02 Jul 2026

Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) director, Mr Kgosietsile Ngakaagae has warned politicians against whitewash white collar crime infesting public officers.

Addressing Kgatleng District full council meeting on Friday on DPP mandate, he said such a crime was mostly committed by senior public officers, politicians and people in positions.

“The white collar criminal is the most dangerous and the one bringing down the national economy, causing destitution and pain to Batswana across the country,” he said.

In that regard, he said it was disheartening that most of such cases that involved illegal transactions of huge sums of money have left the country in disarray. “As I speak, P33 billion that disappeared from government coffers involved people of responsibility and trust in public offices,” he said.

Furthermore, Mr Ngakaagae affirmed DPP’s prioritisation on corruption cases of national importance. 

As such, he said there was a unit comprising executive officers that specialised with high profile cases especially those involving corruption and economic crime.

Outlining the DPP mandate and sharing government concerns, he said DPP would not spare the rod for anyone involved in corruption.

Furthermore, reaffirming the office’s constitutional mandate, he said DPP was established under the Constitution of Botswana to act independently and without external influence, working with investigative bodies, including the Botswana Police Service and the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC).

He also stressed DPP’s commitment to prosecutorial independence, outlining the institution’s key specialised units such as International Cooperation Unit, the Sexual Offences Unit, Corruption Unit, and Asset Forfeiture Unit.

Regarding gender-based violence, he expressed concern that the scourge of sexual offences was too high.

Mr Ngakaagae emphasised on cases of defilement and rape among young people, adding that DPP would not condone withdrawal of such cases. 

He urged Councillors and other district leaders to play a role in addressing such issues.

For their part, councillors engaged on a wide range of issues including case back logs, including dragging corruption investigations on high profile culprits, delays in prosecution, bail applications and protection of whistle blowers. 

Kgatleng District Commissioner, Mr Innocent Maotwe called for implementation of electronic case management and introduction of digital courts, especially regarding giving evidence to save costs. ENDS