A potential witness who is assisting the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) to crack open a corruption case at Ministry of Education was allegedly kidnapped and tortured by unknown assailants who had posed as police officers.
The kidnapped man believes he has crucial information implicating some high ranking government officials in corruption activities at Ministry of Education which occured a few years ago.
Barolong Mouwane who is businessman believes he is in possession of crucial information that will assist the DCEC expedite its investigations surrounding alleged rife corruption allegations at the Ministry of Education.
He told The Telegraph that his kidnappers had threatened to assassinate him should he continue to disclose more information to DCEC relating to corruption activities at the ministry.
“I fear for my life after some people who are at the centre of DCEC investigations attempted to eliminate me,” he said.
He explained that on February this year he went to a meeting at Gaborone Universal College of law and he was approached by two unidentified individuals.
Mouwane said they informed him that they were police officers and wanted to interrogate him about certain information that he was in possession of.
He said they requested him to go to a private place for further discussion but he refused.
“I refused to go with them because they did not want me to tell my girlfriend that I was being taken for interrogation,” he said.
Mouwane stated he was handcuffed and dragged out of the learning institution and pushed into a private car which left the place at high speed.
“Along the way, they started assaulting me and threatened to kill me if I did not provide them with information that involved certain business people. They kept on repeating that they were well connected politically,” said Mouwane.
He further stated that his deal came to an end after the assailants realised that they were being followed and dumped him at North Gate mall.
“At this stage I am not in a position to divulge or discuss what kind of assistance I have given to DCEC instead you better talk to them,” he said.
Broadhurst Police station commander Obusitswe Lekea conformed that his station is investigating a case in which a middle aged man was allegedly kidnapped by unknown assailants who are still at large. He said the alleged kidnapping case allegedly implicates business people and high ranking government officials.
Lekea said detectives are reviewing a footage captured at Gaborone Universal College of Law that might lead to the arrest of the alleged kidnappers.
DCEC spokesperson Phakamile Kraai said the DCEC said their investigating relating to corruption at the Ministry of Education is ongoing.
“At this juncture I cannot disclose how many people are implicated as the investigations are continuing,” said Kraai.
He said DCEC is not aware of any whistleblower who could have been threatened with death.
He said if a whistleblower’s life is in danger, such a person is provided with protection as prescribed in the whistle blower act.
