The BDF�s Romeo and Juliet escape tragedy :: Mmegi Online

Breaking military rules by falling in love, the couple committed a cardinal sin and were liable to be punished. The High Court, after months of testimony, was asked to rule over the love within the Botswana Defence Force’s own Romeo and Juliet. Staff Writer, MPHO MOKWAPE followed the Shakespearean drama in court

It was impossible not to draw parallels between Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and the military couple on trial in the High Court to defend their right to have a relationship, in spite of the army’s fraternisation rules.

Romeo and Juliet belongs to a tradition of tragic romances, but in this case, the tragedy was not the death of the lovers, but the fact that they had to fight for their right to fall in love and still keep their jobs, in court. Unlike Romeo and Juliet, Thabang Tlhapisang and Kozondu Cisquo Uariua live not only to tell their tale, but also to see a reconciliation of their love and the military bosses.

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