The Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU) has expressed concern over what it describes as growing political interference in the administrative functions of government, warning that the trend threatens professionalism, accountability and service delivery across the public sector.
In a statement released on Thursday, BOFEPUSU Secretary General Robert Rabasimane said the long-standing principle separating politics from administration was increasingly under attack, with political patronage and loyalty beginning to overshadow merit and professional competence in the public service.
The federation alleged that the non-renewal of contracts for some senior government officers, particularly those on E-scale and above, was increasingly being driven by considerations unrelated to performance. It claimed that contract employment arrangements were being used to remove competent officers, sometimes based on unsubstantiated allegations of political affiliation.
BOFEPUSU further pointed to what it described as deteriorating working relationships between political leaders and senior public servants, including ministers, assistant ministers, permanent secretaries and local authority officials.
The federation singled out an incident involving Gaborone Mayor Oarabile Motlaleng, alleging that he confiscated office keys belonging to Gaborone Town Clerk Dan Katjinotjiwa, thereby interfering with the senior official’s daily work.
According to the federation, the practice of political leaders overriding accounting officers undermines accountability and disrupts policy implementation.
“The dichotomy between politics and administration must be protected at all costs to keep the public service professional and efficient,” the statement said.
The federation singled out an incident involving Gaborone Mayor Oarabile Motlaleng, alleging that he confiscated office keys belonging to Gaborone Town Clerk Dan Katjinotjiwa, thereby interfering with the senior official’s daily work.
BOFEPUSU described the alleged action as an abuse of political authority and an attack on the independence and integrity of the administrative functions of the city council.
The labour federation also raised concerns over delays in filling vacancies in local authorities, saying several councils and towns continue to operate without accounting officers, negatively affecting governance and service delivery.
It warned that a culture of intimidation and uncertainty among senior public servants, including fears over contract renewals, could erode morale, institutional memory and professionalism within government.
While acknowledging the government’s prerogative to deploy senior management personnel, BOFEPUSU said such decisions should be based on fairness, merit and efficiency rather than political considerations.
The federation argued that failure to address the issue could have far-reaching consequences for public administration and ultimately affect ordinary citizens who rely on government services.
BOFEPUSU called on government to uphold the rule of law, protect public officers from political victimisation and restore what it termed the integrity of Botswana’s public service.
