PAC Calls For Localisation Of Posts
Pini Bothoko | Monday August 24, 2020 13:30
Members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) made the call during the ministry’s appearance before the Parliament body recently.
PAC member and the Member of Parliament for Mochudi East, Mabuse Pule requested the ministry to come up with a localisation plan and also develop a database that could identify skills available amongst locals.
Pule said through a localisation plan the ministry could reduce the current errors whereby foreigners are considered for jobs over locals despite having the same qualifications.
“Such errors have occurred at Khoemacau Mine where Batswana were sidelined and employed as unskilled personnel whilst well paying skilled positions were reserved for foreigners.
With a localisation plan you will be able to say these are skills that locals have and those that we offer to non-Batswana,” he said.
Responding to concerns, the ministry’s acting permanent secretary (PS), Claude Mojafi said when setting up companies in Botswana investors would firstly identify skills that they need and this has always been the practice for the ministry to assist them to bring key skills. “We do engage companies on issues of localisation. When having foreigners holding some positions, the ministry would then request for the company’s training and localisation plan, which would inform us when the post will be localised,” Mojafi said.
PAC chairperson, Dithapelo Keorapetse interjected stating that what the acting PS was talking about was law and policy whilst what concerned the committee was the practice because it appears that some companies do not comply with the said training and localisation plan.
“For example, Morupule mine has hired foreigners offering skills that Batswana have and have been holding such positions for years.
Some of them have lower qualifications than the locals, how do they get hold of those permits? It seems like you are relying heavily on what companies say to you, they will say ‘we need this person’ and you fail to check if such person’s skill is available amongst Batswana,” Keorapetse decried.
In response, Mojafi said the ministry’s problem is that it does not do not have a labour market database to visit and check skills available amongst Batswana.
However, he stated that HRDC is coming up with plans to establish such a facility (the labour market database).
“We currently rely on information that we get from the District Labour Officers where job seekers register to identify available skills amongst locals. Yes in the past there were issues that were raised by Batswana, especially in the area of procurement and DCEC has cautioned us there is a possibility of corruption in our procurement system,” Mojafi said.
But Keorapetse condemned the move stating that most people holding executive and senior positions do not prefer to register themselves at the District Labour Offices hence to rely on their offices is not effective in dealing with the issue.
Keorapetse encouraged the ministry to consider advertising such posts on newspapers and curb the high unemployment rate amongst Batswana since foreigners are hired on a daily basis with skills that locals can also offer.
“Do you even know that public confidence in your office is very low, whether on issues of dispute resolution, issues of labour inspection and work permits.
In so many aspects public confidence is very low. I am pointing you to another gap, it is not always that people will come to you and complain, but Batswana are aware of these things,” Keorapetse said.
Another PAC member, Wynter Mmolotsi raised concerns over the influx of Indians into Botswana to do jobs that could be done by locals.
Mmolotsi said some of them work in hardwares and furniture shops doing minor jobs that Batswana can easily do.