Suspended Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO) Keituetse Setlang is at the centre of a deepening corruption storm after employees petitioned the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) to investigate her over allegations of gross mismanagement, corruption, fraud, and abuse of public funds.
In a detailed complaint dated January 28, 2026, addressed to the DCEC Director General, the employees said they were acting “collectively and in good faith” to request a comprehensive investigation into what they described as “serious, persistent, and systemic misconduct” allegedly perpetrated by the CEO.
The complaint alleges sustained administrative and financial mismanagement characterised by arbitrary decision-making, erosion of internal controls, and disregard for governance procedures required in public institutions.
Among the most serious claims is the alleged irregular procurement of an exhibition stand branded “Art in the Pans” during the 2024 Makgadikgadi Epic event near Sowa Town. According to the complaint, the CEO approved the appointment of Native Events through a request-for-quotation process, resulting in a contract exceeding P3 million.
Employees allege that despite the service provider’s failure to deliver according to specifications, full payment was made, including additional extras, resulting in apparent financial loss to the organisation. They said procurement and payment records exist to support the claims and raise suspicion of negligence, collusion, or corrupt conduct.
The CEO is also accused of abusing official transport resources. The complaint alleges the CEO’s official vehicle was involved in multiple accidents, with repairs allegedly paid using BTO funds without police accident reports or insurance claims, contrary to public service asset management procedures.
The employees also raised alarm over what they described as rapid accumulation of assets by both the CEO and the finance officer within a short period, calling for lifestyle audits.
Further allegations centre on conflict of interest involving a finance officer identified as Ms Dineo. Employees claim she was allowed to repeatedly manage engagements with service providers while allegedly operating a similar private business. The complaint further alleges that service providers unwilling to pay kickbacks were sidelined, while associates were used to front for tenders with the knowledge of senior management.
The employees also raised alarm over what they described as rapid accumulation of assets by both the CEO and the finance officer within a short period, calling for lifestyle audits.
The finance officer is separately accused of fraud and forgery. According to the complaint, she allegedly fabricated a payslip and reference letter bearing a forged signature of the Executive Human Resource Officer to secure employment at Botswana Savings Bank. The bank reportedly detected the irregularities and confirmed the documents were falsified.
In another incident in December 2025, the officer allegedly diverted funds meant for Bid Food (Pty) Ltd by substituting her personal banking details, resulting in money being paid into her private account. Banking investigations reportedly confirmed the payment diversion, but employees claim the CEO failed to report the matter to law enforcement.
The complaint also questions procurement decisions during the 2023 Khawa Dune Challenge, where Going Africa Safaris was contracted to provide VIP accommodation. Employees allege the same provider was allowed to establish competing accommodation targeting the same clients at lower prices while BTO paid the contracted provider in full, even though more than 60 percent of its tented camp remained unoccupied.
Additional concerns include expenditure decisions allegedly lacking transparency and proper approvals, selective staff welfare spending, and repeated breaches of imprest management rules, including obtaining new imprest funds before retiring previous allocations.
The employees warned that if substantiated, the alleged conduct amounts to corruption, theft, fraud, abuse of office, and misuse of public funds.
Efforts to obtain comment from BTO management and the DCEC were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
The complaint now places pressure on anti-corruption authorities to determine whether one of Botswana’s key tourism institutions has been undermined by internal corruption at the highest level.
