KEY POINTS
- Botswana’s President Boko to legalize undocumented Zimbabweans.
- Plan is expected to overcome labor deficits and alleviate social relations with communities.
- Boko targets 100,000 jobs yearly as part of economic revival strategy.
Botswana’s newly elected President, Duma Gideon Boko, announced plans to legalize undocumented Zimbabweans living in the country by granting them temporary work and residence permits.
Speaking on the BBC Africa Daily podcast, Boko, a human rights lawyer and leader of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), argued that formalizing the status of Zimbabwean workers would help fill vital labor roles and reduce crime by providing legal access to essential services.
The move comes as thousands of Zimbabweans continue to cross Botswana’s porous border, fleeing economic hardship and hyperinflation back home.
With Zimbabweans making up 98 percent of Botswana’s irregular migrants, Boko believes a formal approach to immigration would stabilize labor markets and alleviate tensions in communities where Zimbabwean migrants often take on jobs seen as unattractive by locals.
Controversy surrounds potential policy shift
Boko’s proposal is expected to face opposition, as Botswana’s population has mixed feelings about expanding pathways for Zimbabwean migrants.
According to New Zimbabwe, a similar proposal last year to allow identity cards instead of passports for Zimbabweans met backlash, with concerns it would lead to a further influx.
However, Boko maintains that integrating Zimbabweans could address Botswana’s labor gaps and enable skills transfer. Zimbabwean workers, he noted, possess expertise in trades like welding and plumbing, critical for Botswana’s construction sector.
“In almost every construction site in Botswana, most skilled workers are Zimbabweans. We need a system that lets them share these skills with locals,” Boko said, emphasizing that legalizing migrant labor aligns with his economic vision.
Economic revival through labor reform and investment
Beyond immigration reform, Boko has ambitious plans to stimulate Botswana’s economy, pledging to create 100,000 jobs per year.
His administration intends to secure a new deal with diamond giant De Beers, which he believes will stabilize diamond revenues and attract investment.
Boko sees legalizing Zimbabwean workers as a step toward meeting his employment targets by addressing labor shortages and enhancing local skills through training programs.
With high unemployment considered as a ‘time bomb’ for 2.4million population, some of the measures that Boko has slated include assistance on youth businesses on affordable finance and market.
His policies are in the pursuit of turning Botswana into an economic powerhouse of the region; all the while addressing domestic requirements as well as regional migration trends.
