22 July 2026
The Government’s biggest crackdown yet on alleged corruption within Botswana’s immigration system has entered a new phase, with Minister of Immigration and Home Affairs Puis Mokgware taking personal control of the operation and demanding weekly progress reports from the multi-agency task force investigating what is believed to be a deeply entrenched criminal network.
The operation, which has quietly gathered momentum over recent months, is no longer focusing only on immigration officers. Tuesday Grill has established that investigators are now probing alleged links involving immigration agents, members of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS), senior government officials and politically connected individuals suspected of benefiting from years of abuse within the country’s immigration system.
“I am seeing some progress,” Mokgware told the Tuesday Grill in a recent interview.
Behind the scenes, investigators are said to be piecing together what sources describe as a sophisticated network that allegedly manipulated Botswana’s immigration processes for financial gain, allowing illegal immigrants to obtain fraudulent documentation while corrupt officials and facilitators allegedly pocketed millions of pula.
One of the operation’s biggest breakthroughs came last month when about 50 Bangladeshi nationals were arrested before being deported after authorities allegedly discovered they were using fraudulent passports and permits.
According to sources familiar with the operation, investigators believe the arrests exposed only a fraction of a much larger network that has for years relied on counterfeit travel documents and corrupt insiders to move foreign nationals across Botswana’s borders. Multiple sources told Tuesday Grill that several immigration officials have already been called in for questioning together with a number of immigration agents. The investigation has also widened to include some members of the DIS as authorities attempt to establish how extensive the alleged network may be.
Investigators are also examining allegations that some senior government officials and politically connected individuals may have benefited from weaknesses in the immigration system. Those alleged links, sources say, are now under close scrutiny. Authorities believe fraudulent passports and permits are some of the most serious vulnerabilities within Botswana’s immigration system.
Source: Tuesday Grill via Facebook
