FRIDAY'S TRUCKS SHUTDOWN

Fed-up Botswana truck drivers are taking their fight to the streets after years of accusing employers of sidelining citizens in favour of foreign nationals.The Botswana Truck Drivers Association will hold a national shutdown this coming Friday. There will be no truck operating on the day as they deliver a petition to the Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Pius Mokgware, demanding that truck driving jobs in Botswana be reserved exclusively for citizens.Association president, Thomas Molaakgosi told The Midweek Sun on Tuesday that local drivers have exhausted every available channel without success."We have complained for years, written letters and sought intervention, but nothing has changed. This time we are taking our concerns directly to government because Batswana continue to suffer while foreigners benefit from jobs in their own country," he said.The Association argues that many countries protect employment opportunities for their citizens and Botswana should do the same."Our position is that there should not be any foreign truck drivers employed in Botswana. These jobs must be reserved for Batswana; we will be informing borders that on this day, there should not betrucks coming in and out of the country. We need to remedy this situation as a matter of urgency," Molaakgosi said.The association first formally raised complaints in 2024 when they wrote to the Commissioner of Labour seeking government intervention.In the letter, the Association alleged that many trucking companies deliberately favour Zimbabwean drivers because they accept lower wages and are afraid of losing their jobs or being deported, yet some of them have no appropriate permits.Last year, Molaakgosi warned that tensions between Botswana and Zimbabwean truck drivers were escalating, claiming local drivers pushing for citizen-only employment had received threatening messages.He alleged that some Botswana drivers had been warned that they could be attacked if they travelled through Zimbabwe."They threaten to bomb us," Molaakgosi claimed at the time, adding that many local drivers had become fearful of transporting goods through Zimbabwe.He further warned that continued hostility between drivers from the two countries could eventually spill over into violence if authorities failed to intervene.

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FRIDAY'S TRUCKS SHUTDOWN