Political connections to blame for poor work ethic

Speaking at the launch the Global Competitiveness Index report in Gaborone on Wednesday, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry Banny Molosiwa said politics is among reasons to blame for the carefree attitude amongst the country's labour force and that non-performers or troublemakers are often let off the hook because of their political leanings.

"It has become very difficult to deal with this problem of poor work ethics among Batswana, which often drags down productivity at the workplace," Molosiwa said. "I am very sorry to say this, and I know it might get me into trouble, but it is the truth. "It is very rare to try and instil discipline among the workforce without being called to order by high ranked officers on political grounds. Labour issues are politicised to the detriment of the country's productivity."