Veteran trade unionist, Johnson Motshwarakgole has revealed that talks are underway to create and release a “do-not-vote” list popularly known as a hit-list for the upcoming 2024 general elections, due in October. According to Motshwarakgole, the labor movement cannot ignore the current economic challenges and state of affairs facing the working class. “Discussions to issue a hit-list are ongoing; we are still debating the whys, hows, whens, and wheres of the issue. However, there is a consensus that the current state of economic affairs is disheartening for the labor movement,” he revealed in an interview with The Patriot on Sunday.
Motshwarakgole expressed frustration with the broken promises made to working class, stating, “Everything seems to be spiraling out of control, promises have been broken, and once again, workers have been pushed to the sidelines. The economy is stacked against them, and every day their hopes for a better future are crushed right before their eyes,” he said.
He further explained, “I don’t see how the labor movement could go into these elections without a hit list. We might have some challenges with the approach, but if needed, it could extend across all political lines. Although we’ve had past disagreements about the criteria, I think those are relatively minor. The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has often been the focus before, which makes sense since they’re the ones in power. However, this list shouldn’t be limited to one party.”
Motshwarakgole also highlighted the economic struggles faced by workers, particularly manual laborers. “As I speak to you, manual workers, around 40,000 of them, have been made to believe they are pensionable when the reality is that they are not. They will only wake up to this reality upon retirement. Their earnings fall far below the pension bracket, but nobody cares to address. We have tried in vain to bring it to the attention of authorities,” he said.
Meanwhile, this publication has established that the labor movement is still struggling to find common ground on the issue of hit-lists, which have historically been contentious due to union leaders and members’ affiliations with different political movements.
In interviews with this publication, opposition parties expressed their views that if a hit-list is to be of any significance and bring about change, it must target systems and ideologies rather than individuals because individuals are part of a collective.
Secretary General of Botswana Congress Party (BCP) said: “If a hit list is truly to make a difference and catalyze meaningful change, it can’t just target individuals—who are often just the faces of a larger problem. Instead, it needs to focus on dismantling the flawed system and outdated ideology that sustain these problems identified by the working class. By addressing the root causes rather than the symptoms, I believe the workers stand a better chance of bringing about real, lasting transformation.”
Kekgonegile warned that:”Individuals come and go
but the systems and ideologies they represent often persist, continuing to perpetuate the very challenges workers want to overcome. By focusing on names, they risk missing the bigger picture and the opportunity to challenge the structural issues that undermine progress. The goal in our view should be to reshape the landscape in a way that prioritizes the well-being of
workers and the broader public,ensuring that the economic and social injustices of the past are not repeated.”
For his part, the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) spokesperson, Moeti Mohwasa said they respect the independence of the Unions in decision making and fully trust their judgement but also said they assume they will agree with them that “the challenges facing this country are structural and systemic”.
He said: “As long as there is no fundamental change or a revolution and things stay the same, the attitude to workers that was there in 1965 will continue unabated. Workerism will not assist. The need for alliance with progressive formations has never been as dire as now. Workers should scientifically determine who their real enemies are. We have a state that has been in power since 1965 and has adopted a posture that does not fully embrace workers’ interests. This therefore makes the state enemy number 1.”
According to Mohwasa, in any setting, if you baby sit what is a threat to you and do not uproot it, then that very threat will at one stage devour you. “The BDP state is now devouring the workers through high cost of living that has led to erosion of their purchasing power. The worker of 2024 is poorer than the 1965 worker and will continue to get poorer as long as the BDP is in power.”
The ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) Secretary General, Kavis Kario, said he recalled the presence of hit lists in previous elections but noted that as the BDP, they have not yet formed a definitive opinion or stance on electoral hit-lists.