26 Feb 2017

Additional accommodation for soldiers in Glen Valley is being addressed through construction of two 96 Men Barrack Blocks and acquisition of 108 high density units in Phakalane from Botswana Housing Corporation.

This was said by the Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Mr Shaw Kgathi, when responding to a question in Parliament from Gaborone North MP, Mr Haskins Nkaigwa.

Construction and acquisition of the accommodation, Mr Kgathi said was at different stages and would be concluded by the end of the 2017/18 financial year.

“Members need to be reminded of the sensitivity in asking questions which seeks numbers and specific location of military personnel, which might result in the inadvertent disclosure of our military deployments and the inherent compromise of security,” he said.

In this context, the minister said he could not state the number of soldiers accommodated in any facility.

“The sensitivity highlighted in this response also relates to Question No. 137 and Question No. 141, both of which were asked by Mr Nkaigwa, pertaining to strategic and operational matters affecting the Botswana Defence Force,” he added.

Mr Nkaigwa wanted to know if there were any plans to build additional accommodation for soldiers at Glen Valley Barracks, when would this be done, how many soldiers were currently without accommodation at Glen Valley and how they were assisted. ENDS