We will not be muzzled, vows Manual Workers Union

Speaking at a media briefing on Tuesday, the union’s CEO, Robert Rabasimane, said trade unions had a broader responsibility than representing workers’ interests. He explained that the mandate of the Manual Workers, as it is known, also included providing checks and balances on governance and speaking out on issues affecting Batswana. “We are not partisan and our comments on matters of national interests are not partisan,” Rabasimane told journalists.

“We don’t belong to any political formation, but talk on behalf of the nation. When we see something that we feel we need to speak about, we will do so without fear.” His remarks come against the backdrop of growing tensions between the government and sections of organised labour. The latest friction follows comments by President Duma Boko at the launch of the Duma Boko School in Block 7, a project undertaken in partnership with the Moti Group. Boko took aim at union leaders who have criticised the project, further exposing what appears to be a widening rift between the administration and some of its former allies in the labour movement.