14 Apr 2016

Members of the University of Botswana Law Society (UNLS) have vowed to continue giving legal assistance to deserving members of society to afford them legal assistance in disputes.  

Addressing members of the media, the president on UBLS, Ms Lebogang Mapete said although it was incumbent upon workers to know their rights in the work place, the society has taken it upon itself to assist them with paper work should they take their employer to the industrial court on labour disputes.

She said as students who were currently studying law and would one day be practicing in different capacities, they were charged with the responsibility of assisting the less privileged, especially on labour matters, as some members of the public and workers were uninformed on civil and labour matters.

Ms Mapete, however, said workers should acquaint themselves with the Employment Act, which was the cornerstone and a guiding document in their day to day activities at the workplace.

She noted that failure to acquaint or understand the Employment Act could jeopardise employee’s cases especially when one was unrepresented.

Meanwhile, she said although UBLS does not have a written agreement with Legal Aid Botswana, they sometimes refer clients to them that may eventually need legal counsel.

She said some workers at times were fearful of reporting abusive supervisors of some companies which were owned by the so-called elite, noting that before the law there was nothing like an elite somebody who could break the law as he or she pleases.

For his part, the secretary general of UBLS, Mr Wetshootsile Tshimologo advised Batswana to lease their customary held plots whenever they want to engage in business operation with companies instead of selling them. He said they should seek legal advice on how to do lease agreement so that they do not lose out.     

The media interface, which was aimed at demystifying the law and empowering Batswana on some of their rights, further touched on the state of judiciary in the country.

The society’s treasurer, Mr Wame Tafa said some issues surrounding judicial decisions should be addressed with calmness and open minds to avoid dire consequences. ENDS