27 Mar 2014

The place looks desolate. The few old and make shift houses are a distance from each other. The sun is hot and no person can be spotted except a few cows grazing lazingly and taking refugee under trees. This is Boro, a cattle post near Kisa in Kgalagadi South.

At the sound of a vehicle, two men emerge from their make shift shelter, probably hoping it is their employer. But alas, the sight of government vehicle greets them. Here, Mr Mathata Gasi, aged 33, has been looking after cattle as a herd boy since 2010. Looking a little bit tired, probably from his interrupted nap, he welcomes us.  

Being a herd boy is one of the oldest and most important occupations for most men in rural areas. While some do it out of choice, for some they have no option as they have no any other source of income to support their families.

Mr Gasi is one such man who had no option but to resort to looking after cattle following his dismal performance at school. But it has been a roller coaster kind of life. His face tells a story of a man who has so much to tell but a bit apprehensive of what his masters would say. There is no denying that his story is not his alone but some other herd boys all over the country.

Poor living and working conditions are the order of the day, but he has endured everything thrown at him because he has no choice. Hopping from one employer to the next hoping for a better life has been a mirage, according to him. “Ah, re a sokola mma, ga re bone malatsi a leave.” These are his first words.

While we sit in awkward silence for him to elaborate further, Mr Gasi who is convinced that he is doing his job well, narrates that he is not happy about the conditions of service. “Le o ne madi a ke amogelang a mannye. Kana dilo di a tura,” he says.     

Though his monthly ration and salary are availed well on time, he is of the view that there is a lot that can be done to improve their living and working conditions. He explains that the living conditions are substandard as the one roomed house he is staying in is not habitable, often subjecting him to freezing and hostile climatic conditions.  

Also, lack of proper uniforms is part of the issues affecting them. Admittedly, being a herd boy does not offer any potential for growth, so they say. But Mr Gasi is grateful that he now has five cows to his name, thanks to an initiative by his employer, Mr Monageng Pheko.

At the end of every year, Mr Pheko gives bonuses to all the herd boys under his payroll and while some opt for P1 500, others like Mr Gasi, have opted for cows in exchange for money.Mr Tshepo Nare (not his real name) paints a gloomy picture of his situation.

Mr Nare, aged 42, says his situation is precarious as there are neither leave days nor bonuses as compared to his other compatriots. “Madi a mannye, o bo o fiwa 12.5 kg ya paleche, 2.5 kg ya sukuri, motsoko le matlhare a mannye tsa kgwedi yotlhe, ebile ga o kake wa neela ba masika kwa gae,” he says.

Mr Nare, who has been working for the same emploer for 10 years, also decries lack of protective clothing, saying he has to traverse difficult terrains looking after the cattle. There is no denying that the stories of the herd boys and their masters are hard to navigate. For one, they hardly agree on anything. It is counter accusation after the next. Theirs is a cat and mouse kind of game.

Mr Monageng Pheko, a farmer of note from Kisa who has engaged eleven herd boys in a number of his cattle posts in the area, has seen it all with herd boys. The man we meet is in great spirit and pleased to have the opportunity to set the record straight about their battles with their employees.

To him, labour laws are in favour of the employees while the employers are left out in the cold, hence worsening their relationship with their workers. He says some of the workers abscond from work, come to work drunk or have a laissezfaire attitude resulting in their stock getting lost or stolen.

“Kgwedi ha e hedile, ga ba battle go boela tirong fa ba ne ba ile gae.Mme ga gona gore re ka dira jang, re tshwanetse re ba rapele, gore tiro e tswelele.” According to him, the employers are never given the audience by the powers that be to listen to their grievances as well, saying they are always seen to be in the wrong, which is not always the case.

Of course, he admitts that living and working conditions for their employees are not something to write home about.Howeve, they are trying their utmost best to make their life comfortable.
While, he admitts that the widespread underpayment of herd boys is one part of the story about the deterioration of labour practices in the cattle industry, he notes that he is paying his well.

He says the lowest paid herd boy earns P450 while the highest earns P1 050. In addition, all the employees are given P1 500 end of year bonuses and some, he says, opt for cows instead of cash. “I give them bonuses to augment their monthly salaries, mme ba bangwe ga ba itirele sepe ka one ka ba nna hela mo bojalweng.”

Assistant Labour Officer at Tsabong, Mr Kelothoko Thaga, says employees under the agriculture sector such as herd boys and others do not qualify for some benefits. “They do not have paid public holidays but deserve a rest day each and every month and 18 days leave annually,” he says.

While they do not have hours work, he says effective June 1, 2013 their minimum wage was perked at P500. “But that is not always the case as some are still being paid below the minimum wage.” Also, he says they qualify for either severance benefits or pension. As for the latter, he explains that it depends on the agreement between the herd boy and employer.

“They qualify to be given their severance benefits every fifth year but they still get their benefits depending on the number of months worked if they leave before the fifth year.” While efforts are made by the Labour Department in Tsabong to sensitise workers about their rights, Mr Thaga says it is not enough, adding their outreach initiatives are hampered by, among others, lack of transport.

Mr Thaga explains that they normally address kgotla meetings with other government departments but that is not enough as most of the time their target audience such as herd boys does not attend. Already, he says they have addressed meetings at Middlepits, Bokspits, Werda and Struizendum.

Further, he says they normally have labour inspection but are not able to reach areas like cattle posts. “We had labour inspection at BORAVAST (Bokspits, Raaplspan, Vaalhoek and Struizendum) areas towards the end of last year.”

Also, he highlights that together with Health, Bye-Laws and other departments have business monitoring inspections every month. Mr Thaga explains that there is light at the end of the tunnel as there are some significant improvements in some areas.

“There seems to be improvements on issues of labour more so that a lot of contraventions that there were there before have been reduced significantly.” Insurance of the employees, he says, is a challenge but there has been a significant improvement as employers have now warmed up to the idea of insuring their staff members. Ends