Public officers go to cattle posts during work

UNDER FIRE: Minister Kabo Morwaeng has been criticised for undermining efforts to curb the Covid -19 spread

Botswana Federation of Public, Private, and Parastatal Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU) has resolved to resist the suspension of the current arrangement of shifts in the public service, which was announced by Presidential Affairs and Public Administration Minister, Kabo Morwaeng. Morwaeng said last week that “Even though Covid-19 has occasioned changes to the established processes of working, senior officials should not take advantage of arrangements like working from home.”

He said the Ministry has observed that some officials take advantage of this working arrangement for their personal benefit like going to the cattle post. Morwaeng warned that the arrangement would come to an end so that citizens can be assisted accordingly at government offices. “We are aware that people are taking advantage of this arrangement and so we thought that we should stop it immediately, for people to get proper service at government offices,” he said. Ketlhalefile Motshegwa of BOFEPUSU says that the Minister’s decision is ill-informed, based on the fact that the country continues to register more Covid-19 cases, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) as well as the Ministry of Health and Wellness still recommend flexible work culture such as remote work and working in shifts. “We have learned with disappointment that Morwaeng has sought to undermine these interventions aimed at reducing congestion in the workplace,” lamented Motshegwa.

“There is no truth whatsoever in his claim that civil servants are abusing the remote work initiative by spending time in cattle posts. These are ill thoughts by a reckless politician who does not have regard for the sacrifices public servants put in delivering services during these challenging times. We express strong objections to this irresponsible and reckless conclusion coming from a Minister whose portfolio covers public service administration. We are saddened that so many workers have died and given the emerging deadly variant, it will be prudent for the Government to expedite vaccination of Batswana,” he warned.