21 Feb 2017

Payment of overtime for some employees at the Agricultural Research Department in Sebele was delayed due to insufficient funds in the overtime account during the months of August to October 2016.

This was said by Assistant Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Mr Kgotla Autlwetse when responding to a question in Parliament from Gaborone North MP, Mr Haskins Nkaigwa. However, Mr Autlwetse said the department reprioritised its activities and transferred funds to the overtime account to settle the outstanding overtime payments.

“I am not aware of employees of the Department of Agricultural Research who have gone for more than six months without receiving their overtime payments,” he said. Some employees, Mr Autlwetse said, were not paid overtime for three months only, “that is August, September and October 2016 while funds were being sourced.”

He said there were no outstanding overtime payments due to employees, adding that the last overtime payments were made in January 2017.

Mr Nkaigwa wanted to know what was delaying payment of overtime for some employees at the Agricultural Research Department in Sebele. He also wanted to know if the assistant minister was aware that some employees had gone for more than six months without receiving their overtime payments, and what was being done to pay employees on time.