11 Aug 2015

The National Amalgamated Local, Central and Parastatal Workers Union has been applauded for donating a five roomed house to a destitute resident of Lotlhakane West, near Moshupa.

Speaking during the handing over ceremony in Lotlhakane West recently, Moshupa Sub-district council chairperson, Mr Benjamin Mogodi  said the P175 000 worth of donation would  restore Ms Oseabetswe Mosanana’s dignity.

The chairperson commended the union for showing benevolence, adding that the gesture glorifies the civil service and government and bears testimony that unions were also socially responsible.

He said it was important to view unions as partners with government since they complement the latter’s efforts to better the lives of Batswana.

He urged unions to safeguard the peace and political stability that Botswana was known for the world over. He noted that the two were a derivative of the cooperative efforts of the rulers and the ruled.

Mr Mogodi further urged the beneficiary to take advantage of available citizen empowerment programmes to improve her life. When sharing the project overview, the chairperson Mr Simon Kgaoganang said his union understands the plight of the less fortunate members of society.

He added that the union was formed to be a voice for the low income working groups whose rights were overlooked. Mr Kgaoganang explained that they were moved by a sad news article in 2011 about Ms Mosanana’s deceased child who stayed in a mortuary for three months without burial because the family could not afford a funeral.

He said BOFEPUSU subsequently paid for all the funeral arrangements and facilitated the burial. “But realising that she stayed in a small hut at the lands with all her children,” he said his union promised to build her a decent shelter.

For his part, BOFEPUSO president, Mr Johannes Tshukudu complained that Batswana were fast losing the spirit of oneness and compassion for each other. He added that it was the fabric that has held them together since time immemorial.

For her part, Ms Mosanana said the house would restore her dignity, adding that the hut she used to stay in was in a dilapidated state. She said she lost hope of a better shelter after her child, who was the sole breadwinner perished.

Meanwhile, union members further raised P1 380 to clear outstanding balances for Ms Mosanana’s child at school. The boy was supposed to be doing Form Four, but was barred from attending classes because he owed some fees to his previous school, Mmanaana Junior School, something Mr Mogodi criticised without mincing words.

He said students should be allowed to attend classes even if they owe schools because it was not their fault not to have paid. The chairperson, nonetheless, promised to send the boy back to school soon. ENDS