01 Nov 2015

Employees of Savute Elephant Lodge in Chobe have complained of ill-treatment by some of their managers.

These complaints were raised in a meeting addressed by the area Member of Parliament, Mr Machana Shamukuni over the weekend. One employee, whose name has been withheld for fear of victimisation said though some Batswana qualified for top positions, foreigners continued to be given priority for such.

Another employee expressed his gratitude at the fact that the MP had come right in time as they were in serious need of the labour department to resolve some of their grievances. Several other employees complained of the same mistreatment and called for government to intervene in the matter. 

There were also complaints about low salaries. In his response, Mr Shamukuni admitted that he had heard similar labour-related grievances in several tourist camps before and noted that this needed to be resolved in the quickest possible time.

“I am very uncomfortable with foreigners who abuse local staff as I believe that everyone must be treated with respect and work freely where they are employed,” he said.

Mr Shamukuni highlighted that he would talk to local company owners about this, adding no foreigner must be hired for a position when there is a qualified local.

“I am aware that some are using loopholes in policies such as understudy to gain residence and work permits,” he warned.

The MP added that being an understudy, comes with a development program as to what happens afterwards to utilise the skills gained. 

He promised to ensure that the understudy programs are reviewed and bear fruit in developing employees. He however, noted that there are some Batswana who side with some corrupt individuals when government steps in to take control of the situation especially regarding work permits.

“We shall however, forcefully ensure that we do everything possible to empower Batswana and create employment for them,” he noted.

 

He promised to meet with lodge managers on issues of staff welfare as well as liaising with the regional Labour office to follow up on the issues. Ends