05 Apr 2016

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Francistown West, Mr Ignatius Moswaane met former employees of Add Focus Mining Broker Company at his constituency office in a move to mediate on the matters between employees and the company.

After their retrenchment from Tati Nickel Mine, the employees engaged the Francistown West legislator to mediate between them and Add Focus, so that they could be paid their remaining duebackdated to six months.

At the Monday meeting, the more than 75 former miners received the good news from Mr Moswaane that his mediation with the said company had finally bore fruit and their dues were to be credited before the end of the week.

Add Focus employees formed part of the Tati Nickel and Moolman employee group that were affected by the mining retrenchment, which effected on December 2015 until February 9, 2016.

“The reason why Add Focus has not been forth-coming with your remaining dues was that Tati Nickel had not paid them yet but as of today, the management of Tati Nickel and Add Focus promised me that you will receive your money in 24 hours,” Mr Moswaane said.

Because the said former employees were now unemployed, Mr Moswaane urged them to take advantage of government programmes designed to alleviate Batswana from poverty.

He noted that different poverty alleviating schemes had been availed for them to take advantage of and better their lives.

Furthermore, Mr Moswaane expressed disappointments at people’s attitudes towards government programmes saying people still viewed them as humiliating while some said such programmes were for beggars.

Some miners, he complained, were financially reckless in that when they had a lot of money to their names, they spent it recklessly without investing into profitable assets such as property.

He regretted that majority of miners suffered when their jobs at the mine suddenly came to an end.

“The mining industry in Botswana is currently going through tough times due to low demands of our country’s minerals overseas. A case in point is the Tati Nickel Mine, Moolman retrenchment and the cash problems at BCL Mines in Selibe Phikwe. All this should assure you that when you are employed in the mines, you should invest your money to secure your future,” Mr Moswaane said.

One of the ex-miners who refused to state his name for fear of victimization expressed his delight at Mr Moswaane’s intervention on the matter saying he fought with them until the end.

Life, he said, had been tough financially and that their job ended suddenly, something which impacted heavily on their financial well-being. Ends