DIS plots to incriminate me—Kebonang tells Marathe
Spira Tlhankane | Tuesday May 14, 2024 09:22
Kebonang revealed in a letter of complaint penned to the Police Commissioner, Dinah Marathe, where he complains about harassment allegedly at the hands of the security organ. He made rulings in the controversial Welheminah ‘Butterfly’ Maswabi case, as well as, cases involving former DIS Director General, Isaac Kgosi.
The spy agency lost some of the cases which were before Kebonang’s court. In the complaint letter, the judge indicated that the DIS is plotting this to incriminate him of ‘criminal activity’ because it's unhappy with his judicial decisions. “It claims that I'm anti-government, whatever that means.
Once the contraband has been planted, there will be a raid, which will result in the confiscation of the planted evidence. “The idea is that this should then result in my suspension pending the completion of criminal investigations that would never end,” Kebonang stated in the complaint letter. In the letter dated May 8, 2024, Justice Kebonang alleged that in the past three weeks before authoring the letter there had been a concerted effort by a local newspaper to malign and defame him. Kebonang said he had been informed that the campaign by the local publication is being sponsored by the DIS and that the latter is also in the process of co-opting the Attorney General into 'this scheme'. “I wish to file a formal complaint and have the allegations against the DIS investigated. In the past, complaints against the DIS have seemingly been ignored, leaving one helpless. I hope this will not be the case,” he further said. Kebonang pointed out to the Police Commissioner in the letter that he should not feel helpless, threatened and violated by the DIS for discharging his judicial functions.
Last year, Kebonang dismissed a case in which the State was applying for his recusal from presiding over a case in which Kgosi was battling to regain his guns. On the grounds of the appeal, the State requested the recusal saying that Justice Kebonang's brother, former Member of Parliament for Lobatse, Sadique Kebonang was a personal friend of Kgosi. The State also wanted Kebonag to recuse himself because he was formerly the chairperson of the Tribunal of the DIS. Efforts to establish if Kebonang’s letter had reached Marathe’s desk proved futile at press time as police spokesperson Dipheko Motube indicated that he is yet to establish if the Commissioner has seen the letter.