How many more should die before we act

This is a response to the article on your 07/07/10 issue regarding two people that lost their lives after a pit sand fell over them. Just over a year ago we have seen a significant number of serious workplace incidents reported more especially in the construction industry.

Amongst the accidents reported are disabling injuries as well as fatalities. If my memory serves me well, the death toll resulting from a poor work environment and systems of work in the construction industry stand at three. Early this year, an employee was reported dead after falling from heights in a construction site in Gaborone, this time around it is two dying in a pit.

 The question one can ask is for how long are we going to wait and after how many dear lives should be lost for the government to recognise the importance and need of Occupational Health and Safety. It is disheartening to find that in a developing country like Botswana, where each and every hour there is a new construction site coming up, there is still no Occupational Health and Safety legislation to regulate and ensure preservation of life in the workplace.

Editor's Comment
Gov’t must rectify recognition of Khama as Kgosi

While it is widely acknowledged that Khama holds the title of Kgosi, the government’s failure to properly gazette his recognition has raised serious concerns about adherence to legal procedures and the credibility of traditional leadership. (See a story elsewhere in this newspaper.) Recent court documents by the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Kgotla Autlwetse, shed light on the intricacies of Khama’s recognition process....

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