02 Aug 2017

A bill seeking to do away with the provision to withhold a portion of a salary of a member of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) on interdiction has failed.

While all members of the opposition who contributed to the debate on the bill on Tuesday supported the bill, only four of ruling party MPs lent their support to the bill.

The MPs who spoke in support of the bill, which was tabled by Selebi Phikwe West MP, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse argued that withholding a portion of the salary of a soldier on interdiction was tantamount to double punishment as the interdiction was a form of punishment in its own.

The MPs said it was disheartening that the punishment being meted out by way of withholding a portion of a soldiers’ salaries affected not only the soldiers being suspected of committing crimes, but also impacted negatively on the lives of their dependents.

MP Haskins Nkaigwa of Gaborone North said being on interdiction dealt a blow to the dignity of the army men and women, adding that in some cases it plunged families into destitution resulting in them becoming a burden to the country’ social protection programme.

Mr Nkaigwa said members of the BDF already received low salaries, adding that withholding a portion of the salary of a soldier on interdiction worsened their already low standard of living.

He noted that civil servants, including soldiers, were highly indebted, saying denying those on interdiction full pay further complicated their lives.

MP Masego Segokgo of Tlokweng said it was improper to punish soldiers on interdiction before investigations into their cases could be completed.

He said denying affected soldiers their full pay affected their dignity as it rendered them incapable of fulfilling their commitments.

Ramotswa MP, Mr Samuel Rantuana also supported the bill, arguing that punishing one before they could be pronounced guilty was tantamount to oppression.

Mr Rantuana said there were instances where ministers were suspected of having committed some crimes, but that in those circumstances, the ministers did not have part of their salaries withheld; wondering why soldiers were being denied the same benefit.

He called on government to note that the soldiers whose salaries were cut due to them being on interdiction were placed in a precarious situation as they could not afford to engage attorneys should their cases require them to do so.

MP Tawana Moremi of Maun West also spoke of the high level of indebtedness of Batswana.

He said if MPs were also affected by the problem, what more of lowly-paid people like soldiers.

He said withholding part of the salaries of people in such low pay brackets was unfair.

Mr Moremi also emphasised the need for the categorising of offences into those that could attract interdiction, and those for which other forms of punishment could be adopted.

He said with Batswana being a spiteful society, there was too much leeway to allow superiors to unjustifiably subject their juniors to interdiction.

Dr Tlamelo Mmatli of Molepolole South said it was sad that government respected the salaries of other public officers and not those of members of the BDF.

He said the provision to not withhold part of the salaries of public officers on interdiction was a welcome move; saying the same gesture ought to have been also extended to members of the BDF.

Dr Mmatli said the current arrangement made the lives of affected soldiers unbearable and impacted negatively on the lives of their dependents.

MP Shawn Ntlhaile of Jwaneng-Mabutsane also supported the bill, saying withholding part of the salaries of soldiers on interdiction was a violation of international labour practices

He said international labour law dictated that either party that breached such practice be held liable.

Mr Ntlhaile said denying soldiers on interdictions a portion of their salaries was thus a violation of their basic human rights.

He disagreed with the notion by some MPs that the motion was likely to incite members of the army, arguing that it was disregarding the need to improve their conditions of service that would agitate them. ENDS