Lt Col Keoagile is a silverback gorilla of the Intelligence World

Richard Moleofe | Friday September 12, 2014 14:44

Of course I looked better than most because I came from the village of Gabane where we could shop from Gaborone’s three supermarkets at the time.  As a result I was not in a bad state like some fellows who had come to see parliament for the first time.

We soon came to learn that this towering and intimidating figure was going to be our platoon commander for the next twelve months of our training as officer cadets. This is Modiri Moffat Keoagile, a gentle giant.

A man we all came to call by his nickname, G’wise; for the rest of our longsuffering year in training. For some time I and Officer Cadet Thembo (now Lieutenant Colonel) came to serve him as his “batmen” or what you may refer to as errand runners. My duties entailed boot polishing but not bootlicking.

For years now, there is only one common thing that President Khama and I have agreed on consistently, that is the war on alcohol. The appointment of Lt Col (retired) Keoagile to the position of second in command at the DISS is commendable and comes out as the only positive outcome from the Office of the President this year.

He is without doubt smart and witty, but is joining a controversial organisation. Regardless of the opinion that Batswana in general hold against the DISS, one thing they must know is that there is still a few good men in that organisation.

The appointment to Deputy Director General of this establishment who is well read and well-trained officer has come at the right time after the unfortunate departure of Tefo Kgotlhang.

The man’s second name literally means “conflict” and it seems conflict was inevitable from the way things were done when a seasoned former police officer was appointed to work under a former military strong man.

G’wise is the right candidate and I have never imagined myself going all out to defend an appointment made by Khama to this extent. The former Special Forces and military intelligence officer has undergone formal officer training and has also had the privilege to train officers like myself.

I remain proud to be who I am because of the manner in which he imparted knowledge to us as his students. Keoagile is an upright man and he is a fellow that this nation can trust.He has age on his side and has to just wait for the condors to cease circling and land on his superior who is a supine and pusillanimous leader.  He has the ability to turn DISS around provided there is no interference from the Office of the President.

In a series of writings I made on intelligence in the current episode, I made several instalments that may have given the public a wrong perception on how I view intelligence. I am a serious and first class proponent of intelligence work. Without getting weary of this repetition, I have always pointed out that the military will never undertake any form of operation without the benefit of intelligence information directed toward the accomplishment of that specific objective.

So in the same light, our country cannot continue to exist without a proper intelligence kit. Any football team that goes to play a match without a kit cannot in anyway be taken seriously.

When I was still an officer at BDF, one football team would be required to top strip and remain half naked at sports time while the other remained kitted in all sorts of jerseys because they did not have a kit. No one took the teams seriously.

The names of the teams had no form of persuasion in terms of attracting a sponsor. The teams were Cockroach and Dyroach. What a name for a football team!

As a nation, we are seeking a professional body of intelligence that will deliver to us professional results and help this country to move forward and not backward.  It is in this background that I applaud the appointment Lt Col Keoagile. My opinions are always made from a principle of truth, something that is becoming extinct in this country. There is a lot at stake in this country in terms of filling the intelligence vacuum.

For instance, we are still almost living in the stone-age era in terms of counter-terrorism. We are so exposed that it is something I would not be comfortable to discuss with civilians even though I have since joined their ranks.

My departure from BDF has not eroded the bearing of my patriotism for this country and that has always become my governing tool in terms of what I can write about for public consumption. I still remain loyal but will not fail to freely express my opinion. Has Khama appointed yet another soldier to one of the most senior positions? I know this has been a contentious issue in the past and indeed from the day he joined politics.

As much as I am apprehensive about appointments of ex-military men to government positions, I will this time support G’wise’s appointment to his new leadership role.

He is a man that will bring in stability to an organisation already riddled with factions. At the moment he is trusted by all across the factional divide and he needs to take advantage of that existing element of trust.

He will need to eschew factions otherwise he will lose. My advice to my former platoon commander is minted in these three little words, “G’wise be wise.”

There is no school of wisdom even though the world suffers from an acute deficiency of such an element and particularly in our country.

This elusive element can neither be bought nor inherited. Like a silverback gorilla of the jungles of Rwanda, beat your chest as a drumbeat to those of your subordinates as a sign of authority and at the same time play your cards closest to your chest.

*Richard Moleofe is a Retired Military  Officer