27 Aug 2026

Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) director general, Ms Botlhale Makgekgenene, has challenged institutions to identify integrity risks within their operational spaces and take decisive action where their systems are vulnerable, rather than waiting for formal inquiries.

Speaking during a Ghanzi stakeholder’s engagement meeting held at Tautona Lodge Tuesday, Ms Makgekgenene condemned the habit adopted by most institutions whereby they identify the gap in their system and wait for an investigation to be launched first, whereas they could have long corrected an obvious weakness.

She called for strengthened segregation of duties, managed conflicts of interest, scrutinised relationships, protected financial systems and closely monitored processes where officials exercised significant discretion.

“Where there is reasonable suspicion of corruption, it should be reported to DCEC and will be assessed professionally and objectively,” she said.

She cautioned that corruption extended beyond financial loss, stating that it also weakened the rule of law, distorted service delivery, discouraged investment and eroded confidence in the institution.

“The fight against corruption is therefore, fundamentally about protecting development, opportunity and public trust,” she stressed, adding that resources lost through corruption were resources that could have provided for roads infrastructures, health services, agricultural support and other developments envisioned by  government.

Her call to action emanated from  the 34 corruption-related cases recoreded at the Ghanzi-based DCEC office, which also covers the Charleshill district under its caseload, since its operation from 2020 to date.

Out of these 34 cases, 17 were currently active investigations, five were already with DCEC, four were before the courts of laws and eight had been closed.

Ms Makgekgenene further indicated that through their investigations risk assessment, the matters handled by the office pointed to allegations involving procurement manipulation and abuse of office, conflict of interest and abuse of office, bribery and solicitation.

Other identified practices included misuse of public and community resources, recruitment irregularities, border and customs processes, fraud and falsification of records and weakness in financial and procurement controls.

As part of their systems review works, the DCEC had also conducted a corruption audit relating to the supply of primary school textbooks in areas covering Ghanzi, Charleshill and Hukuntsi, among others.

Ms Makgekgenene emphasised that the DCEC had a national mandate to prevent, educate and investigate corruption and was committed to bringing corruption prevention to institutions and the communities they served.

She called for strong partnerships with the DCEC, saying the fight would require shared responsibilities from government, traditional leadership, civil society, media and communities.

To further sensitise the public, she noted that they had extended corruption awareness to schools through a programme named ‘Boammaaruri’ and were committed to ensuring that it was incorporated into the school curriculum.

Stakeholders at the meeting strongly aligned with her calls for institutional action.

Earlier in his welcome remarks, Kgosi Petrus Ndjoze of Kgaphamadi ward decried that economic corruption had severe impact on the lives of communities as it slowed down economic growth and led to increased social and inequality effects in communities.

He implored all relevant stakeholders to exercise vigilance to uproot corruption in their institutions and within their personal spaces.

In her closing remarks, Ghanzi deputy district commissioner,  Ms Bagomotse Kooitse implored institutions to rise up to the occasion on fighting corruption in their workplaces through enforcement of legal frameworks and fostering diligence and transparency across the public and private sectors. ENDS