Essential workers' appeal set for July

Botswana Federation of Public Service Unions (BOFEPUSU) spokesman Goretetse Kekgonegile confirmed in Gaborone yesterday that their attorneys were able to appear before court beating the deadline after Registrar of the Court of Appeal Michael Motlhabi expressed concern at the slow pace the case is moving.

In a letter written to the Botswana Landboard and Local Authorities Workers Union (BLLAHWU) and others, copied to the Director of the Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM) and the Attorney General, Motlhabi laments that the parties are delaying progress. He said that the matter was set down three times but failed to proceed because of non-attendance of BLLAHWU only giving excuses on the day of the meeting. "In all the above three instances they empowered me to proceed with the settlement even in the absence of any of the parties, but I refrained from doing so because of the nature of the matter and the fact that it is of national interest," the letter says.