Africa-Press – Botswana. While labour minister Pius Mokware says his ministry never issued work permits for foreign labourers to work on the citrus farm in Selebi-Phikwe, the farm manager there has confirmed the presence of foreign labourers but queries only the numbers in the parliamentary question.
The Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Major General Pius Mokgware, may have misled Parliament by denying that his ministry granted work permits for labourers from Zimbabwe to work on the Selebi-Phikwe Citrus Farm.
This emerged after the MP for Selebi-Phikwe West, Reuben Kaizer, raised the issue in Parliament, accusing the government of colluding with the farm to bypass Batswana in favour of foreigners.
Enter van Vuuren
While Mokgware flatly denied in Parliament that this is the case, farm manager Boesman van Vureen has admitted recruiting farm workers from Zimbabwe but queried the MP’s numbers.
“My ministry has never issued any permits to the citrus farm to import labour,” Mokgware told Parliament in response to Kaizer’s question about how 150 foreign nationals came to work on the farm.
Only 60, not 150
But the farm manager has confirmed hiring foreign labourers, differing with Kaizer only in terms of numbers.
“It is true we imported foreign labour from Zimbabwe due to a shortage of workers, but it is not 150 as alleged,” said van Vureen. “We have only 60 Zimbabweans working here.”
“We employ 640 Batswana”
The farm manager made a point of emphasising that Zimbabweans are a small fraction of the farm’s workforce. “We employ 640 Batswana,” he said.
“The foreign workers are just a portion brought in only to fill critical gaps. All work permits were applied for and issued through proper channels.”
The farm’s admission has reignited debate in Parliament and prompted questions about how the work permits were granted. Legislator Kaizer has vowed to pursue the matter further because this is either cover-up or an administrative irregularity.
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