18 Aug 2026

A total of 8 951 Botswana Defence Force members are set to benefit from the BDF Transfer Value adjustment, with government pledging to have all living veterans and beneficiaries paid by the end of this year. Responding to a parliamentary question on Friday, Minister for State President, Defence and Security, Mr Moeti Mohwasa, said 5 979 claims had been identified from separated members by the Accountant General as qualified and deserving. A further 2 972 active BDF members were also eligible for pension record adjustments, according to Botswana Public Officers Pension Fund records. “As of 31st July 2026, 4 537 claims had already been paid. This represents over 75 per cent of all deserving veterans who separated through retirement, death and withdrawals,” Mr Mohwasa told Parliament.

Of those paid, 4 277 were retirees, 226 were death claims and 34 were withdrawals. Some 1 442 claims for separated members remain outstanding. The minister said government has so far disbursed P2.7 billion to fund administrators for the payment of claims since the project began.

“There were in the past, some humanitarian appeals, some of which were compassionately positively considered. But the overwhelming majority of claimants were paid not based on any conditions,” he said.

Mr Mohwasa noted that the 2 972 active members’ pension records also needed to be appropriately adjusted. He said government’s intention was to complete payments to all living veterans and beneficiaries by December 2026.

However, payments to beneficiaries of deceased veterans may take longer due to the lengthy process of estate distribution. The minister acknowledged several challenges slowing the process, including locating files of some retirees, verification of members’ banking details, and incomplete information required for death claims calculations.

“However, the challenges are surmountable and unlikely to alter our target,” he said, adding that the Ministry of Finance had provided funding to ensure payments continue uninterrupted. Mr Mohwasa was responding to Tati East MP, Mr Tlhabologo Furniture, who asked for an update on the payment of retired soldiers. Mr Furniture sought details on the

number of beneficiaries, how many had been paid, how many remained, the total amount spent, and whether payments were prioritized based on individual hardship. The Transfer Value adjustment seeks to correct pension discrepancies for BDF members and ensure that both retired and serving personnel receive their rightful benefits. ENDS