Col Dikole issues warning for army to comply with 25% staff quota
Members of the Botswana Defence Force are sitting on a ticking Covid-19 time bomb, an inside source has alleged.
A high ranking official within the BDF has revealed that despite the August 1st press release from the Presidential Covid-19 Task Team stipulating a 25% quota for essential employees, all soldiers and non- uniformed BDF staff have been instructed to report for duty daily.
The source complained that bringing all non uniformed cadre to work will result in congestion and that it may backfire in case of corona virus outbreak in the barracks.
“If we record a positive case of COVID 19 like it happened at Glen Valley a week ago, it may affect the whole barracks,” said the source who went to add that despite their grievances they were told to report for duty because BDF had its own policies that were specific and different from that of other government departments.
To guide BDF employees on how to proceed, Chief Military Health Services has issued a statement ordering everybody to report for work.
“Please inform all the departments that in reference to members of our staff reporting for duty at 25% capacity, Chief Military Health Services has issued a statement to the fact that BDF corporate Headquarters will issue a savingram to that effect but before the BDF HQ makes such pronouncements, all will report for work as directed. This is a BDF policy that’s exists,” BDF said in a statement.
However, Colonel Tebo Dikole has issued a strong warning to all units that have been subjecting the non-uniformed cadre to the shift work to stop this practice effective immediately.
” We have issued a Savingram on August 3rd apprising members about the immediate continuation of the shift system that was adopted in March 2020. In addition, the non essential and non critical employees of the civilian component have been instructed to work remotely from home.” Dikole said in a statement.