Defense and Security Minister, Kagiso Mmusi, says a total of 1 338 Botswana Defense Force soldiers have served in Mozambique since the beginning of their participation in SAMIM in 2021.
He told Parliament that the fourth contingent of 362 soldiers was recently sent to CABO DELGADO Province in Mozambique for the peacekeeping mission where six soldiers have since lost their lives under different circumstances.
“To date, great strides have been made to bring the area back to normalcy following a prolonged period of Islamist insurgency against the Government and the people of Mozambique. On a rather somber note, BDF has lost a total of six (6) of its members from different causes since the beginning of the mission in July 2021. Consequently, to maintain the health of the deployed members, military counsellors and other health professionals are working constantly to provide wide variety of mental health services,” he said when requesting the 2023-2024 budget for his ministry.
The minister reported that there were notable achievements during the financial year as the BDF was able to procure air defence equipment as well as successfully refurbishing and reliving both the ground and air mobility equipment.
At a time when many ex-soldiers have taken the government to the High Court over unpaid retirement packages, the minister said he was going to present the Military Veterans Bill in three months time, which Bill will establish conditions that will administer military veterans.
“Due to the peculiarity of the military profession, a large number of military veterans are unable to adjust to civilian life resulting in poverty, infirmity, mental and psychological problems. We are rationalizing within my ministry to among other things, resource the Office of the Military Veterans Affairs to cater for their welfare”.
Meanwhile, Botswana Police Service is in preparations to start using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Technology (UAVs) or drones as part of other measures to be implemented to fight crime in the country.
He said Cash-in-transit incidents and bombing of ATMs have reduced since the police introduced new measures and intensified intelligence gathering.
“Cooperation with security industry stakeholders and consultation with the banking business players has also been critical in bringing this crime under control,” he said.
Mmusi said the last 500 of 1000 new police officers will be graduating this week. “Additionally, an establishment of another 1000 new police officers will be recruited to strengthen the Botswana Police Service in the coming financial year,” he said.
Mmusi hinted the possibility of establishing the Metro Police Units for Gaborone and Francistown Cities where, he said, crime is complex and needs dedicated officers.
“Furthermore, expansion of safer city is ongoing in Gaborone and peripheral villages of Tlokweng, Mogoditshane, Mmopane, Metsimotlhabe as well as the city of Francistown with one thousand eight hundred cameras to cover 600 sites,” the minister said.