Former president Kgosi Ian Khama IV has questioned the operational accountability and cost effectiveness of covert deployments at the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS), asking whether officers who do not report to conventional offices pose audit and value-for-money concerns.
Addressing the Ntlo ya Dikgosi, Khama asked the Minister for State President, Defence and Security Moeti Mohwasa whether DIS officers operate as a standard arrangement without reporting to central or regional offices, whether their numbers could be disclosed to the minister, and what tangible outputs demonstrate their productivity.
He added that the number of officers deployed covertly cannot be disclosed publicly due to the sensitive nature of intelligence operations, but rejected suggestions of audit or value-for-money risks.
Khama further asked whether the minister had personally seen intelligence reports produced by such officers and whether an independent review or ministerial task team should be established to assess the justification for maintaining a potentially large contingent of non-office-based personnel.
Mohwasa said that under the Intelligence and Security Services Act, all DIS officers report to the Director General through established command and reporting structures. While intelligence work may require officers to operate outside traditional office environments, he said such deployments are lawful, authorised and supervised.
He added that the number of officers deployed covertly cannot be disclosed publicly due to the sensitive nature of intelligence operations, but rejected suggestions of audit or value-for-money risks. Mohwasa said internal mechanisms exist to monitor performance and that the government had not found it necessary to institute an inquiry.
