16 May 2022

Military equipment procured by individual countries are for the benefit of all as well as the region as a whole, Vice President Slumber Tsogwane said this in Maputo Sunday.

 Speaking during a briefing by SADC-Regional Coordination Mechanism which supports deployment of SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM), he said spending on Botswana Defence Force was necessary to secure the country’s and region’s peace and stability. 

He explained that  countries, including SADC member states, helped each other militarily in times of need. “Even us when we need help others will come to our assistance,” he added. 

The vice president was responding to remarks made by the mechanism’s head, Brigadier Jame Maphanyane who advised that SAMIM operations change from combat to peace keeping. 

 Peace keeping, he said, would address some of the challenges faced by SAMIM as more stakeholders would come on board. 

“That is the reason why we say let us move from enforcement to peace keeping,” he said. 

 He said SAMIM’s  challenges included shortage of manpower, member states’ failure to fulfil pledges, lack of robust intelligence capacity and inadequate forces on the ground. 

 “The population does not feel secure, we need the police, the Red Cross and all that can assist to achieve the mandate of this mission,” Brigadier Maphanyane said. 

Further, he said SADC should take care of logistics for the whole mission rather than each country providing for itself. 

“Each country sustaining itself, I don’t think will be sustainable, SADC must take over this,”  he said.

 MP for Palapye, Mr Onneetse Ramogapi stressed the need to assist soldiers in their operations at all costs and close the gaps. ends