Granted, the company has not disclosed reasons for termination of the contract. It is a no brainer, though, that such is a business decision. Had it been a contractual dispute, same would have leaked out, by now. Besides, the company would certainly, have done it all in a relaxed and phased manner, cognizant, among others, of both the business implications of the move on the contractor, and the socio economic implications on the employees and those that depend on them. Further, the company would not be moving contract work that was only further outsourced, in 2019, in-house.
Word has it that only a section of operational employees of the company might be absorbed by Debswana. The rest will be in the streets, with loans, mortgages and school fees to pay. Hundreds of jobs will be lost, all at the flick of a switch. Livelihoods will be lost. Majwe Mining, has fallen, to COVID19, one might say; and Debswana is simply in a state of hypoxia. Whichever way one might choose to look at it, the moment of reckoning is here, and President Masisi’s government is undergoing a litmius test. There is no waiting out the storm.
