Lieutenants disobey BDF commander
Tefo Pheage | Friday February 19, 2016 15:56
Two weeks ago, Galebotswe visited Glen Valley Barracks awhere he had gone for a meeting and later requested a separate meeting with his troops in the lieutenant rank to discuss pertinent issues.
At the meeting, Galebotswe asked for any volunteer to stand up and perfom a drill but none took up the challenge.
A BDF soldier explained that a military drill means marching and its primary role is discipline.
A parade, he said, is a display of discipline and in training it forms a method of instilling discipline that can be visually and physically tested.
Drill is “a considerable art and could be used to show off, to punish or to loosen up”.
During this encounter with the army Commander, the officers said they feared possible demotion or severe punishment as mistakes could happen when one perfomed a drill.
This rare reluctance and disobedience angered the Commander who later concluded that the troops deserved a serious punishment for their disobedience and failure to carry his command. Punishments are common occurances in an army and can, according to research, range from reprimand to demotion, correctional custody, confinement on bread and water/diminished rations, loss of pay, extra duty, and/or restrictions.
In this case the commander applied the field punishment which is applied when the offence happened when the officer was on service, according to the BDF Act.
“Field punishment shall consist of such duties or drills, in addition to those which the offender might be required to perform if he were not undergoing punishment, and such loss of privileges as may be provided by or under regulations to be made by the President and may include confinement in such place or manner as may be so provided and such personal restraint as may be necessary to prevent the escape of the offender and as may be so provided,” reads the BDF Act under punishment of soldiers.
It is alleged that on that particular day, the furious and embarrassed Galebotswe ordered the lieutenants to keep the gates interechangeably in pairs of two wearing their ceremonial suits until they all participate in that shameful exercise.
Gate keeping in the army is a duty for non commissioned officers.
A ceremonial suit is a black suitlike wear which is normally worn or used in the army on special occassions.
It is a highly respected uniform in the army and worn with a high level of discipline.
This punishment is said to have angered the transgressors who were a laughing stock to their juniors.
A retired BDF senior officer, who preferred anonimity, explained to Mmegi that what the commander did was unacceptable.
“A punishment is a penalty for misconduct in the army and I do not have a problem with the Commander punishing his troops for disobeying his command.
However troops are punished in their area of work not outside like the commander did.
If you punish a lieutenant in that way you are creating room for his or her juniors to disrespect them and see them as rascals who deserves no respect,” he said.
“If you punish an officer you punish him within the confines of his or her colleagues in rank.”
The BDF director of protocol and public affairs, colonel Tebo Dikole, declined to respond to Mmegi questions saying they could not discuss issues relating to their Commander’s visits with outsiders.