Africa-Press – Lesotho. THE army has threatened to crack down on rogue elements within its midst who are stealing equipment including weapons to sell to criminals. Speaking at a parade at Makoanyane Barracks last Friday, Warrant Officer Class 1 Pita Qaoka condemned the rogue soldiers.
W/O Qaoka said his task is to ensure that the army’s vehicles are serviced and fuelled, the soldiers have food, clean uniform, and that they are well armed with clean serviceable guns.
“Here we have disciplined soldiers but there are other soldiers who are out on a campaign to ruin our already few equipment,” W/O Qaoka said.
“Those rogue elements may be two to three (for) every 100 soldiers,” he said, adding that “for a soldier to be a soldier they must be well trained and disciplined”.
He said while they were renovating dormitories at the barracks “rogue elements came and stole new doors and electrical equipment”. “Most dormitories are dark because there is no light while others are off,” he said.
“Some are busy taking electrical equipment there.
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He added that they are thinking about how they will solve the issue quickly, saying “the perpetrators will soon be in trouble”.
“A lot of embarrassment is happening here at logistics,” he said. W/O Qaoka said there were some soldiers who were also selling bullets claiming they did not know what happened to their magazines.
“We do not know what to do when a soldier sells the same equipment he is supposed to use to protect the nation,” he said.
“Let us save our equipment.
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Warrant Officer Mokhachane Selebalo said they do not want to see Lesotho turning into Syria, adding that those who are embarrassing the army should ask themselves where they want to lead the nation to.
W/O Selebalo said the Covid-19 pandemic has seen soldiers working in shifts, resulting in some having a lot of free time. During this free time, he said, “some leave their houses between 10 and 11pm and go to a bar until 12 or 1am”.
He said instead of wandering until late into the night, the soldiers should train on their own or read books to be educated or even buy beer to drink at home.
“If this behaviour continues, we will take measures,” he said. He said the soldiers should stop living beyond their means.
“You enter into deals with these people and you give them the opposite of what they needed, they end up shooting and killing you,” he said.
He talked about the issue of drugs saying the army is not a place to smoke marijuana. “You end up thinking about committing suicide when high on drugs,” he said. He added that they cannot live with suicidal people. “They should leave and go home.”
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