The cartels cut across departments, districts and stations, which is clear evidence of rising corruption in the public service.

Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday, DCEC director general, Ms Botlhale Makgekgenene said the discoveries showed that corruption in the country was on the rise.

Ms Makgekgenene noted that cases reported to the DCEC had been increasing over the years, which showed growing public trust in the organisation and a willingness to come forward.

She added that the receipt of allegations of corruption by the organisation increased from 652 in 2023 to 689 in 2024 and 957 in 2025, while 556 have already been recorded by August this year.

She also said the DCEC was now working cordially with the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (DIS) and that the DIS was no longer interfering in DCEC operations.

“Everyone is staying in their lanes now,” she told the committee, recalling a previous court judgement that found the DIS had interfered with DCEC work.She said there was significant turmoil when she took office due to that interference, whether perceived or real.

To address it, she met with the DIS director general soon after her appointment, an engagement, she said, had improved relations between the two organisations, with the DIS now sharing intelligence to support DCEC investigations.

On the challenges facing the directorate, Ms Makgekgenene noted that it also had 72 investigators covering the whole country, with each having an average of 20 cases against a recommended load of three to four cases per investigator.

She further noted that since December last year, they had 1 614 active cases, of which 1 095 were under active investigation, 89 were before the courts and 269 were before the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for assessment of evidence and possible prosecution.

Regarding the 28 high-profile lifestyle audit cases that she alluded to during the last PAC sitting, she said investigations were ongoing, with two cases referred to the DPP for assessment of evidence and possible prosecution as well as one case before the court.

She also said of the 50 high-profile cases reported last year, 14 cases had been referred to the DPP and seven were before the court for, among other things, asset forfeiture, while criminal proceedings were still outstanding.

She added that in one case, a suspect was convicted and sentenced, while in another case, it was closed due to the demise of the suspect.

Regarding the Development Manager model project under investigation, she said they had uncovered nine cases on allegations of corruption, adding that investigations into two of the matters were at an advanced stage. ENDS