BDF muddies reputation
Pini Bothoko | Monday February 13, 2023 06:00
The minister revealed the sentiment when officiating at the three-day ministry’s performance management forum retreat that was held at Phakalane Golf Estate Hotel.
“Of recent Botswana Defence Force (BDF) has been leading local news with incidents that are not pleasing. I was embarrassed by one of the local newspapers’ frontpage last weekend, I could not read it. After receiving that newspaper I immediately threw it inside the dustbin because I was humiliated. You are a disciplined organisation and I am pleading with you to behave as such,” Mmusi said.
Recently social media went ablaze over a pornographic video which allegedly involved a high-ranking member of the army. The officer whose clip went viral was said to be sexually involved with an unidentified woman.
The issue also made it to the frontpage of a local newspaper, something that Mmusi says embarrassed him. Besides the pornographic incident, the army has been making news headlines for the wrong reasons. Since the beginning of 2022, the BDF has been hit with recurring incidents of homicide and suicide. Across the country, BDF members also appear in different courts of law in relation to crimes such as rape, defilement, and murder. This continues to happen despite the institution’s effort to offer psycho-social support to the army officers.
In an incident that left the whole nation reeling in shock in December, a married BDF Major allegedly shot and killed his alleged girlfriend and turned the gun on himself. The female officer was a Private and was said to have been having an affair with the Major. Then, the duo was on a peacekeeping mission in Pemba, Mozambique where SADC troops are battling Islamist insurgents. It was reported that the Major’s spouse, a BDF captain was not part of the Mozambique mission.
In January this year, yet another unarmed army officer deployed in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique committed suicide while the reasons for his actions are not known. A week later, in another incident, a Lance Corporal committed suicide by hanging himself with a rope from the rafters of a servant’s quarters at 2 Military Garrison in Donga BDF Camp.
In another recent case, a Lieutenant Colonel appeared before Broadhurst Magistrate's Court for the murder of his wife on January 13 at Glen Valley BDF Camp. In yet another development, this publication carried an article concerning social ills in the army and in responding to Mmegi’s questionnaire BDF spokesperson, Colonel Magosi Moshagane acknowledged that recently they experienced a rise in the number of suicides. He revealed that the BDF has since expeditiously taken a deliberate decision to enhance the capacity of the psycho-social support services in the army.
Moreover, Moshagane stated that the decision will extensively reach out to all service personnel and their families both locally and abroad. He disclosed that since the year 2022 to date, the BDF has recorded a total of 12 suicide cases and one homicide.
Moshagane said these unfortunate cases remain a concern to the BDF command and leadership, but also to the members of the general public.
“It is once again important for the BDF leadership to reassure members of the public that as an organisation we continue to value and hold in high regard the welfare and well-being of our service personnel. We have never neglected the psychological and social welfare of the army and we will take all necessary measures to ensure prudent psycho-social experiences in the history of their organisation,” he said.