‘Comrade Mojuta’ wins the hearts of workers

The Mayor of Selebi-Phikwe, Amogelang Mojuta, has characterised trade unions as the most organized actors and articulate voices in society. Speaking at the commemoration of May Day in Selebi-Phikwe that was held at Adam’s Park last Friday, he said ”unions are built on values, ideals and visions of society in which workers’ rights are recognized”.

This year’s theme was “Striving for the Dignity and Worth of the Working Class in Botswana.” Mayor Mojuta said the mobilization capacity of unions was a unique asset because it was the backbone of their political influence that had helped to deliver successful outcomes in terms of equity and justice to workers all over the world.  “They (unions) are organized entities with significant social capital and shared values,” he noted, adding that Botswana’s unions had developed the right agenda of poverty eradication, full employment with workers’ rights and social cohesion.

He struck a chord with his audience that was made up mainly of workers and union leaders. As a member of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) that is seen in some quarters as persuing a rightwing agenda in which unions are barely tolerated, he and the unions became unlikely bedfellows. “Unions are at the heart of empowerment; empowerment is capacity building, training and organizing,” he said to growing applause and chants of “Tsena Comrade Mojuta. Tsena!”

The Mayor credited workers with “impeccable credentials” for analysing and dealing with crisis situations. They had adopted the right method of empowerment of the people, particularly women. He noted that unions had decisively influenced the people’s struggles either to establish or to revive democratic institutions. Accordingly, trade unions should project their role as critical catalysts for the promotion of human rights and democratic institutions. Afterall, civil and political rights were an essential pre-condition for access to labour rights.  In the Mayor’s view, only liberal democracy can provide the right institutional background for the fulfillment of labour rights as human rights.

“In any society, the evolution of liberal democracy is an endogenous process which can never be short-circuited,” he said. “Unions can, however, accelerate the pace of this evolution through their sustained support and solidarity with the struggle for liberal democracy.”  Mayor Mojuta emphasised that building support for an agenda based on workers’ rights, employment creation, social protection and social dialogue meant a political struggle whose leadership ought to come from trade unions.

He encouraged Botswana’s unions to position themselves to put political power behind universal labour standards, in that way influencing the policies and programmes of multi-lateral institutions. Inspite of styling himself a liberal democrat, his speech was well received by an audience that  is fond of pussyfooting with socialism. One impressed worker was heard saying:  “We should identify Mojuta as a friend of workers. He speaks socialism as we speak it.”