Union demands Ngakaagae abandon his media frenzy over alleged P450 million pension theft, warning public pronouncements unfairly tarnish leaders’ reputations
BONGANI MALUNGA
The National Amalgamated Local Central and Parastatal Workers Union (NALCGPWU) has launched a stinging attack on Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Kgosiitsile Ngakaagae, accusing him of tarnishing trade union leaders through sweeping allegations that at least P450 million was stolen from teachers’ pension funds.
In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by Robert R. Rabasimane, the union demanded that Ngakaagae abandon what it described as a “media frenzy” and focus on securing convictions rather than trying cases in public.
“The effectiveness of his office should be measured by successful prosecutions and convictions based on evidence, not by frequent public statements regarding alleged wrongdoing,” the union charged.
EXPLOSIVE REMARKS
Its intervention follows explosive remarks made by Ngakaagae at the 2026 Botswana Sectors of Educators Trade Union (BOSETU) National Conference in Palapye, where he revealed that prosecutors were handling a case involving the alleged theft of at least P450 million belonging to teachers.
“I’m sitting in my office with a file where P450 million of your money was stolen,” Ngakaagae told delegates, alleging that union leaders entrusted with protecting workers’ savings had instead enjoyed first-class flights, luxury hotels and expensive entertainment.
He said prosecutions were underway and that investigators had restrained some money and assets, although significant amounts remained untraced, raising questions about how much of the allegedly stolen funds could eventually be recovered.
FUNNELLED ABROAD
Ngakaagae also alleged that money had been funnelled abroad, underscoring the difficulties facing prosecutors as they pursue criminal cases and attempt to retrieve the workers’ savings. He did not declare full recovery impossible.
The NALCGPWU said it supported investigations and prosecutions wherever evidence justified them, but objected to accusations that appeared to implicate union leadership broadly without identifying suspects.
“We are troubled by what appears to be an increasing tendency by the DPP Director Kgosi Ngakaagae to make public pronouncements on matters that fall within the jurisdiction of his office,” it stated. The union warned that such comments risked turning the prosecuting authority into “a participant in the court of public opinion” before cases were decided.
TARNISHING UNION LEADERS’ REPUTATION
“This unfairly tarnishes the reputation of all union leaders, including those who have conducted themselves honourably and with integrity,” it argued, adding that the claims could alarm workers and undermine confidence in pension institutions. The union called on Ngakaagae to “desist from the media frenzy and concentrate in doing the work that he was appointed to do, which is, prosecuting.”
“His conduct of making general utterances about cases that are still being investigated in his office and during the process, soiling the reputation of trade union leaders, should be condemned with the strongest terms possible and should cease forthwith.”
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