Former Botswana President,  Ian Khama,  has today slammed President Mokgweetsi Masisi who he says plans to get him arrested by special police unit DISS.

Khama denied any involvement in any Cash in transit heists.

Writing on Facebook,  Khama said:

Abuse of the DISS for political motives must stop.

1. I must respond to and counter the ongoing attempts by the Masisi regime clearly calculated to retaliate against recent court judgements that went against the state. It is no one’s fault that the judgements are coming out in this manner because the outcomes are self-inflicted due to the regime’s abuse of the rule of law and our constitution.

2. The latest episode of this plot, this past week, is a planned attempt by the DISS to raid or arrest me, as I understand it, or to implicate innocent members of my private security in recent episodes of cash-in-transit heists in Botswana. They have further tried to link me to weapons that they claim to have confiscated from their suspects, which weapons do not and have never belonged to me or any of my security agents.

3. This must and will stop.

4. When the DISS was conceived and proposed by the Botswana Police during the time of former President Mogae and implemented during my time, it was meant to provide intelligence information to the State on matters of terrorism and high crimes that the transformed Botswana Police Service would not be best placed or equipped to deal with. It was not meant to harass and antagonise innocent citizens as it is happening now, or to serve or ‘cava’ selfish interests of any individual.

5. Much has been made of my entering the political space later on after my retirement where I became the patron of the Botswana Patriotic Front at the invitation of the founders of the political party. Well I want to address this matter here and disillusion those who may hold the view that I was motivated in this by some selfish interests, desire to hang on to power, or ill will against anybody. Nothing could be further from the truth.

6. Besides it being my democratic right as a Motswana to associate freely with whomever I choose to, I saw the need to join sections of our society who found like I did that our long cherished ideals and tradition of democracy under the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) had been lost and desecrated under Masisi’s BDP, where intolerance, vindictiveness and abuse of office and state resources, disregard for the rule of law and the welfare of citizens has become the norm. I could not and cannot continue to be associated with such an organisation.

7. Finally, the nation must know that I am concerned about Botswana, the welfare and abuse of our hard-working Public Service, the plight of our youth, the unemployed and the elderly. I will continue to do anything in my power and means to look after the best interests of Batswana.

8. I accept and respect criticism from those who do not share my views and have reason to do so. I also appreciate the support and the good will of the multitudes who cherish both my legacy in serving Botswana to the best of my abilities and my continuing efforts in service of our country.

Pula.