Africa-Press – Botswana. The Military Veterans of Botswana, an association formed by retired members of the Botswana Defence Force, has partnered with Growth Force Africa with the mutual objective of ensuring a better welfare for its members.
Speaking at a press conference in Gaborone on Friday, the chairman of the association, Retired Brigadier Thulaganyo Masisi said their association was formed after a realisation that most retired soldiers, especially non-commissioned ranks, had fallen into poverty, hence a need to assist them.
“It should be noted that we are talking of men who have worked with commitment for their country.
They have helped in ensuring peace and tranquility both locally, regionally and even internationally, and it is only right that we reciprocate what they have done for us,” he said.
Ret. Brig Masisi also stressed that most of the former soldiers were not in poverty because of mismanagement of their pensions, but only that the pension was too low to meet the current economic needs.
Therefore, he said that the need to engage Growth Force Africa was to help such former army men start businesses that could sustain them, mostly in the agricultural and retail sectors.
“We are still working on the modalities of the partnership, but so far we have identified the sectors of agriculture and retail,” he said.
Ret. Brig Masisi said it was a shame to see former soldiers, most of whom no longer physically able, engaging in jobs like ipelegeng to try and make a living. On why they had another association running parallel with the BDF Retired Members Association, Ret. Brig Masisi said their ideologies were different as theirs focused on empowerment through venturing into business.
He said this was even practical as most of their 400 members had different skills acquired during their time in the army.
The head of business development for Growth Force Africa, Mr Sam Naicker said their business had the passion for human empowerment, and that they had realised that most people in Southern Arica had skills, but lacked financial resources to start business.
He said they chose to assist members of the association with starting their own businesses as through such, members could sustain themselves throughout their lives, unlike pension which might run out.
“Our intention is to empower the association members and mentor them to the level where they would be self-independent before parting with them,” he said.
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