The Botswana Landboards, Local Authorities and Health Workers Union (BLLAHWU) has strongly opposed recent calls from the hospitality industry to review the government’s per diem policy, describing the move as a veiled attack on the welfare of public sector workers.
BLLAHWU Secretary General Motshidisi Mafoko said the union “categorically rejects this greed-driven agenda,” arguing that per diems are a critical support mechanism for thousands of frontline workers—including nurses, health officers, and Landboard staff—who often travel under difficult conditions in the line of duty.
“Recent attacks by the hospitality industry on the government’s per diem system are not just misguided—they are a direct assault on the livelihoods of civil servants who keep this nation running,” Mafoko said.
The union’s remarks come in response to comments from the Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana (HATAB), which has raised concerns about the sustainability of the current per diem rates and their impact on the national economy. HATAB claims the system distorts government spending patterns and disadvantages the local hospitality sector.
At the recent HATAB conference in Maun, Minister of Environment and Tourism Wynter Mmolotsi confirmed that the government is reviewing the per diem rates, saying the system, introduced in February 2023 at P1,500 per night, has contributed to declining revenues for hotels. The policy replaced the imprest system, where government officials were reimbursed after incurring travel costs.
However, BLLAHWU has fired back, accusing the hospitality sector of hypocrisy and profiteering. The union alleges that many hotels and lodges routinely overcharged government departments under the imprest system, a practice it says “drained public coffers for decades.”
“We stand firm in our commitment to protecting the rights and well-being of civil servants,” said Mafoko. “Per diems are not luxuries—they are lifelines. For a nurse stationed in Tsabong, a per diem ensures she can afford a modest guesthouse, feed her children, and return to work without financial stress. For a Landboard officer in Kasane, it eliminates the indignity of debt while waiting for delayed reimbursements.”
Mafoko said the funds also allow workers to support small, locally owned businesses—an outcome aligned with Botswana’s Vision 2030 goals for inclusive economic growth.
“The hospitality industry’s push for forced loyalty to high-end hotels runs counter to that vision,” he said. “Their hypocrisy is staggering. While demanding an end to per diems, many hotels pay poverty wages to their own workers. They claim economic harm, yet they engaged in systemic overcharging under the imprest system.”
BLLAHWU also criticized HATAB’s claims as lacking both a moral and an empirical basis. “Per diems are fiscally responsible and transparent—unlike the imprest system,” said Mafoko. “Botswana’s public policies should prioritise workers, not corporate profiteers.”
The union reaffirmed its commitment to transparent, equitable systems, citing its 2021 advocacy for per diem standardization and its role in exposing imprest abuse in state-owned entities.
“Our position is supported by global best practice,” Mafoko added. “Institutions like the United Nations and multinational corporations use per diems to ensure staff welfare without compromising efficiency. Botswana’s civil servants deserve no less.”
He challenged the hospitality industry to adapt instead of lobbying for policy reversals. “The COVID-19 pandemic proved that small-scale lodges and guesthouses could offer affordable rates—yet luxury hotels failed to respond with the same pragmatism,” he said.
“Failure to compete fairly does not justify regressive policy change. Per diems align with Botswana’s legal and ethical obligations under the Employment Act and Vision 2030. Any concession to the industry’s demands would betray the trust of civil servants and undermine national development.”
Mmolotsi noted that his ministry is working with the Ministry of State President to find a long-term solution that also supports the hospitality industry.
Meanwhile, Maun Lodge General Manager Ngonizashe Shumba has reiterated calls for the government to revise the per diem rates, arguing that hotels and lodges continue to suffer financial losses under the current arrangement.
