13 Dec 2017

Parliament has passed the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) Bill, which was presented by Minister Shaw Kgathi of the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security on December 11.

Those who debated before the Bill was passed hailed it as a progressive move that would, among others, enhance the effectiveness of the BDF.

Nkange Member of Parliament, Mr Edwin Batshu commended members of the BDF for assisting in different activities of public interest.

He said soldiers did not only confine themselves to military work, but assisted in different circumstances whenever called upon to do so.

Mr Batshu, who is also the Minister of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs, hailed the proposed move to increase the retirement age of soldiers, saying retiring them at 45 was tantamount to wastage of their skills as at that age they  could still benefit the army and the nation.

The minister also emphasised the need for the law to ensure that soldiers did not divulge military secrets once they had left the army.

Specially Elected Member of Parliament, Mr Mephato Reatile, who also supported the Bill, said it was important that the association for retired soldiers be kept under check so that it did not put undue influence on government of the day.

He said in other countries, such associations were way too powerful and overly influential, something that he said often resulted in instability.

Mr Reatile also expressed concern that the proposed law covered operational issues, which could be left to the BDF leadership to handle.

He said the clause that said that the police could seek help from the army could be used to deny other government departments or entities to be dully assisted by the army when they approached it for help as they would not have been specifically mentioned in the law.

In response, Minister Kgathi thanked Member of Parliaments for their constructive comments, saying they would help towards shaping the Bill. ENDS