Parents suing the BDF for millions
Staff Writer | Monday April 14, 2014 16:05
Two Botswana Defence Force recruits died during a six months rigorous training exercise that ended on Thursday with graduation of about 500 soldiers in the rank of privates, The Monitor has learnt.
The two soldiers in their early 20’s originate from Nlakhwane in the North East District, and Shoshong, in the Central District, the paper has established.
While fellow young recruits have been mobilised to contribute funds toward building the parents of the Nlakhwane fallen hero a shelter in memory of their son, the Shoshong family is suing the BDF for millions of Pula in compensation for loss of income.
According to information pieced together by The Monitor one soldier died instantly during a 50 kms endurance training after he collapsed, while the other recruit apparently died after drinking what is believed to have been poisoned water during yet another endurance exercise around the Pandamatenga Farms.
It is suspected that the water that the young recruit drank may have been infected with pesticides from the farms. Sources tell The Monitor that the recruits had run out of water in their bags but were warned against drinking water in the forest.
When the new recruits graduated at a public ceremony on Thursday, nothing was mentioned in the speech about the fallen heroes, except the mention of a house built by the new recruits at Nlakhwane.
Even so the speaker, retired Major General Bakwena Oitsile, did not elaborate that the house is for the family of a fallen recruit but rather said it was a social responsibility initiative by the new recruits in the community.
Sources further tell The Monitor that already investigations by the family of one of the fallen heroes have been conducted at the scene where the alleged accident took place, as well as conducting interviews with possible witnesses. As the BDF kept the death of two recruits under wraps, even failing to pay tribute to them publicly at the graduation ceremony, the public witnessed another nasty scene when four new recruits collapsed one after the other during the three-hour pass out parade. They were seen being taken into the waiting ambulance.
Efforts to reach the BDF public relations office for a comment were unsuccessful on Saturday, as the story broke.