Saleshando bids constituents farewell
Onalenna Kelebeile | Wednesday July 2, 2014 06:59
Saleshando, who addressed Selebi Phikwe West residents at Kagiso Customary Court, has all along made it official that this is his last term of office, as he will not be contesting again. His parting words were that a new broom sweeps much cleaner than the old one. By so saying he advised that a person must never overstay in his position of authority until s/he emits an unpleasant order to her/his erstwhile admirers. “Leave while you are still needed.
Do not refuse to relinquish your positions. Consider your stay in power a brief opportunity then accord it to the other person,” he said. He advised electorates to vote “as the country is a democratic set up run by a government that has to be voted in, in order to bring developments to the constituents.
“This is my very last Kgotla meeting as your MP as I will not be contesting this coming general elections, so go and vote,” he added.
Saleshando could not hide his disappointment over the low wages in the country that he said started before the country attained independence.
By then Botswana was considered a poor country. He added that though minerals that generate wealth for the country were discovered soon afterwards, government still finds it difficult to review wages even though the country is now rich. He cited that a worker at BCL earns a meagre P1,400 while their counterparts in other countries are paid far much better.
“Even the local MPs cannot compare with their South African counterparts. Low wages are a serious concern and results in people retiring into poverty thus becoming a liability to government,” he added.
Saleshando blamed the high HIV/AIDS prevalence in Selebi-Phikwe on poverty and on people’s unchanging behaviour.
“The aim of government is to have no new infections because ARVs are expensive and this is going to be serious once minerals are depleted,” he added.
He also expressed concern over sprouting security companies around town who disregard workers’ welfare and by failing to pay them while they (the workers) receive no satisfactory intervention from the labour office.
He said currently there are over 4,000 cases pending before the industrial court countrywide.
Members of the community also concurred with Saleshando that the issue of security companies in town is of serious concern and expressed worry that once council awards a tender it does not monitor the company’s adherence to labour laws.
“Council must ensure that all workers employed by security companies go through all necessary procedures stipulated by the Department of Labour. “There must be a legal provision that compels council to ensure that workers hired by security companies are taken through the Labour office.
“There is also laxity on the part of the labour office even though there are terms and conditions that regulate the condition of service and payments of security guards,” said one resident. Members of the community felt that workers at security companies are subjected to slavery conditions due to fear of victimisation once they report cases of ill-treatment against their employers.