Khama acolyte to rejoin BDF
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Friday April 21, 2017 18:41
Mabaila has confirmed that he will resign from the public service by the end of May this year. He is employed as a principal health and safety officer at the Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services. Sources close to him claim that he is heading back to the BDF as a senior officer. This is despite the fact that he resigned from the army as a private in 2012.
Although he confirmed his intention to resign from the public service, he was cagey to confirm whether he will be heading back to the barracks. “I am going to seek for greener pastures. My intention is to represent people one day. It might not be now, but I will in some years to come. If someone can ask me to rejoin the BDF, I will gladly do that. Remember, I resigned as a junior and the BDF policy does not allow juniors to join on contract. But it is not a law. Maybe it has changed; I don’t know,” said the soft-spoken 28-year-old.
Mabaila explained that only people who resigned as senior officers could be employed by the BDF on contract. Mabaila said if he could be given another opportunity to work at the BDF, one of the things that he would advocate for is the welfare of soldiers.
“Our soldiers are not (well) paid. It’s time the A and B scales are scraped from the private rank and even in the public service. At BDF privates work more than other soldiers. Their salaries should start at the C scale. The conditions of service for soldiers are poor and they deserve better remunerations,” he said.
Mabaila said one issue that disadvantages soldiers, especially non-commissioned officers is promotion, which is not done based on what one’s capability. He called for a review of the promotion process of the soldiers.
Mabaila has been mentioned as one of the candidates interested to contest the Mogoditshane constituency parliamentary seat under the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) ticket. The BDP primaries for opposition-held constituencies will be held this year and it remains to be seen if he will throw his name in the hat in the Bulela Ditswe primaries.
Mabaila’s engagement in the public service was not without controversy. Two years ago, it was reported that he was employed allegedly with a degree from the Belford University, a discredited institution that has been accused of selling online degree certificates. Mmegi investigations revealed that the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) had previously investigated the appointment of Mabaila, who is also the founder of the Mabaila Foundation.
Upon his appointment, colleagues raised concern about his qualifications and work experience. Mabaila claimed that he was awarded a degree in Psychology by the Belford University, an institution that has since closed after it was exposed for offering fake degree certificates for a fee online.
On August 31, 2012 the United States District Court Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division, found that Belford University was a fake school with fake accreditation, a fake faculty and administration operated by Pakistani businessman Salem Kureshi.
According to a New York Times investigation, Belford University was owned by a Pakistani company called Axact and at one point appeared to have offices in Karachi, the capital of Pakistan. The Court ordered that Kureshi and his companies, Belford High School and Belford University, pay $22.7 million in damages arising from a class-action lawsuit.