Oarabile Mosikare
18 August 2009
Francistown — The decision by the Central District Commissioner (DC) Lorato Plaatje to allocate houses to Tonota council staff has caused friction between labour unions.
The allocation came two weeks after the Botswana Land Boards and Local Authorities Union (BLLAWU) petitioned Plaatje about the refusal by Tonota District Officer (DO) Pamela Nasha to give the houses to the staff. The petition indicated that the project memo showed exactly how the houses are to be allocated and occupied by different departments upon completion.
The union recommended that action be taken against Nasha for 'insubordination'. Last week the DC and her entourage travelled from Serowe to Tonota to resolve the matter. She allocated 18 houses to council staff but the decision has not pleased the Botswana Manual Workers Union (BMWU) and Botswana Public Workers Union (BOPEU).
BMWU Tonota branch chairperson, Seikising Mogende has said the DC has misdirected herself in the allocations. He stated that Nasha, as the head of housing committee in Tonota, was right to deny council staff accommodation. He said the council staff have occupied all the houses in Tonota West and there is no need for them to be allocated houses in dispute which belong to the Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC).Mogende said the civil servants housed at BHC quarters will not honour the August 30 deadline to move out and give way to council staff. He threatened that if the civil servants are evicted, BMWU and BOPEU will challenge the move in court.
"The civil servants could only be evicted by a court order," Mogende said. He added that the DC never uttered a word when she came to Tonota and allowed other members of her delegation to call the shots.He said that the civil servants were not given written notice but verbal notice. Mogende's union represents the industrial class. It accepts that there is lack of accommodation. "Our members come from all over the district and we resolved that the civil servants should be given priority when it comes to accommodation," he stated.
BLLAWU chairperson, Motsei Nkomo has said they had requested 21 houses but were allocated only 18. He said his committee was meeting yesterday evening to map the way forward. He accused BMWU and BOPEU of clutching at straws.
"The houses they are talking about in Tonota West were all taken by the DO. Those people do not know what they are talking about. It seems they are not up to date with this accommodation issue," he said.
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