It is usually said that "a man can be good. A man can lead an honourable life. A man could give to charity, but at the end of it all, the number of people attending his funeral is generally dependent upon the weather". The weather has changed now. The rain storms of apartheid South Africa are no more. Democratic governance and assurance of equal rights to all by the new constitution, black or white, is a clearly new sky, one that brings about an element of entitlement to the black worker and a sense of guilt to the white worker. Gone are the days when a black worker mourned workplace harassment in silence, in the dark, beating his drums mutely, his voice only as loud as the sound of a whisper. Today, he is no longer a caged bird. He is out there, on the street toyi-toying on one leg, with spears, chanting songs of the struggle, aloud! His right to strike is guaranteed. His right to refuse unsafe work is provided for by the law, and adherence by the employer is not optional, it's compulsory. With this new profile of the worker in mind, I wish to draw a few revelations from what the media has termed "the Marikana Massacre" and finally bring back this home: what does it all mean for human capital management in Botswana?
On August 16, 2012, a clear summer's day was tainted with a pool of blood oozing from at least 60+ bodies, 34 of which died following a police shoot out at a mine owned by Lonmin, the 3rd largest platinum mine in the world.This became a contemporary topical issue in HR circles, more especially to students of Industrial/Employee Relations. We have been asking ourselves: what happens when the workplace becomes a battle ground for two fierce opposing unions? What happens when your employees bring forth machets and knob-kerries to fight tooth and nail, each willing to take no prisoners, all armed to kill? What happens when these two meet an armed police force, one ready to kill in the name of self defence? And how does this affect productivity levels? What about industrial peace? To answer these questions, the Institute of Human Resource Management of Botswana hosted Barnard Mokwena, the Executive Vice President of Human Capital & External Affairs at Lonmin at a breakfast seminar here in Gaborone Sun on Wednesday.
