‘I am the victim!’ – wife hits back
There is a storm brewing at the Botswana Defence Force (BDF).
The barracks have been rocked by allegations and counter-allegations of sexual advances between the Commander of the Ground Forces’ wife and his juniors.
In a classic case of ‘he said, she said’, the BDF top brass are faced with the unenviable task of who to believe.
On the one hand, the Commander’s wife, Morati Seelo, maintains there were three lower ranking officers on duty and one made sexually suggestive remarks towards her.
The trio, however, insist it was the other way round and Mma Seelo was in fact drunk and the one making the saucy comments.
While the BDF, through Magosi Moshagane on behalf of the commander, refused to comment, save to say the army does not discuss internal matters with the media, The Voice is in possession of explosive statements from the soldiers on duty that fateful day.
According to the junior soldiers, they were going about their normal patrol (on 19th June) near the commander’s home, when his wife arrived. They say she approached, stopping for a few minutes to converse with one of the soldiers.
It was then that the junior soldiers claimed Seelo made her advances at their colleague, saying, “They were tense and they should be on vibe. She told him that Mr Seelo was not home and that she needed a massage.”
Information received by The Voice suggests the junior soldiers reported the incident to their immediate supervisor, who told them not to record the matter as it was sensitive and involved seniors.
They were thus shocked the next day to learn Commander John Seelo had made a report on behalf of his wife against their colleague.
“The commander’s wife’s behaviour changes after she’s had a few drinks. There are other incidents where she comes home with her music on high volume and has to be attended to,” claimed a source, adding the trio may be booted out of the army now.
Sticking to her guns, when The Voice called her for a comment, Seelo described the soldiers’ version of events as absurd.
“I felt insulted by these men; for them to connive and turn around and say I made advances at them is just beyond me,” she seethed.
Although Seelo explained she does not know the officers who patrol round her home, as is her norm, she stopped to greet them when returning home late that Sunday evening.
“They were men wearing caps, masks, with guns. I could hardly recognise who was who because, frankly, although I sometimes have friendly conversations with them, I don’t know them,” she reiterated.
Refusing to repeat the insults and flirtatious language she says the junior officer made to her, when The Voice asked her about her alleged ‘massage’ remarks, Seelo responded immediately, “In fact, he said words to that effect to me. I felt insulted and of course I told my husband because I am not familiar with BDF protocol, I didn’t know who to tell then, except phone my husband.
“I am the victim here. I haven’t had alcohol in a while and so to say I was drunk and make advances at men I don’t know, don’t even recognise, is absurd,” she concluded.
The BDF is currently tasked with getting to the bottom of the matter on whose version of events is true; did the commander’s wife make advances at the junior soldiers or was it the other way round?
