Botswana has only 52 labour inspectors to oversee a rapidly expanding workforce, exposing a critical enforcement gap as the country prepares to implement sweeping labour law reforms.
Labour Commissioner Veronica Moloko said the inspectorate is severely understaffed and lacks the specialist skills needed to effectively enforce the new Employment and Labour Relations Act, warning that the country’s labour inspection system has not kept pace with growth in the private sector.
‘Currently we have only 52 labour inspectors,’ Moloko said during the ILES 5th Labour Conference in Gaborone. ‘We do agree and acknowledge that this is not enough, and we cannot operate like that.’
Her remarks came during a panel discussion titled ‘Can Botswana Enforce What is Legislates? Re-imagining Labour Inspection, Compliance and Accountability in the New Labour Regime.’ Moloko said Botswana’s labour market has expanded significantly over the years, placing increasing pressure on an inspection workforce that has seen little corresponding growth.
‘As we speak, the labour market has expanded rapidly. Businesses are opening everywhere,’ she said. ‘Once a business opens, the business does employ some workers.’ She said many inspectors were recruited years ago and now face an increasingly complex workplace environment without adequate specialised training.
‘During these years, a lot of things have happened in the employment space, and they do lack some of the skills,’ Moloko said, noting that modern inspections increasingly require sector-specific expertise. The commissioner said Botswana has already begun upgrading inspectors’ capabilities with support from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which helped train a number of officers about two-and-a-half years ago.
‘There’s no course or degree course that is done on inspection. We only gain experience through capacitation and on-the-job training.’ Her comments underscore the operational challenge facing government as it seeks to translate newly enacted labour protections into workplace compliance. While the legislation strengthens workers’ rights, its success will depend heavily on the state’s ability to monitor employers, investigate violations and enforce the law consistently.
The shortage of inspectors comes at a time when policymakers are seeking stronger compliance with labour standards across sectors, placing renewed focus on staffing levels, technical expertise and institutional capacity within the Department of Labour.