BDF's radio trench

| Friday June 14, 2013 00:00

In 2007, BDF HQ was in the process of finalising the processes of setting up an institutional radio station at their barracks. The now retired Colonel Mogorosi Baatweng, who was at the time in charge of the  army's PR office, was spearheading the preparations for the setting up of the station. The Office of Security Cooperation at the US Embassy had secured the funds from the American government to set up the radio station. 

The primary purpose of the station was to widen the effort of fighting the spread of HIV /AIDS among soldiers by passing relevant messages through theatre and other means of communication, but the station would also be used to reach the military community for all other necessary purposes. This project never saw the light of day because, as Major General J.G. Tlhokwane (Retired) put it; 'Government was not yet ready with legislation that allows the setting up of community (radio) stations.' This project has been put on hold indefinitely. As the process was taking place, I had readied myself with what I considered an appropriate name for the station - 'Radio Trench.' I was working in an appropriate office to influence the naming of the station.

'Radio Trench' has been around for as long as the BDF has been in existence. This has been an informal social media for soldiers that came long before the conventional ones like Facebook, Twitter and What's Up. It can only be paralleled by 'Radio Mall,' which is Gaborone's oldest social media, and 'Radio Molepolole' that used to exist next to Sewagodimo Shopping Complex and was said to be detested by the Molepolole Member of Parliament for reasons best known to him. The rumour mill about the goings on about promotions, salary increases and boot-licking were heard in this forum before they could become official. Most of these come in pinpoint accuracy. These have largely been as a result of the perceived confidentiality about literally everything, including even the obvious things, under a dirty cloak of security. As they say, if people are not fed with information, they make it. Like any community, the BDF has developed its own intricate ways of informal communication. And this is where one would come to acknowledge that indeed language is dynamic. When I was a student at St Joseph's College three decades ago, we were living a life of seclusion on a Roman Catholic farm and the vocabulary of the informal language was huge. We called the Boarding Master 'Manyeme.' Many years later, I met my old childhood friend, David Molefe, who told me that he now had a job as 'Manyeme'  at Moshupa Senior Secondary School. No one around us could understand this language. As it is today where people's democratic liberty has been taken away by threats of victimisation, there tends to be too much of this language with the sole purpose of getting away with our freedom to express ourselves without being detected. On 'Radio Trench,' they would say; 'Ke raya tiger e e anywang tami ya gauta!(I mean that senior officer who is well protected!)' At the barracks, there is a completely new language only understood by the uniformed men and women. For instance, 'serethe', which translates to heel in English, means a pimple infested chin at the barracks. Basically, 'Radio Trench' began in the 70s during the Rhodesian war.

Soldiers literally lived their lives in the trenches where there was no other form of communication except doing it in hushed tones.Even small transistor radios were not allowed in this environment.  The only way of receiving and dispatching news was via this mode of communication. 'Radio Trench' has communicated to this day and over the years it has been used by both officers and other ranks. It has also taken into use the current electronic media such as Facebook. Not long ago, soldiers were informed that they were now forbidden to use this particular electronic media when in operational areas. The appointment of Lieutenant General Ian Khama (Retired) to the position of Vice President in 1998 was first announced on 'Radio Trench' and for many of us this was an unbelievable story to be dismissed with contempt. But several weeks down the line, this proved to be true. 'Radio Trench' has grown to be a complicated source of news receiving and transmission. An intricate web of intelligence information is put together by this informal social media network. However, over the years, a handful of senior officers with ill intentions have come to use this platform to tarnish the image of others for personal gain. Some are currently holding senior ranks after artistically bending the truth so that they could be promoted at the expense of others. The latest incident is what was carried in a local newspaper as front page headlines about the Commander getting into a brawl with one of his officers. It is not surprising that some officer(s) saw it fit to disgrace their own leader with speculation, rumour and theory that have not been supported by a scintilla of material evidence. But the truth is that lies have short legs. The Ministry of Defence has gone on record to denounce this article and demand an apology from the paper. Whenever someone assumes the role of leadership at the BDF, there are those that steer controversy. When Lieutenant General L.M. Fisher (Retired) assumed the role of Commander, he came forth with great ideas in his bid to transform Botswana's military into a professional one. This is a man who was always on the go and kept the BDF going too. His detractors soon derailed him from pursuing his vision and in no time he found himself in what one might call unnecessary chicken fights (lerole la dikatse). In the process, he partially lost sight of his vision of achieving transformation of the army into a professional organisation.

Similarly, Major General Pius Mokgware's (Retired) approach to military leadership was unique and visionary. Officers with PhD (Pull Him Down) made it a point that they viewed his endeavours as competitive for the post of Commander. The reason why he continued with a protracted battle with his former employer was because of an intelligence information leak that horribly went wrong; maybe it was a WikiLeaks style leakage of a BDF cable by a Private First Class Bradley Edward Manning equivalent. The PhD syndrome still persists at the BDF and this organisation still has a long way to rid itself of this totally unacceptable behaviour of gossip and mudslinging or what they sometimes term 'conspiracy and phantasm.' In 1988, a local newspaper carried a front page story about Major General Joyce Motang (Retired). Whoever had given the newspaper the information had one thing in mind; to slander and belittle him to the lowest degree. They believed that stripping him of all dignity and ego would cause him to retire early so that these same officer(s) would assume his position. He remained steadfast until he retired at his own time years later. Brigadier Albert Scheffers (Retired) was one officer who suffered due to this rumour mill. He was an officer and a gentleman who also had a jovial nature. The man was so perfectly tailored for the position of Commander, but he never even made it to the position of Deputy Commander because somebody decided to believe the news from 'Radio Trench.' Lieutenant General G. Galebotswe, who is the current Commander, must understand that he is occupying a position that many around him still envy to this day. The very officers he has entrusted his soul upon may be the very sources of such bad publicity.

The news of his alleged fist fight first came via 'Radio Trench' before it fermented and hit the print media. The timing was just right for his adversaries when he hastily travelled to Turkey to represent Botswana at a military conference which initially had to be attended by the Minister of Defence, Justice and Security. At this time they knew very well that the rumour of AWOL would be a glove that perfectly fit the crime scene. As a commander of the 21st Century, General Galebotswe has the greatest challenges and the greatest opportunities. The levels of education in the force have greatly advanced so much that human resource problems no longer exist. And yet it is these same personnel that will want to test his authority. A strong resolve is what he needs because trying times need courage and resilience. Conspiracy theorists will always exist in an environment such as that which we find at the barracks. However, 'Radio Trench' cannot be ignored as it brings out the imperatives from the masses who don't have the liberty to express their disappointments. Its news must therefore be carefully listened to and not swallowed hook, line and sinker by those in authority.