By a Correspondent
Gaborone: Truck drivers across Botswana launched a nationwide shutdown on Friday, disrupting road transport as they protested against what they say is the growing employment of foreign drivers in the country’s trucking industry.
The industrial action, organised by the Botswana Truck Drivers Association, comes amid claims that an increasing number of foreign truck drivers have entered Botswana after being forced out of neighbouring South Africa.
Motorists and travellers using Botswana’s road network have been advised to expect delays and transport disruptions as truckers carry out the protest.
Association chairperson Thomas Molaakgosi said the influx of foreign drivers was reducing employment opportunities for Botswana citizens and had pushed the local trucking industry to “breaking point.”
“The arrival of foreign truck drivers is limiting employment opportunities for Batswana and has pushed the industry to breaking point,” Molaakgosi told Botswana’s Duma FM.
He urged the Botswana government to take urgent action by tightening enforcement of labour and employment regulations in the transport sector.
“We are calling on the government to urgently intervene by strengthening enforcement of employment regulations and protecting jobs for locals,” Molaakgosi said.
The shutdown comes against the backdrop of recent tensions in South Africa’s freight and logistics sector, where concerns over the employment of foreign truck drivers have sparked protests and prompted stricter enforcement of labour regulations.
It was not immediately clear how long the Botswana shutdown would last or the extent of its impact on cross-border freight movement. Authorities had yet to issue an official response at the time of publication.
Botswana is a key transit route for regional trade, linking South Africa with Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia and other Southern African countries. Any prolonged disruption could affect the movement of goods across the region.
