Opposition slams suspension of union official

LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
Correspondent | Thursday November 24, 2011 00:00

 

The Botswana Land Boards, Local Authorities and Health Workers Union president has been suspended by his employers, the Ministry of Local Government. 

He is working for the North West District Council in Maun as a social worker. Kekgonegile was one of the union officials at the forefront of this year's public service strike that nearly paralysed  government services. After his suspension this week, the Botswana National Front (BNF) publicity secretary, Moeti Mohwasa said he saw it coming because the government has declared war on union leaders in order to silence them and destabilise the labour movement.

The BNF official reads the government's act as an attempt to intimidate workers not to associate with unions. 

Mohwasa said since the public service strike, the government has been engaged in a witch-hunt targeting unions.

He said the government has shown hostility to the unions since the strike. He said this is evidenced by their decision to terminate some services it was according to unions. 

Mohwasa said the suspension of the union official is not accidental.  He said it is part of the government's hidden agenda against workers. He told workers that an injury to one is an injury to all. 

The vice-president of the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), Botsalo Ntuane has said he is disappointed because when he was responding to President Ian Khama's State of the Nation Address, he appealed for a ceasefire between the unions and government. Ntuane, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, has urged the two parties to engage in dialogue.  He views the government's action against Kekgonegile as harsh. He says the move will do very little to create rapprochement between the parties.

Ntuane calls on the government to lift the suspension and open genuine dialogue with the unions. 

'This war of attrition cannot be allowed to go on forever,' he said.  Recently, the Permanent Secretary to the President (PSP), Eric Molale warned that the government is going to take action against civil servants who engage in politics. But critics noted that Molale was only talking about public servants who are seen not to be sympathetic to the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). 

They said that in the past, the PSP had not taken action against civil servants who had made statements against the opposition.   One of the civil servants they cited is the Director of Intelligence Security (DIS) Isaac Kgosi who has attacked opposition leaders in the past.