BDF accused of copying civilian’s security system
The Botswana Defence Force (BDF) is under mounting scrutiny, facing allegations of institutional stagnation, intellectual property theft, and entrenched bureaucratic rot within its ranks.
Pressure is growing for the Force to explain itself and confront claims of systemic decay after it was accused of stealing and copying and pasting in a Full-Scale Visitation Management Application also known as Online Visitor
Application Platform (OVAP), which was invented by citizens and presented to the BDF at its headquarters, Sir Seretse Khama Barracks (SSKB).
Kagiso Gift Kelefile, the Software Architect / Lead Developer said, 'Last December, I engineered a full-scale visitation management application for the Botswana Defence Force (BDF)—a functional system I built at home in just two days.
In January this year, I formally requested an audience to present this security solution. They ignored my request for six months, playing a coward's game of hide-and-seek, only to resurface in the media shamelessly claiming my concept as their own in-house creation.'
The BDF has acknowledged concerns and representations made by 'some individuals' but has argued that the idea has long been there and could not be implemented due to financial constraints. According to the BDF, they made the Application internally.
Kelefile has hit back at the BDF, saying it’s an exercise in gaslighting. “They claimed developing such a system required exorbitant capital they lacked—an outright lie refuted by the fact that an independent civilian built it over a single weekend,” he fumed, adding that the establishment refuses to cooperate with the civilian population they are sworn to protect.
He said in December last year they came up with some technical solutions that could benefit the government and some of its departments.
'The first thing we wanted to try was to develop a system for BDF to monitor its daily activities at the gates in terms of who comes in or goes out. We also had a secondary plan that would benefit them with technical services.
The BDF is still operating with outdated laws. We started with OVAP in December and did the testing. We then engaged the Protocol office, and they requested that I drop the letter at Records,' he said in an interview.
He said he made several follow-ups with little progress until they heard the BDF Commander announce the Application.
'I then went to SSKB to raise my concern, and the officer I met was reluctant to assist, indicating that they cannot locate my letter and that, as the BDF, they have programmers and engineers, and there is nothing they can do for me. To develop this kind of Application takes time, creativity, and money.
I questioned why they have been ignoring me and decided to do a copy and paste of my work. They later confirmed receipt of my letter. This shows the letter passed through many officers, and someone saw the idea and presented it as theirs because it is very identical.
I told them we wanted to work with them on various issues affecting the BDF, and this was just a pilot project before we could unleash other technical services,' he explained.
He said he has warned BDF officials that what they did was theft because they even failed to acknowledge 'our creativity and engage us on the way forward”. He told this publication that ever since then they have been shut out without being given an ear.
The frustrated Kelefile continued: They operate like mindless automatons, blindly hiding behind 'following orders' while refusing critical innovation.
This systemic negligence and refusal to take duty seriously explains their catastrophic failure to contain internal crises. For them, operational integrity is an absolute joke. During my repeated visits for accountability, I was stalled by two Lieutenant Colonels who repeatedly offered empty assurances.'
'They openly admitted that BDF mail communication suffers from an absurd backlog because senior officers abandon their posts from September 2025 to January 2026.
When I asked why responsibilities aren't delegated—or why a civilian developer couldn't be contracted to eliminate that backlog in two months—they simply hid behind institutional paralysis, admitting the system is broken but refusing to fix it,' he cried.
He said this toxic environment breeds extreme abuse and enforces a reign of silence where victims are purged while predatory monsters remain insulated.
Furthermore, he said they completely missed the strategic core of his proposal: while they framed it merely as managing physical foot traffic, they entirely ignored the massive security vulnerabilities I flagged as a concerned citizen, he said, adding that those critical loopholes remain wide open.
He avers that unlike advanced global militaries—such as the United States, which thrives on defense contractors and civilian innovation to bridge capability gaps—the BDF remains trapped in an archaic, colonial-era routine.
'They have zero track record of technological invention or transformative modernisation programs. Instead, their interaction with the public is defined by intimidation, hostility, and systemic exploitation. What I initially shared was merely the tip of the iceberg; I held a strategic blueprint for comprehensive defense modernisation that I am now forced to scrap.
The BDF will never achieve regional recognition for technological innovation—their sole legacy remains primitive physical routines. They have proven themselves fundamentally incapable of valuing civilian intellect, leaving an institution defined not by readiness, but by total stagnation,' he scorned.
BDF Director of Protocol and Public Affairs Colonel Fana Maswabi said the development of a digital access control system has long been part of the BDF’s broader digital transformation agenda. He said in 2021, the BDF developed an initial model for a visitor access control system as part of efforts to modernise and enhance the management of access to its facilities.
'However, the implementation of a fully operational system was constrained by budgetary limitations and limited resources to develop, support and sustainably maintain such a system.
The current OVAP initiative therefore represents a continuation and advancement of the BDF’s earlier efforts, informed by lessons learnt and the evolving requirements for secure, efficient and accountable access management,' Col Maswabi said in response to a questionnaire on the matter.
He explained that in 2026, following the Commander’s launch of five priority areas, among them to Modernise and Expand Defence Capabilities, which includes accelerating digital transformation and enhancing multi-domain integration across the organisation, the project progressed to the long overdue implementation phase.
“In view of the aforementioned, the OVAP was conceived and developed through an internally driven initiative led by a BDF project team in response to known organisational security and access management requirements,” he contended.
Consequently, the BDF maintains that the concept, development and management of OVAP is based on its own institutional requirements, planning processes and internal project development framework, but not from any presentation by any individuals as purported.
'It is also important to emphasise that OVAP is a fully home-grown solution developed by BDF personnel. However, the BDF is aware of concerns and representations made by certain individuals regarding the system and has received correspondence on the matter.
The BDF remains committed to considering any such representations through the appropriate channels while continuing to ensure that all its projects are implemented in accordance with established procedures and applicable regulations,' Col Maswabi concluded.