Rari�s trade unionism journey
Chakalisa Dube | Friday February 24, 2017 17:25
Rari is the secretary general (SG) of the Botswana Sectors of Educators Union (BOSETU) as well as the Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU). He is the face of both BOSETU and BOFEPUSU.
Over the last years Rari has been at the forefront of trade unionism relentlessly fighting for the rights of the workers against the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) led Government.
Rari, together with other union leaders among them Ketlhalefile Motshegwa have turned BOFEPUSU into a vibrant organisation that regularly contributes on issues of national discourse.
His heroics have turned him into one of the enemies of the state and it recently emerged that the government is making attempts to sack him.
But beyond his popularity and his regular appearance in the media who is this man and how did he rise to stardom?
Rari was born in 1969 at Nshakazhogwe in the northern part of the Central District. He is the fifth child of Rari Dichaba and Thamani Rari, who themselves survived by, and raised their children through subsistence farming.
Rari Dichaba, the father of (Tobokonai) Rari passed on in 1976 when the latter was only a seven-year-old. Rari’s mother was forced to literally toil and soil to raise her children as a single parent.
He started his primary education in 1979 at Nshakazhogwe Primary School, which he completed after seven years.
“At that time our parents resided permanently at the fields, about 20km from the village where the school was located. We would travel every Sunday from the fields where the parents resided to the village to attend school, and we would travel back to the lands every Friday after school to collect some food rations and return on Sundays,” he says.
This meant that during the course of the week, Rari along with his siblings would stay alone as school kids. They were often left under the care of their elder siblings.
“We would skip school as in some cases we would attend classes without eating anything as the ration obtained from the lands would be depleted before the end of the week,” he reminisces.
Against all odds, Rari performed excellently in his Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in 1985, by being among the only three students who had obtained grade A.
He did his junior secondary school at Letlhakane Secondary School obtaining grade B in 1987. Rari would proceed to do his Cambridge Overseas School Certificate (COSC) at Letlhakane Secondary School from 1988 to 1990 where he still obtained a second class.
He did his Tirelo Setshaba Service from 1991 to 1992 at Ncojane village in the Ghanzi district in the Wildlife Department and after completion he enrolled at Molepolole College of Education (MCE) and pursued a Diploma in Secondary Education, studying Social Studies as a major and Integrated Science. That was from 1993 to 1995.
At MCE, Rari got involved in student politics and got elected in 1994 to serve as an administrative secretary in the Student Representative Council (SRC).
“I grew up in a family in which my mother could not see people suffering. She was not well off but would always assist other people in the neighborhood with ideas.
“This idea of protecting the rights of the people and assisting other people as learnt from my mother got me interested in vocations that would assist people hence becoming a student leader, teacher and later a trade unionist,” he says.
Also, when he was at primary school, he liked reading the Daily News, as it was the only newspaper reaching Nshakazhogwe. He believes reading the newspaper contributed towards his political consciousness hence his interest in trade unionism, a political oriented vocation.
His first posting was at Itekeng Junior Secondary School, in Ghanzi in 1996 where he taught for eight years.
Just a year in the field, he got elected at Itekeng BOFESETE (as BOSETU was known then) then, as their school representative, now known as the shop steward.
“I served the union in that capacity until the following year, when I was handed down the responsibility of being the Ghanzi regional chairperson (BOFESETE) by Othusitse Othusitse, the current school head for Naledi Senior Secondary School who was mentoring me for the whole of 1997 when I was a school representative.”
He was the chairperson of the Ghanzi region for a period of four years until 2002 when he was transferred to Moeti in Maun in 2003, where he took up the shop steward position before being co-opted as the vice chairperson of the Maun region by Motsamai Phuthego, then chairperson of the region.
In 2004, Rari succeeded Phuthego as the chairperson of the region. In 2005, he got promoted to the position of senior teacher guidance and counseling and was transferred to Tsodilo Junior Secondary School in Maun.
“In the same year (2005) I stood for the BOFESETE national executive committee (NEC) elections after a lengthy persuasion by Gaobotse Mokomane, who was the national organising secretary then,” he said.
Rari was elected an additional member in the NEC and attached to the office of the national organising secretary,” he says.
Being elected into the executive committee turned out to be Rari’s biggest break.
In 2008 his master, Mokomane vacated his position after securing employment at the IEC. Rari immediately filled Mokomane’s post on an interim basis before he was elected on substantive basis in the same year 2008 at the union elections.
In 2009 he enjoyed another spectacular rise as he ascended to the post of vice secretary general after Segopotso Sakwape also joined the IEC.
In 2011 he contested the post of secretary general at BOSETU elections and defeated the incumbent and current president Kwenasebele Modukanele. He was retained unopposed as the secretary general of the union in 2014, the term which he is currently serving.
Rari was elected the second secretary general of BOFEPUSU in 2012 and re– elected in 2014 a position he currently holds. BOSETU is part of BOFEPUSU.
He has turned into an indefatigable fighter in the fight for the rights of the workers in an era where the BDP-led Government is perceived to be promoting laws and regulations that are anti-workers.
Rari cites veteran trade unionist Johnson Motshwarakgole and Mokomane as his biggest mentors.
“Motshwarakgole grew from humble beginnings of being a mere driver and worked his way up to become an influential trade union leader. This has really inspired me to focus and be dedicated to the cause of the workers and trade unionism.”
As for Mokomane, Rari says he influenced him into standing for union leadership positions and he has always respected and idolised him for his passion and robustness.
Despite Government attempts to clamp down on union leaders, Rari remains very defiant. “No, it has never crossed my mind to quit due to threats of being sacked. I believe in a struggle there are some casualties and if I happen to be one, let it be so.”
Rari singles out the 2011 industrial action as the highlight of his years in trade unionism. The strike, which was spearheaded by BOFEPUSU, lasted for three months and led to the dismissal of workers by government.
According to him though the strike did not achieve the 16% wage increment targeted by workers, it raised political consciousness, not only within the workers, but also within the public in general. The BOFEPUSU SG says that from that industrial action, the labour movement started taking its rightful position as part of the civil society playing an active role in protecting the tenets of democracy.
Most trade union leaders usually use their positions as a springboard to politics but the BOFEPUSU firebrand says that the idea has not yet crossed his mind.
Rari’s younger brother Phillip says that he never thought that the latter would venture into trade unionism.
“I was very surprised when Rari ventured into trade unionism which is usually associated with militancy. He was a very reserved character when he was young. He could not even harm a fly,” Phillip said.
A young Rari according to Phillip was so passionate about education and always dreamt of being a teacher.
“If it was today, Rari could have gone to another lucrative profession, but teaching was the go to profession during yester years.”
Phillip suspects that his brother’s stint at MCE might have influenced him to venture into trade unionism.
From a tender age Rari was also an avid reader of newspapers and had undying passion for current affairs. This according to Phillip might have influenced him to go into trade unionism.
BOFEPUSU labour secretary Motshwarakgole describes Rari as the most vital cog in the federation set up.
He says Rari came in at a time when the federation was not stable and he has transformed it into an admirable organisation.
He says the federation is now well known around the country and recognised internationally because of Rari’s proactive character.
“BOFEPUSU has turned into an active role player on issues of national concern because of Rari. He brought new creative ways of running a trade movement,” said Motshwarakgole adding that Rari is always keen to learn new ways from both local and international organisations in a bid to enhance BOFEPUSU.
Rari is also a leader who favours honesty and transparency when running union affairs. What also make him unique is that he is a good listener whom has since been branded the ‘voice of reason’ within BOFEPUSU.
“He never loses his cool even when offended and this has helped him gain a lot of respect from those around him even the employer,” says Motshwarakgole about the father of five children.