Border unmanned as BURS strike bites

As the hundreds of 1,000 employees of Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS) have embarked on industrial action since Friday, it is feared that illicit drug smugglers are having a field day.

Last week an Industrial Court decision granted the more than 1,000 Botswana Public Employees Union (BOPEU) members permission to engage in industrial action against BURS.  Last Friday, The Monitor visited Tlokweng border gate, which is one of the busiest to assess the situation on the ground. At this border, 20 workers had downed tools in the morning shift and were gathered under a tree outside the border gate.

To keep themselves busy and to fight off the cold weather, they sung and danced to strike songs. At the counters, few people were busy at work helping the travellers to South Africa.

Editor's Comment
Bravo police for prompt action

It is also hurting that whilst we all know that the Botswana Police Service (BPS) is charged functionally with the duties to investigate all forms of crime, some locals have resorted to taking the law into their own hands. It is very wrong to do that. There is also a possibility that one may wrongfully take the life of a person in the process, unless it is a justifiable case of self-defence. Recently, in the city of Francistown, some locals found...

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