’s immediate transfer to the Ministry of Higher Education shrouded in controversy ● PSP now open to hear...
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Gov’t ‘too dirty to appeal’
● Chinese contractors granted appeal, gov’t denied ● Corruption claims weaken state’s legal position ● Former PS Baipoledi’s actions were fatal to their case ● Kebonang questions gov’t’s ethical conduct ● Tawana Joint Venture initially sidelined...
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Moti seeks deals as locals fight Boko’s direct tenders
● President Boko’s friend, Moti, has proposed to build clinics and schools ● The 17-year deal will be a lease-to-own arrangement ● One clinic to cost P9.1 million, P36.4 million for a single school ● Moti Group suggests funding sources within gov’t...
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Katlholo blames Magosi for DIS ‘wrongful acts’
The Director General of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS), Peter Magosi, says he cannot be blamed for the utterances made by the agency’s officers, as he is not the employer. The spy chief was responding to a claim made by Tymon...
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Betting explosion!
● Gamblers place P150m bets in March alone ● More than 220, 000 people bet in March, as gambling takes off ● March numbers were just 40% of total market ● Illegal platforms anger authorities ● Concerns rise about growing addiction
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FIA red flags ‘Asian origin’ accounts
● Dirty money watchdog (FIA) study spots troubling trends ● Locals deposit cash into business accounts held by foreigners ● New accounts used to deposit large cash followed by immediate transfers ● Cash deposits characterised by new notes of high...
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Stop blaming regime change, pay us – DIS agents
● DIS employees decry the government’s failure to comply with a court order ● High Court ruled failure to pay back agents was unlawful ● Over 400 aggrieved agents owed salary back pays from April 2008 ● Say it has been long since the elections to...
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‘It’s not about money; I want justice’
● Daggers drawn in P19m lawsuit ● Thapelo Matsheka says a settlement would deny him public vindication ● DIS, AG reportedly in favour of out-of-court deal ● ’DIS was happy to handcuff me, parade me in public’ ● State goes silent, yet to file pleadings
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TK in P26m corruption claims ahead of audit
● TK linked to P26 million aircraft purchase discrepancies in 2017 ● Forensic audit to expose more details about the transaction ● DCEC investigation complete, DPP to decide on formal charges ● If charged, TK could be brought to answer ● TK is...
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Boko probes Khama, Masisi over BCL closure
President Duma Boko has appointed a Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the 2016 closure of the BCL Ltd Group of Companies. The Commission will inquire into whether any of the previous presidents has influenced public...
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After Morupisi, DCEC eyes Marsland
An extradition ruling in South Africa is due anytime from now in the long-running battle in which the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime wants Tim Marsland dragged before local courts. Marsland is the asset manager at the centre of the P500...
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AFCON bid probe opens
As the nation waits with bated breath to get a glimpse of what went on behind the scenes of the botched 2027 Africa Cup of Nations bid, key actors involved in the process have welcomed the opportunity to give their side of the story. Last Friday,...
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Boko pursues looters, ill-gotten assets
● The President issues stern warning to looters, embezzlers from past, present ● Forensic audit to recoup money siphoned off by corruption under the BDP ● Government to spend P62 million to audit 30 State-Owned Enterprises ● Assets tracing to locate...
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Lottery millions beckon
After more than eight years, the national lottery is reportedly ready to launch, promising millions of pula in winnings, authoritative sources have told Mmegi. Insiders close to the latest development said the Gambling Authority (GA) and the company...
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High Court twisted Walia's statement - State
The Attorney General (AG) and Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) have accused the High Court of twisting what Justice Lakhvinder Singh Walia of the Court of Appeal (CoA) said when sentencing Carter Morupisi. State attorney, Tshiamo Rantao,...
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‘Stampede’ for Debswana exits
Mining giant, Debswana, approved approximately 500 requests for voluntary separation from a December 2024 exercise, with “significant interest” being noted amongst employees, Mmegi has established. The diamond group, whose activities are the backbone...
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‘Give us more time’
O Businesses plead for phased minimum wage increase O Immediate P4,000 move would be steep –Business Botswana O Group wants five to 10% increase each year O Gov’t suspects insincerity amongst money-spinning firms O ILO study shows 32% of firms aren’t...
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Gaolathe, CMB enter settlement talks
Vice President, Ndaba Gaolathe has withdrawn his Court of Appeal (CoA) challenge over a P1.3 million judgment against him from liquidators of an assets management company, Capital Management Botswana (CMB) and entered into talks. Gaolathe got into a...
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Doping crisis!
● Four athletes serving suspension ● Global doping body suspects an organised syndicate ● Syringes, doping accessories found at training venues ● Athletes say they are unfairly persecuted ● Argue results are tampered with ● ‘We are forced to sign...
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A judicial firestorm
The embattled former Permanent Secretary to the President (PSP), Carter Morupisi, says he had hoped Court of Appeal Judge, Mercy Garekwe, would have done the noble thing and recused herself from presiding over his case on the basis that she was...
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The task ahead in numbers
Whilst 2024 was a politically charged year all over the world, with a great deal of social catastrophes, the greatest volatility in numbers was registered in economic indicators. It was not just the common Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures that...
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Water wars: Fight over P297m smart meter tender
Two local companies are at loggerheads over the multi-million pula smart water meter tender, barely two months after the Water Utilities Corporation began rolling out the multi-million project in some parts of Gaborone. Melco Structure and Civil...
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Moakofi escapes as Morupisi faces imminent jail
● Ex-BPOPF acting CEO Moakofi acquitted after State failed prosecution ● Moakofi, Morupisi were accused in the P500m pension fraud ● High Court convicted Morupisi, finds no proof of Moakofi’s benefit ● Morupisi received Land Cruiser kickback ● CoA...
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Morupisi faces possible jail time
The Court of Appeal (CoA) has ripped apart the High Court’s sentence for Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) chairperson Carter Morupisi, saying there is no justification as to why he was not given a custodial sentence looking at the severity of the...
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Controversial P1.8 billion water tender halted
● Procurement Tribunal deems water ministry’s conduct ‘egregious’ ● Ministry accused of evaluation irregularities, withholding critical facts ● PS ‘falsely’ claims re-evaluation of tender ● DCEC investigates procurement practices ● China Civil tender...
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Over P45m blown on controversial Karakul procurement
State funds amounting to a total of P45, 142,152.00 is said to have been secretly used to procure the controversial Karakul sheep using the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS). The procurement, which was revealed in one of spy unit’s agent...
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Boko’s trials, triumphs, reforms
● Mahalapye roots shaped Boko’s character ● Masetlheng celebrates ‘local boy’s’ presidential victory ● Known for humility, rooted in community ● Early political mentoring set Boko’s path ● UDC promises ongoing deliberative democratic governance ●...
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Boko’s second republic
Botswana gained self-rule in 1965 following the maiden general elections that the country held during the same year. The advent of self-rule saw the leader of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) Seretse Khama become the first Prime Minister of Botswana...
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Who is the fairest of them all?
The political landscape in Botswana has been anything but stable for the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) since the 2019 General Election. Following a series of internal rifts, the party splintered, giving rise to the Botswana Republican Party (BRP) last...
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Red Cross readies for ‘bloody’ elections
● Khama-Masisi rivalry may cause unrest – Report ● Goodhope-Mmathethe hotbed for potential conflict ● UDC unlikely to accept unfavourable election result ● Madibela Tlhopho laying the groundwork to cry foul ● Concerns about crowd control, physical...
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DIS distances itself from a circulating report
The Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) alleged confidential report has expressed shock following the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) primary elections, Peggy Serame’s unexpectedly lost to Edwin Dikoloti in the Goodhope-Mmathethe...
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Boko confident of UDC victory
Duma Gideon Boko or DGB as he is popularly known, believes his party, a triparty coalition of the Botswana National Front (BNF), the Alliance for Progressives (AP) and the Botswana Peoples Party (BPP) stands a better chance to win the 2024 General...
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‘DIS interfered in Goodhope/Mmathethe primaries’
● BDP had long wanted to knock me out, set traps for me- Dikoloti ● Says party leadership favoured Serame, feared she would be beaten ‘again’ ● Dikoloti registers ‘Wena Beula’ as an independent candidate with IEC ● Suspended Dikoloti has no right to...
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BDP faces backlash over Dikoloti drop
● Dikoloti dropped despite convincing primaries win ● Voter trafficking allegations were raised against Dikoloti ● Serame chosen amidst growing party divisions ● Masisi wanted both Dikoloti and Serame dropped ● Tsogwane defends Serame, opposes joint...
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BPF’s bumpy road to the polls
● Primaries protests delay Serowe candidates selection ● BPF’s court cases over UDC exit pile up ● BPF yet to confirm manifesto launch ● Party faces election performance uncertainties ● Leadership conflict splits BPF election strategy ● Ookeditse seeks...
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