‘FORGOTTEN’ COMMANDOS CRY OUT

Botswana Defence Force (BDF) Special Forces popularly known as Commandos, are known to be strong-willed characters tailor-made to withstand even the toughest of conditions.

But, driven by what they describe as unfair remuneration structures, some of the commandos cannot bottle it anymore.

They feel their welfare has been neglected, compared to their commissioned counterparts within the army.

The commandos are at the frontline of a concerted battle against dangerous poachers.

On Thursday, the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) announced through a statement that four poachers had been gunned down in a week. At least 16 poachers have been killed since the beginning of the year.

The brave men credited with slaying the persistent poachers, are the commandos. But they feel neglected. Some who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Monitor of the glaring salary disparities amongst the officers.

“Being a commando, especially if you are not a commissioned officer has lost its meaning. It is no longer as exciting as before, as we are not treated like others. We did not get ‘ntlole’ as other officers, we are owed allowances for many years now and we cannot question as that would be seen as against principles of being a soldier,” one commando bemoaned.

The unit did not benefit from the 2019 salary adjustment, known as ‘ntlole’, which was paid to the defence force.

The soldiers complained that as noncommissioned officers they get as little as P1,800 as allowance for the skills they possess while their commissioned colleagues get as much as P7,000.

“We do not understand why there is this disparity while we undergo similar training to be commandos. They already have a higher salary, which is not a problem, but then we do not understand why their allowances have to be different while we underwent the same training. These things divide us at work and it is difficult to trust the officers with our concerns as they, themselves get their dues,” another soldier said.

However, the officers said they remain committed to duty, particularly fighting poaching, despite their less than favourable conditions.

“We underwent thorough training and even though we complain, we cannot let it affect our work. We know soldiers are supposed to work through hardships, but that does not mean we should not get what is due to us,” another officer said.

In a brief response to The Monitor questionnaire, BDF director of Protocol and Public Affairs, Colonel Tebo Dikole said: “Kindly be advised that your enquiry regarding allowances for BDF Special Forces is a matter currently under judicial consideration. The BDF is therefore constrained to discuss the same as it is subjudice.”