Botswana has 1,2 % foreigners in its Civil Service

Botswana government has a total of 1,366 non-citizen employees, majority of whom employed in the Ministry of Health, Parliament heard last Thursday among them Zimbabwean, it has been learnt.

The Monitor reported that health has engaged 990, followed by the Ministry of Education and Skills Development with 302 serving expatriate officers.

This is out of a total public service establishment of 108, 784. The Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Phillip Makgalemele was responding to a question from Dithapelo Keorapetse who wanted to find out the number of foreigners employed by government in each ministry as well as their numbers at each salary scale.

Ministries of Labour and Home Affairs, Lands and Housing, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation have lowest numbers of foreign employees with each having just one.

The second lowest are Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, Finance and Development Planning, Transport and Communications ministries have engaged two foreign labour respectively.

"Most of the foreigners employed by government of Botswana are in the salary scales of C1, D4 and D3," he said.

Makgalemele added there is no basic differentiation for officers on the same grade through payment of allowances as per the Public Service Directive of 2001.

"Foreigners who are recruited through external advertisements are paid a contract addition or salary supplementation allowance which serves as an attractive incentive," he said.