The return of Hunyepa
Ryder Gabathuse | Monday July 3, 2023 06:00
Effective June 1, 2023, the former Botswana National Front (BNF) publicity secretary has been roped in at BOSETU as services membership manager, a position tenable in Gaborone.
His brief is to deal directly with teacher welfare issues. The employer constructively dismissed Hunyepa from his teaching job in 2008 for his trade unionism activities. He was one of trade unionists that were highly critical of the government at the time.
After government dismissed him from work, he would join BOSETU employ from 2008-2014 when his contract could not be renewed by those then in the office of the union at the time. “We were critical of government over teacher welfare issues. We used to engage government over teacher welfare issues leaving bitterness in some of the senior government officials including senior politicians,” reminisced Hunyepa.
He added: “I came back at value addition. I have observed world trends that show that teachers the world over are not treated so well in terms of their welfare. That's where my focus will be.” Despite his exit from BOSETU, he continued working with the union in different capacities as he also conducted certain training for BOSETU and other unions.
Also, as an educationist duly accredited by the Botswana Qualification Authority (BQA), he still mingled with his former employer through training that he conducted. Just recently, Hunyepa resigned from his position at the Botswana National Front (BNF) where he was the party publicity secretary. It is the union policy not to hire office-holding politicians as it has members from different political parties. He was elated that he was back to the civil society that raised him and he would continue where he had left.
“At BOSETU, we want to improve the welfare of our members in as much as government does,” he explained. He hails BOSETU to have helped in providing guidance in many areas including on policy intervention. He cited BOSETU to have helped in stopping double shift at schools after presenting a pertinent position paper.
He does not consider his political activism a waste of time as it has given him more political access as now he can easily access decision makers in terms of politicians at Cabinet level and legislators. “I would be able to easily access politicians who are movers and shakers. They make laws that have a bearing on the welfare of teachers,” he noted. He also trusts that with President Mokgweetsi Masisi and Vice President Slumber Tsogwane as former teachers, his job is really simplified. Other politicians that are former teachers include Agriculture Minister Fidelis Molao, Education Minister Dr Douglas Letsholathebe, Dr Kesitegile Gobotswang, Carter Hikuama, Dithapelo Keporapetse, Taolo Lucas and Dr Never Tshabang. He believes through his job, he is destined to leave an indelible mark.
He expects to do the best advocacy and lobbying in partnership with the private sector. His immediate task is to assess if schemes at BOSETU are indeed befitting the teachers as they would. BOSETU secretary-general Tobokani Rari is positive that Hunyepa has a wealth of knowledge about BOSETU and will add value to their team. Besides meeting at Molepolole College Of Education (MCE) where Hunyepa was Rari’s senior, they would also meet at Itekeng Junior Secondary School in Gantsi when Hunyepa and a team of trade unionists were busy on a mission to resuscitate the ailing structures of the then Botswana Federation of Secondary School Teachers (BOFESETE) between 1997 and 1998. This was the period upon which Rari was appointed as the school rep, an equivalent of a shop steward at Itekeng. At the time, just like now, Rari says Hunyepa was vocal on teacher welfare issues, which saw him fit like a hand in a glove in the articulation of teacher welfare issues. He credits Hunyepa to have spearheaded a lot of relationships, with the BancABC being one of them. He was also instrumental in the formation of BOSETU SACCOS and PEUBO, a micro lending company. The BNF secretary-general Ketlhalefile Motshegwa said this week that Hunyepa has resigned from his elected position at the party as publicity secretary. In the interim, the secretary-general performs the functions of the publicity secretary.