Workers on cliff edge

Botswana Housing Corporation has begun its restructuring exercise and will continue until March next year, Botswana Guardian has learnt. The parastatal, which is under the leadership of Reginald Motswaiso, has already notified its 350 workers about the restructuring exercise.

Confirming this development, BHC’s Corporate Communications Manager, Tebogo Mmokele indicated that the Corporation has issued all employees with notices in terms of section 25 of the Employment Act (CAP 47:02) as part of the restructuring exercise.

“The Corporation has embarked on an organisational restructuring exercise that seeks to transform the Corporation into a new entity with an appropriate business model, human resources, processes and systems that are expected to drive the efficient and effective delivery of the Single Housing Authority (SiHA) mandate.”

The Botswana Government took a decision to establish a Single Housing Authority (SiHA) through Presidential Cabinet Directive CAB20 (B) 2010 on July 2010. The directive also approved the transfer of all housing implementation programmes to BHC as a single housing delivery vehicle for low-income housing and district housing projects.

Botswana Guardian understands that the decision to establish a SiHA was prompted by the uncoordinated efforts by various stakeholders in delivery of housing and the need to separate housing provision from policy formulation.Before then, there were various institutions involved in housing delivery which include the Department of Housing under the Ministry of Lands through; BHC; Self Help Housing Agency (SHHA) under the Ministry of Local Government and the private sector.

This delivery system lacked among others effective implementation of strategies, inadequate monitoring and evaluation in determining the impact of the programmes. Asked on any possibilities of more vacancies or job losses to the current workforce, Mmokele indicated that, “The process has not been finalised yet. Therefore it is still premature to communicate what may happen as a result of this restructuring exercise. The exercise will be completed by March 2016.”

Botswana Housing Corporation Workers Union (BHCWU) chairperson, Bophone Kebonang told Botswana Guardian that there have been numerous meetings between BHC Management and the Union leadership on various issues including the subject matter. The Union leadership also constantly communicates with the membership to sensitise them on all developments within the corporation.

In any case, the role of the Union in any situation facing employees, particularly its members, is to protect their interests. Kebonang said they are quite optimistic about the outcome of the restructuring exercise since the corporation’s mandate is expanding.

“In the event of job losses, the Union has to negotiate reasonable separation conditions/packages to ameliorate the job loss. Of course we are cognisant of the possibility that some may not get employment post job loss but a fair compensation of their years of service with the current employer ought to be negotiated,” he said. 

The Union chairman would not be drawn to discuss their possible proposals to the employer saying that, “At this juncture they may not be for public consumption because the negotiations may be compromised by premature disclosure. We may communicate post negotiation and agreement.” Meanwhile, BHC is rated among the government’s loss making parastatals.

In its 2015 half year results released recently, the corporation has recorded a deficit of P7, 4 million, as the state-owned housing agency struggles to make debtors pay.