EXPOSED: DIS’ hand in 2019 elections

WORLD OF OATH, a company engaged for ‘highly sensitive and covert operations’ leading to and during the 2019 general elections has threatened to reveal deep secrets about the involvement of the notorious Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (DIS) and its boss, Peter Magosi.

In a letter of demand, which also serves as a Statutory Notice to Botswana government about intention to sue the state or a public officer, World of Oath has slapped the DIS with an invoice demanding payment of P15 million within seven days for services rendered, failing which they will proceed to court.

The Statutory notice reads:

1. We act and address you at the instance of our Client, World of Oath (Pty) Ltd, a limited liability company which has been duly registered and incorporated in terms of the Law of Botswana

2. Succinctly stated, our instructions are briefly that:

2.1. sometime beginning in early 2019 and throughout that year our Client, at your special instance and request was engaged to offer the DISS various services.

2.2. These services were of an extremely sensitive, covert and highly classified nature.

2.3. At this point it is not necessary to provide details of the same because you are intimately aware of those details having given instructions for our Client to carry out and/or conduct those services.

2.4. Without going into much detail most of the services centered around events leading up to and post the 2019 Botswana General elections.

2.5. For example, (i) ongoing development of media intelligence gathering services, (ii) social media influencer tracking and gathering, (iii) reverse engineering media influence creator, (iv) influencer blasting services and (v) media account duplex tracking to name but a few.

2.6. Communication mainly via WhatsApp between you and our Client’s representative is evidence of this.

2.7. Our Client was to render invoices from time to time and same was to be paid on sight or within a reasonable time.

2.8. Our Client performed in terms of the agreement between it and the DISS.

2.9. Our Client rendered part of its invoices to you.

2.10. When following up payment of its invoices you made several undertakings that payment will be made as soon as possible and due to the trust and confidence our Client has in you as head of the DISS they did not put a lot of pressure on you. This was also compounded by the fact that work was ongoing.

2.1 1. Recently when following up payment on its invoices you have now resorted to threatening and intimidating our Client’s representatives to the point that they now fear for their lives with them having to constantly change their place of abode and check their movements.

2.12. You have vowed to use the available government resources at your disposal to “teach” them a lesson.

2.13. Some of the statements alleged to have been made by you, if found to be true are tantamount to abuse of office and on instructions of our Client we will not hesitate to report them to your employer, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Botswana, Dr. Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, should the need arise. We do not believe this will ever become necessary.

3. During the material time, some of the activities undertaken by our Client on your instructions can be reasonably and objectively be categorized as having breached some of the provisions of the legislation which regulates the functions of the DISS. For example, activities that could give rise to any reasonable suspicion that the Directorate was concerned with furthering and protecting the interests of the ruling party leading up to the 2019 Botswana General elections. We do not believe that a time will come when such details will be disclosed to the High Court.

4. On account of the aforegoing, we are therefore instructed to demand, as we hereby do, payment of P 15 000 000.00 for services rendered.

5. The above amounts must be paid directly to our Client’s chosen bank account within 7 days of receipt of this demand, failing which we are under strict instructions to issue Summons against yourself for the recovery of the above-mentioned amounts. We shall also claim interest and legal costs at attorney-Client scale in the event we issue summons.

6. Without derogating from the generality of the aforegoing, our Client is of the view that payment must be made without the need for it to approach the High Court. This is partly due to our advice in recognition of the extremely sensitive nature of the services carried out which involve issues around elections and that if some of the information presented to us was to be made known to the public through the Court process serious questions of the integrity of the organization you lead will be raised. You will be no doubt aware that the credibility of the organization you lead and in fact your holding of this position has been raised for some months now and our Client has agreed in principle with our advice that it will not be wise to bring the spotlight to the DIS with the information at their disposal.

8. Should the above demand not be adhered to within 30 days from receipt of this notice, this shall serve as the mandatory statutory notice of our Client’s intention to institute legal proceedings against yourselves for an appropriate remedy. We shall ask for costs at attorney and own Client’s scale. Be so advised.

9. By copy hereof, the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services is informed.