Commander-in-Chief and Commander could come from Moshupa

Richard Moleofe | Friday May 13, 2016 17:14

Little did Masire know that this constitutional change spelt less stability and predictability in our future political life as a country. We are 23  months away from the mandatory power transition at the Office of the President and yet the nation is still wallowing in the dark as to who will assume the most powerful and prestigious seat in the land.

Vice President Masisi is still at the moment fighting fierce battles to consolidate his power and position. I would equally have sleepless nights if I knew that Nonofo Molefhi was breathing heavily on my neck and that it could translate in the loss of the presidency.

Former president Mogae has come very close to admitting that this system does not best serve the country, but rather it serves the needs of certain individuals who want to entrench themselves deeper into power.

This new level of uncertainty that was created by a constitutional amendment that intended to create certainty has now transcended to the armed forces of this land and particularly at Botswana Defence Force. The current commander is busy packing his books and personal belongings into boxes and yet there is a prevailing air of uncertainty as to who will succeed him. The armed forces are one sector where certainty is to prevail.  Under normal circumstances, General Galebotswe’s departure must spell an automatic promotion for Major General Placid Segokgo. That is how a chain of command should work. It does not work by way of skipping links. Then the remaining three major generals could be left jogging for the position of Deputy Commander.

The fact that Brigadier Mpho Mophuting has been promoted to Major General is a signal that indeed the Commander is now heading for the exit. He is too new to be counted in the race for the position of Deputy Commander. The remaining three Major Generals who are all possible contenders are Morake, Phatshwane and Seikano.  They come in that seniority order. In this scenario, if Major General Seikano is picked for the position of Deputy Commander, we will have a vice president and a deputy commander from the village of Moshupa.

Taking into account that Major General Segokgo is the age mate of the outgoing commander, his stay at the helm of military power will be short lived. If Masisi assumes the seat of power as president, he is most likely going to appoint Major General Seikano to become chief of the military. I am not trying to suggest any form of tribalism or nepotism here but the reality on the ground points to that.

Masisi lives in the most tense times of his adult life. Once he has secured the presidency, he would not want to live anything to chance by appointing someone that he is not too sure of, in terms of their loyalty.

His vice presidency has been the most unstable of all in the history of this country and therefore he would want to be rest assured if he becomes president. In that scenario, we would have the president and the commander from a single village.

If anyone has problems with this prophecy, then they better know that this will not be anything new in the history of this country.

When Seretse Khama was president, he appointed Merafhe from Serowe as commander of the military. Worse still, the deputy commander came from Serowe. The appointment of the position of deputy commander overlooked a potential candidate in Brigadier Thema.

The appointment of BDF commander remains the prerogative of the head of state. Loyalty becomes the number one priority in all considerations.

Therefore it is more likely that your homeboy can fit such a profile. Both Masisi and Seikano are not advanced in age. They would certainly make a formidable pair of military leadership. Seikano is going to be favoured by the current amendments that are being made on the BDF Act.

The age of retirement will be lifted from 55 to 60 years. The current age of retirement actually robs the military of experience and maturity. Like wine, generals get better with age. In fact the age restrictions have always bottlenecked the progression of officers above the rank of brigadier.

Most of them had to retire because of age while they could still be useful to the organisation. This has raised what I can term as “legitimate expectation” on most of the young and inexperienced colonels such as Godfrey Letsholo.

This uncertainty would breed instability in any organisation. This uncertainty on leadership succession does not only exist at BDF. In the past we have seen this play itself out in the open when the president decided to remove a deserving officer in Kapinga. He was transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and his experience and educational background in policing issues was made to waste. Surprise appointments at that level often destabilise organisations.

The Prisons Department is no exception. Colonel Silas Motlalekgosi was brought into the organisation in order to heal the rifts and factions that existed. Earlier, Colonel Sebolao had gone to do the same thing there. The underlying problems with our prison officers are founded in lack of proper leadership succession.

Through my line of argument, I am simply making a case for Major General Segokgo, a deserving officer who will help bring stability into the force and boost the morale levels. He is himself a reliable and predictable character who has no history of fraternisation.

This boils down to the fact that commanders do not work on contract. They must be restricted to a single term of five years and be allowed to move on to civilian life because they are political appointees.