Government raids have exposed companies allegedly using farm worker permits to place expatriates in unrelated jobs, forcing tighter immigration checks.
BONGANI MALUNGA
The alleged misuse of farm worker permits to employ expatriates outside agriculture has emerged as a major loophole in Botswana’s immigration system, prompting the government to tighten scrutiny and intensify enforcement against offending employers.
Minister of Labour and Home Affairs Pius Mokgware told Parliament that investigations had uncovered a widespread practice in which companies obtained permits intended for farm labourers and then deployed the holders in unrelated industries, undermining the country’s labour and immigration laws.
Mokgware made the revelations during debate on a motion seeking a task force to investigate the extent of foreign work permit abuse. He said the government had already launched targeted operations, with raids exposing what appeared to be organised abuse of the permit system.
TARGETED RAIDS
According to the minister, enforcement teams recently inspected Loapi House, Khoemacau Mine in Toteng and Jindal Power Botswana’s Mmamabula project, which combines a coal mine and power generation facility.
The operations led to the arrest and prosecution of individuals and companies found to have violated immigration and labour regulations. Mokgware alleged that Jindal Power Botswana was among the companies convicted and was fined P45,000 following the investigations.
He said the raids confirmed government concerns that permits intended for agricultural workers were increasingly being used to recruit expatriates into occupations unrelated to farming, including driving.
PERMITS CONFISCATED
“We went to Loapi House and confiscated all the permits in question. We raided a mine in Toteng and apprehended a lot of people. We also raided Jindal and charged fines to individuals and companies in the wrong. We have realised that a lot of people use farming permits, even drivers. The farms many claim to work for do not exist. We have now enhanced our safeguards against such actions. When someone applies for farm worker permits we now insist on making site visits to verify whether or not the applicants are trying to cheat the system. All farming permits are being looked at in a very special way,” Mokgware stated.
SITE CHECKS
Mokgware said the discovery of fictitious farms used to justify work permit applications had forced the government to overhaul its verification process.
Officials now conduct physical inspections before approving farm worker permits to establish whether the farms genuinely exist and require the requested workforce.