BDF needs targeted funding

Richard Moleofe | Friday June 20, 2014 16:07

The two areas that he touched on are; accommodation and transport, which he says are sometimes regarded as a luxury at the military establishment. Like any other leader, the biggest challenge the general is faced with is what legacy he will imprint within BDF. During the reign of his predecessor, housing was put at the top of the list of the military’s hierarchy of needs. Lt Gen Masire left a commendable legacy that will not fade. In fact, he has left a ‘monument’ in his memory  looking at the amount of housing he made available for soldiers.

Lt Gen Masire entered into a contract with Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) to build low to medium cost houses for the troops. This is something that really has alleviated of pressure in that area. In fact, the contract was a long term one and BDF continues to service the loan with BHC. The man who was at the helm of this military institution before Masire was Lt Gen Fisher who put a great deal of emphasis on physical fitness and in acquiring a French fleet of light-medium Acmat trucks to meet basic transportation needs. Besides this, he is also remembered as a military intellectual who believed in running lengthly and flashy Power Point presentations to his officers. As part of this obsession, he helped establish the Defence and Command Staff College, something that had been a pipedream for many at the BDF.

I believe government should consider targeted funding for BDF as opposed to wholesale funding as has been the case. Lt Gen Galebotswe was right to challenge government to address the basic primary needs of soldiers, chief among them being accommodation. The days of dwelling in tents like Bedouin sherpads in the desert of Arabia are over. Even the biblical children of Israel knew that the tents existed only at the time of the forty year sojourn in the desert to the Promised Land. But it seems the Promised Land is not nigh for many of our troops, especially at SSKB. Living in a tent with no hope of escape is one of the most demoralising factors our soliders are faced with. Salvation only comes through a means of promotion and there are no guarantees of that happening within the first ten years of one’s career as a soldier. It is really disheartening to learn the PAC still needs to be educated on the conditions our servicemen live in. In fact, what this body should be doing now is pressing the Commander for information on what progress is being made with regard to housing. During parliamentary debates on the annual national budget, PAC should educate parliament on the urgency of addressing the basic needs of our military. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, accommodation or shelter sits right at the top of everything and it seems this is not true to BDF. The availability of accommodation, or the lack thereof, affects morale in a very serious way. Soldiers who are allocated tents are usually faced with great challenges when met with adverse weather conditions such as extremel cold in winter or excessive rain in summer. This usually drives the poor soldier to rent a ‘one room’ somewhere in Mogoditshane, even though he is not allowed to stay there because of the permanent curfew rules he has to follow. The curfew rules are meant to enforce discipline and accountability for the troops in the camp. So this is a necessary evil. Imagine a situation where an emergency erupts in the middle of the night and the commanders have no troops to command into action. So, there is need for troops to stay on base.  However, the poor private soldier hurriedly acquires a girlfriend who would secure the rented one room as a permanent sentry on his property and assets for the time he is away. The same applies when the soldier goes on a two month trip and usually at the end of such long absence, problems of loyalty manifest themselves and the girlfriend gets an ‘assistant boyfriend’. Something that soldiers term as 2ic or ‘second in command’. For some of these girls, this has become a regular and lucrative business venture that sees them migrate from one boyfriend to another seasonally as and when new recruits are released from the barracks at the end of their training. These girls usually insist on getting the furniture on a hire purchase scheme under their names. Wait until the poor soldiers die and the family gets nothing; this is something that often puts BDF at odds with members of the public who demand answers about their sons’ property.

The above mentioned is sufficient evidence on the need for parliament to address the accommodation needs at BDF with the urgency it requires. No commander can remain happy while his juniors are wallowing in dilapidated tents because of their prolonged exposure to the elements.Once, a Commander said to his troops who were complaining about living in tents for too long, “if tents are not sufficient you must try it on trees.” The current commander leads at a different era and if he comes close to making such utterances again, he will surely receive the wrath of his soldiers through litigation. Parliament and the public must be made aware of the fact that the accommodation problem has greatly impacted service delivery. Furthermore, many soldiers have chosen to part ways with BDF because of this one issue. Government’s focus should be on providing private accommodation for every soldier. Free accommodation is included as one of the perks for soldiers but many have never come to enjoy it.

 

*Richard Moleofe is a retired military officer.