20 Feb 2017

Hundreds of mourners converged at Shashe Bridge to bid farewell to Corporal Dintle Dichaba. Corporal Dichaba was one of the three soldiers who died recently when a Botswana Defence Force CASA 212 aircraft crashed in the Thebephatshwa area enroute from the Airbase to Gaborone.

Different speakers described Corporal Dichaba as a humble, disciplined and hardworking individual.

One of them, Colonel Hendrick Rakgantswane said the deceased was obedient and as a result has never been called to the higher office for disciplinary hearings.

He said the deceased was a hardworking person who also won the Air Arm trophies in the 200 and 400 metre races.

He said at the time of his demise, Corporal Dichaba, who was an avionics mechanic for CASA 212 and CASA 235, was about to further his training in aircraft to become an avionics technician.

He thanked the deceased’s parents for allowing him to serve the nation under the BDF and assured them that the army does not take any accident lightly.

He said investigations were being done to determine the cause of the accident so as to avoid similar incidents in future.

Col Rakgantshawane also read the messages of condolences from the President, the Minister of Defence, Justice and Security and that of the BDF Commander.

Corporal Dichaba was born in Selebi Phikwe in 1983 and did his primary school at Pelotelele from 1990 to 1996.

In 1997 he proceeded to Tashata Junior Secondary School and sat for Cambridge examinations at Shashe River School in 2001.

He joined the BDF as a recruit private in July 2002.

During his service in the army, the late Dichaba was promoted to the post of a Lance Corporal and trained as an avionics mechanic.

Upon completion of training in 2008 he was posted to squadron working with aircraft.

He was promoted to the rank of corporal in 2012.

The deceased is survived by his wife, Boitshepo, two sons and a daughter. BOPA