26/05/2026
Minister for State President, Defence and Security Moeti Mohwasa today addressed judges and legal officers at Cresta Lodge in Gaborone, on their workshop regarding Botswana's new Public Service Act. He emphasized the landmark legislation's role in aligning government labour standards with international best practices to ensure fair and harmonious industrial relations.
He noted that the new Act went far beyond mere administrative housekeeping. It was designed to harmonize government employment frameworks with international labour standards, guaranteeing fundamental rights, and providing a robust structure for collective bargaining. Mohwasa stressed to the attentive judges that these sweeping changes would inevitably lead to new types of industrial disputes finding their way into the court.
Minister Mohwasa urged the judges to utilize the training workshop to rigorously interrogate the new statutes, particularly the updated clauses addressing overtime, political activity by public officers, and leave accumulation. He emphasized that the government was committed to a human rights-centric approach, which meant the judiciary must be equipped to balance the operational requirements of the state with the fundamental rights of the public servants
