At the end of the journalists' visit to Exercise Matsubutsubu, it was clear that the two parties are beginning to develop some mutual understanding. This was especially so after Major-General Pius Mokgware warned that false reports and those revealing national security issues could be catastrophic to everybody and not only the BDF. "Security is everybody's responsibility and you must always remember that our enemies can use your stories against us. I always tell my troops that when they smuggle bullets to outsiders, they may be putting their relatives', child's or mother's life in danger," he said.
He said that though people were always complaining that Government spent much money on the military, they must also understand that the BDF should have enough equipment to have confidence. He urged reporters to emulate what their counterparts in developed countries do to safeguard national security. He cited the ongoing conflict in Iraq in which Western journalists reporting on the war never reveal their troops' weaknesses.
