BDF commander faces jail time :: Mmegi Online

Eleven soldiers who say they were fraudulently forced into retirement from the military by the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) and were later declared Botswana Defence Force (BDF) soldiers in good standing by the court have dragged the BDF commander to court for contempt of court.

The soldiers, Mpho Baleseng, Matlhogonolo Kearabile, Timothy Mogatwe, Kaone Matlhosi, Moagisi Buti, Morena Mangesi, Karabo Tsimako, Baeng Ramohobo, Edward Gabaikanngwe, Vincent Motsie and Lesego Mokopakgosi on Friday filed contempt of court charges against Lieutenant General Placid Segokgo whom they said failed to abide by the October 13, 2023 court order.

Last year, the Lobatse High Court declared that the officers, who were trained as soldiers but were attached to the DIS after being commissioned, were indeed BDF soldiers and deserved everything enjoyed by their intake counterparts. The order issued by Justice Jennifer Dube stated that the purported contracts between the soldiers and DIS were never valid (cannot be enforced by law) and therefore set aside.

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