Kgosi Ian Khama IV has questioned the use of public funds and administrative decision-making in a case involving a senior Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) officer who was placed on extended garden leave before being transferred to another ministry.
In a question to the Minister for State President, Defence and Security Moeti Mohwasa, Khama cited a 2018 case in which the DIS Chief of Staff was allegedly told to stay home for more than a year while continuing to receive full pay, before being transferred to the Ministry of Transport and Communications under unchanged terms.
He asked how it could be justified to pay an officer with public funds while not working, whether accounting officers would be held accountable, and when the affected officer would receive compensation and retirement entitlements.
Khama alleged that the officer was later unlawfully downgraded in rank, subjected to arbitrary changes to conditions of service, denied allowances and benefits, and failed to receive post-retirement obligations such as transport, packing support and protection of property, resulting in personal losses.
He asked how it could be justified to pay an officer with public funds while not working, whether accounting officers would be held accountable, and when the affected officer would receive compensation and retirement entitlements.
Mohwasa responded that it is established government practice that an officer who is officially directed to stay away from duty remains entitled to remuneration unless lawfully dismissed or sanctioned through due process. He declined to provide details on the specific case, citing employee, employer confidentiality.
