In the throes of a winter of discontent

The phrase "Winter of Discontent" is from the opening line of William Shakespeare's Richard III: "Now is the Winter of our Discontent/Made glorious summer by this sun of York..." It was made more famous by the witty Editor of The Sun, Larry Lamb, in an editorial piece that referred to public sector employee strikes and the biting winter of the time in the United Kingdom. The public sector strikes in Botswana could be similarly characterised, especially that government is playing hardball while the unions won't budge.

President Ian Khama decided to take a trip to Tonota North where he lambasted public sector workers for their decision to strike. "This surprises me because the government has made it clear that there is no money," the President said. "Botswana is currently experiencing a budget deficit of over P7  billion and the government is struggling to get the P12 billion needed annually to pay civil servants."