04 Nov 2015

The Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Mr Edwin Batshu has called on Batswana to adhere to the law to avoid being implicated. He said Batswana should refrain from engaging expatriates without workers permits or illegal immigrants to work in their farms and homes. 

He was addressing a kgotla meeting at Sefhophe recently where he expressed concern that a number of cases were still being registered where Batswana hire illegal immigrants or people without permits.

Minister Batshu said Batswana should follow labour laws and laid down procedures in employing expatriates. 

He said they should advertise the job in local print media and if no citizen shows up for the job, they could then consider employing expatriates.  

He said in order to employ an expatriate, they should apply for workers permits and after its approval they could start employment. The minister noted that the government has permitted that expatriates could only be employed in fields that Batswana were lacking such as engineering and science.

Mr Batshu also stated applications undergo rigorous inspection for security reasons.

 He, however, raised concern that some Batswana were selective when it comes to jobs such as looking after cattle, working in the fields or as house maids despite not having an income. 

He said there was need for Batswana to change their mindset and take available jobs to sustain their lives.

 On other issue, Minister Batshu also called on parents to register births within 30 days after a child was born. He also said people should not drag their feet to register deaths.

 He noted that the government has introduced a regulation that fathers’ names should be included in birth certificates even when the father and mother of the child were separated, adding that children have the right to know their fathers.

Mr Batshu also talked about the registration of churches, noting that Parliament has passed a law stating that a church may qualify to be registered if it has 150 members or more. 

He said the move was aimed at addressing the mushrooming of churches and protecting the nation against fake pastors. Ends