Former Minister of Minerals and Energy Lefoko Moagi faces corruption trial, former subordinate testifies
via Mmegi1 min read
Former Minister of Minerals and Energy, Lefoko Moagi, is on trial for corruption and money laundering, accused of accepting P4.7 million from New Energy Company Pty Ltd as a reward for issuing prospecting licenses. Matlhogonolo Samuel, the deputy director for prospecting and licensing in the Department of Mines and Moagi's former subordinate, testified as a State witness. Samuel detailed the process for approving eight prospecting licenses in Gantsi, Tsabong, and Tutume, which were granted to New Energy. He confirmed that six licenses were approved on August 5, 2024, and two more on September 11, 2024. Samuel stated he was involved in the process and made recommendations to the director of the Department of Mines, explaining that applications undergo multiple levels of scrutiny before reaching the minister for final approval. He became involved in the matter after being approached by investigators from the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime in October 2025.
Free daily or weekly digest of the most important stories from across 18 African countries. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Mmegi.
The requested page, which appears to be related to "Elevate Africa launches Threads of Africa Fashion Film prize 2026," could not be found on the Mmegi website. The site displayed a "404 The page you're looking for does not exist!" error message. Mmegi is described as a leading independent source for news, current affairs, politics, business, sport, and entertainment in Botswana.
Botswana's Davis Cup team suffered its first loss yesterday in the Africa Group IV tournament in Nairobi, setting up a critical match against Algeria today. The team, led by Ntungamili Raguin, started strong on Wednesday against Ghana, securing a victory despite Mark Nawa losing the opening singles match. Raguin battled back from a set down to defeat Ghana's number one, Abraham Asaba, and then partnered with Batsomi Marobela to win the deciding doubles match. This marked Botswana's first Davis Cup win over Ghana. However, in their next match, Nawa again lost the opening singles, and while Raguin sent the contest into a doubles decider, the Kenyan duo of Kael Shah and Zayyan Virani overcame Raguin and Marobela in three sets. Botswana, currently third in the group, needs a strong performance against unbeaten group leaders Algeria to advance. Last year, Raguin played a key role in the team's promotion from Group V. Nine teams, including Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, are divided into two pools, with the top two from each advancing to the semi-finals and the bottom two facing relegation play-offs.
Jwaneng, Botswana is hosting the African Individual Chess Championship from June 18 to June 27. The Botswana Chess Federation is organizing the event, which features nearly 100 players from 17 nations competing in Open and Women's sections for a total prize fund of $30,050. The winner of the Open Section will receive $6,500, while the Women's Section winner will get $4,000. Prize money is distributed up to the eighth position in both sections. The championship also includes a blitz category, with the Open Section winner taking home $800 and the Women's Section winner receiving $400. Botswana is represented by 11 players, including International Master Providence Oatlhotse in the Open Section and Woman International Master Onkemetse Francis in the Women's Section. WCM Refilwe Pitso and WFM Natalie Banda, based in the USA, have also joined the Botswana team.