1. Before the dust settles, before false euphoria simmers, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), has already broken one of its election promises. Less than a week after the fraudulent general elections, BDP has reneged on its promise to the working class.
2. During his BDP campaign trail, Mokgweetsi Masisi promised the nation and everyone who cared to listen, that upon winning these just ended elections, he will re-instate all public sector workers he had fired while he was Minister in charge of the Public Service during the 2011 public sector strike (Masisi was Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration under Ian Khama’s government and the most vocal anti-strike Minister).
3. Having won the massively rigged and most fraudulent elections in Botswana history, Masisi now shows his true colours by reneging on the very promise that he used to garner public sector workers’ votes. He posed as some messiah who cares for the plight of the dismissed workers.
4. Just yesterday, a government savingram from his Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Boipolelo Khumomatlhare, dated 28th October 2019, carries the devastating news to hoodwinked workers. It says in no unclear terms that all government departments must freeze employment from D1 and below in the 2019 / 2020 financial year, due to the recent increase in wages. At the same time, he had used the very wage increase to get votes from unsuspecting public sector workers, who also trusted him to improve their pay and conditions.
5. We call upon Masisi to unconditionally fulfil his promises immediately by reinstating all the 2011 public sector workers he had fired while serving under Khama. He should also pay them their wages backdated to July 2011, as this is how the workers understood his election promise.
6. Lastly, the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) applauds those workers who did believe the BDP false promises and instead, took time and meagre resources to vote for the UDC in the recent elections. It is a pity that their votes have been stolen mysteriously in the biggest election fraud in Botswana history.
7. As UDC we promise the workers that we are seriously investigating this daylight robbery by the BDP and we will update the nation soon.
Yours in struggle
Justin Hunyepa
UDC Labour Secretary