Khama slams DIS over Makgophe 'kidnapping'
Innocent Selatlhwa | Tuesday June 11, 2024 13:03
The BPF held a rally in Serowe on Saturday ahead of one that would be hosted by the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) the following day. Speaking at the rally over the telephone on Saturday, Khama said his former co-accused in illegal possession and licensing of guns, Keabetswe Makgophe was kidnapped by the Directorate on Intelligence and Security (DIS) agents who tried to force him to say he never gave Khama guns. 'There are some criminals who went to the Police Commissioner's office, kidnapped him in the presence of the police against the law. One wonders how thugs, I mean the DIS, get into the Police Commissioner's office and take him in the presence of the police who were helpless.
According to the law, it is the police's duty to arrest in case a crime is committed. But they watched as their boss was arrested by thugs who took him to Sebele,' he said. Khama said the DIS wanted to force Makgophe to say they didn't license his guns. 'He refused to do so and told them I have licences which they issued to me. They decided to charge and suspend him. Such people will come and ask for votes from you. You should shun them,' he said. The former president said the harassment he and his family members have suffered at the hands of the current regime only calls for them to be shunned. Khama was charged alongside Isaac Kgosi, the former DIS director-general, Makgophe, the former Police Commissioner, and Paledi, the former MYSC Deputy Permanent Secretary. The latter two's charges have since been withdrawn except for Khama and Kgosi. Khama, who has been charged with 14 criminal charges ranging from unlawful possession of a firearm to receiving stolen property could be the only one left to face the music. Paledi and Makgophe have had charges against them dropped while Kgosi won a case, which will see him have his seized guns returned. It is anticipated that Khama could also see his charges dropped, something that would be elemental to the BPF ahead of the 2024 General Election.
In an interview with Khama last week, he pointed out that the cases reveal what has been said right from the beginning, that “the DIS is a rogue organisation led by a criminal who has no regard for the rule of law and the Constitution''. 'It shows that the DIS has been used to commit gross violations of human rights including, in my case, having an attempt to eliminate me as I suspect they have allegedly done to others. For them to have been able to operate with impunity in this manner is a reflection of the type of government and its leadership,” he said.