Dramatis personae of the Mother of All Strikes

Khama
Khama

Monday last week marked five years since the historic civil servants industrial action which attracted over 90,000 workers around the country. Initially, the strike was planned to last for 10 days but was prolonged to eight weeks, as the government would not entertain a 16 percent increment demanded by workers. Government offered five percent. Below, Mmegi staff writer CHAKALISA DUBE assesses the role played by five major players during the Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU) strike in 2011 dubbed the mother of all strikes.

Johnson Motshwarakgole

The success of the strike can be attributed to Motshwarakgole, BOFEPUSU labour secretary. He gave the strike political direction. Motshwarakgole, an experienced trade unionist, is someone who wields much power and is often listened to.

Editor's Comment
Get back what was stolen, and lock the door

That a single private law firm pocketed P6.5 million for just four cases, out of a total P11.1 million paid for 25 matters, reeks of a system that was not merely disorganised but open to abuse.Bayford has taken a welcome first step by telling the Public Accounts Committee the truth. Now he must act decisively to ensure it never happens again and that any money lost to wrongdoing is recovered.The figures are staggering. Whilst ordinary Batswana...

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