BDF faces new challenges with social media

Richard Moleofe | Friday February 3, 2017 17:01

Most of the founding officers and men would all agree that the military organisation they established four decades ago is now to them unrecognisable. And by the way, all of them have now gone into retirement.

When I joined BDF, most officers were from the Police Mobile Unit era. They possessed little education and carried with them immense volumes of wisdom. When we were young officers, we felt those seniors were an obstacle to our new ways of leadership. These old men never wanted to get anywhere near trouble with the authorities. They were difficult in taking hard decisions because they always feared being fired before they could reach their pension period.

I would say my squad mates (bosekwata) would all agree that our group was placed in an intermediate position. We fell in the gap between the old and the contemporary generation and that was in 1990 when BDF began establishing brigade and battalion formations. I remember when we came, one of the first Officer Cadets for BDF told us how they were eagerly waiting to assume command from the old order so that they can change things. Later on change came and it arrived with variable challenges. In expressing how freedom had arrived within the military establishment that is BDF, one private soldier once expressed it this way: “gone are the days when your senior steps on your foot and you end up telling him that your foot has gone under his foot. These days we tell them the actual truth that they are steeping on us.” In one of my trips to the border areas, I met a young soldier who was adorning a t-shirt with this print on it; 'REINSTATE THE 438'. This was in reference to the miners that were sacked in Jwaneng in the 1990s. The soldier felt so much at peace even though he was carrying on him this labour union message.

But some of these liberties came at the right time because some BDF officers have in the past abused their authority over their juniors. Stories about juniors being sent on trips so that the senior man can remain behind honeymooning with his subordinate’s spouse are true.

One of the greatest challenges that BDF is now facing is the use of social media by soldiers. This has become a concern to a point where a Savingram Circular had to be published to try and put some controls on the young lads’ use of social media. I really support the motion on curbing the use of social media by soldier. Civilians are often perplexed at this because they fail to understand that soldiers enjoy limited freedoms. Once you become a soldier, your freedom of speech and association are immediately taken out of your constitutional menu. The Constitution does not guarantee those freedoms to soldiers like it does to the rest of our society.

The reason why BDF barred soldiers from communicating on Facebook while on trip was for security reasons even though some of these reasons don’t make any meaningful sense. They are not allowed to communicate their location and their daily activities.

But in a real sense, how do you endanger the lives of other soldiers on trip with you if you share that you are in Kazungula and you are enjoying the view of the new bridge which is still under construction? I know of incidents where soldiers were really going out of order and posting what I would refer to as political views on Facebook about their Commander-in-Chief. Some have resorted to using pseudo names like Colonel Godfrey Letsholo but they are still traceable through their numerous links on Facebook.

We sometimes excuse some of these young folks for being carried away even though that is not excusable. But the most baffling case is a recent one where a Lieutenant Colonel had all the freedoms of communicating the Commander-in-Chief’s itinerary on Facebook. Did he not think of the possible consequences that would follow his actions if he got caught? The problem is that power intoxicates and some people who are given the privilege of travelling with the Commander-in-Chief get to think that they are above the law.

The fact that stern action is in progress for this senior officer shows how serious the organization is in regard to the offense of compromising security on social media. In fact we will be watching to see if BDF will take the ultimate action of Court Martial in order to set a clear example to his juniors that justice is not selective.

I am in a WhatsApp group with several of my colleagues who joined the army with me. A majority of them are now lieutenant colonels because of their length of service. Belonging to this group is sometimes limiting because those still in service are often careful about what they post.

A few of us are ex-soldiers and at times we find ourselves discussing and debating issues on our own. The moment we touch an issue that may be political in nature, the fellows of Serial 9 disappear one after another. The moment the naughty one in the groups post a joke about girls, you will see them competing for space. The funniest characters in the group are nicknamed Tlhoboro and Motshwarakgabo.

For those of us who are now free from the military regulations, we are sensitive not to bring political issues into our collective space of our social group. But at times it is very difficult to draw a clear line from discussing politics or issues that affect all of us in this country such as the falling levels of education.

Debating issues that affect your children’s education especially when it is declining as it is doing cannot be regarded as politics.