Basotho overstay in jobs

My good people, please give yourselves a bit of time to read a book named, Who moved my cheese? A lot of things that I’ve talked about here will make a lot more sense after reading the book. This week’s opinion piece is on movement. Not really on kinetic energy but social problems caused by lack of movement (stagnation). I had intended on writing about a serious topic on a system named Kakistocracy (please Google search it and tell me what it means, next week). Serious topics are long and boring. So I opted to share a topic that’s a bit easy going but that may offend some people who take life too seriously. Some of our readers ba tlo re ke’a phapha but it’s okay. This topic could be a real eye opener and give reasons to why we’re stagnant and so underdeveloped as a nation. This topic was inspired by a conversation I recently had with one MCC (Maseru City Council) staff member a few weeks ago. So, I’ve probably spent the last twenty or so years of my life going in and out of Maseru City Council (MCC) due to the nature of my job. However, I hate it. I dread it like filling up my car nowadays. As I was in a meeting with one lady director at MCC, one young lady came in. I mean very young. I could see that she’s probably straight from varsity. So, she came in and dropped a file and walked out. As the young lady walked out, a thought came to my mind and I said to the director, “U’a hlokomela u fihlile MCC moo u le toeba e kale-nyana.” Meaning, you arrived in this organisation this tiny. But she vehemently denied it and said, “lekhale! Haesale ke le mokana.” But in my heart I knew she was being very economical about the truth. So, I asked, “okay, how long have you been working at MCC?” and she said, “for the past 22 years”. There you go! That’s what inspired the topic for this week. 22 years, one department, one organisation. But I tell you, you need not go far, just take a look around you, there’s probably a fossil (nkhono or ntate moholo) that has been in the same position/post, same organisation for the past 150 years and the only thing they will receive when they “finally” go home for retirement is a coffee mug written, “Thank you”. Do you know what a dictionary definition of a fossil is? It says it is a person or thing that is out-dated or resistant to change. Hold on to that thought. But guys just take a look around you. If you can’t see any fossil, it’s probably because you are in a company such as Vodacom that is full of young and energetic people. However, just think of any government ministry or parastatal, LEC, WASCO or even BEDCO. Talking about WASCO, did you know that there are employees that have been working there since the days of Water-Branch? Do you even know that WASCO was once called Water-Branch? I tell you, ba ntse ba le teng, same people, same jobs, probably same office, same organisation. Ke hore, these people operate like doors, they have been practicing the same routine for the past 30 to 40 years. Talking about BEDCO, I got the shock of my life when I went for a presentation there and found people that used to work with my mother nearly 40 years ago. They are still there. I was there a couple of years ago to talk about developing new offices for BEDCO, with the same people that probably saw me in primary school uniform going to see my mother at work. Now, they have to say Ntate to me. By the way, this notion of calling Catholic priests Father must be reviewed. I find myself having to call my cousin named Tumisang who was recently ordained a Catholic Priest, Ntate Father. Father Tumisang to be precise. This is a man about ten years my junior but e se e le Father. In any case, then there’s Lesotho Housing and Land Development Corporation. Back in my high school days at Machabeng High School, on days when I was lazy to take a taxi home, I would walk to my mother’s office at Lesotho Housing and wait for a lift home. After work, sometime we’d travel home with some of her work mates and I’m talking about events that took place almost 30 years ago. Yes, ba-kh’ona, they are still around, same job, same organisation and now they have to call me Ntate in meetings. But some of them refuse and still see me as a young boy in dirty school uniform. Joale there are government ministries, aikh’ona. Mona teng we have a serious problem. Just take a look at any government ministry. The likes of Agric, Forestry, Transport (Traffic Department). There’s possibly a fossil that has taken well over 40 years in one ministry. These people have simply become parasitical squatters. Most of them are not in government to render public service (bohlanka). They have reduced themselves to corrupt parasites. We need to fumigate these ministries. But the real parasites are politicians. The real leaches of Basotho taxes. Look, our parliament still has people that entered in 1993 when democracy was supposedly restored in Lesotho. Yes, in 93 before Mandela became president. But they still sell broken dreams of turning Lesotho into Dubai. Aweee banna! Hee re tlotsoa ka jeme. The problem is that, these people that overstay in one job, one organisation become so confortable and complacent to an extent where they tend to think they own the company/parastatal/government ministry. They even go as far as thinking their workplace is their mom’s house (if you get what I mean) and they will be so arrogant and tell customers to go to hell. Then we have over-stayers of over-stayers. Teachers! Bo-thiza. Jesus! I mean a person can be a teacher for 150 years, same school, same classroom, same village and be expected to stimulate minds of young children. Most of our teachers are completely obsolete. Look at the lecturers at the National University of Lesotho (NUL). Most of them have been there since graduating at the same institution. Same subject, same village (Roma), same routine for the past 200 years. These are the same people expected to programme minds of our young people and prepare them for the future. But these people (lecturers) are not prepared to change their routine or move. This makes me think of people from my home village of Ha S’kepe. There are people in my home village that have worked at the Printing works (Ka Khatisong) since we were kids. The same goes for those in Mokhoarane (Morija). In Morija, they say they work ka Printing. Same disease! Some of them have been working at the printing works even before we were born but I tell you, they are still there. Same routine for 100 years. Aikh’ona guys! And we say we want change, jobs and development. There’s simply no way Lesotho can advance unless change happens. That’s why I often fight with the people from Maseru City Council. They have a buzz phrase they always use every time a project is tabled to them. The catch phrase is “It’s impossible!” You should hear the tone in their voice (imbozible). Well of course it will be impossible when you have never worked anywhere else, never been exposed to other challenges, never seen how other people do things, never lived in any other place. You see, this is one of the fundamental problems in Lesotho, people are just stagnant but are expected to effect change.   The very same people that have been stuck in organisations for centuries always appear on Lesotho Television attending workshops or training programmes to learn new tricks. Even worse, trying to brainstorm on a new strategic plan. Talking about Lesotho Television (LTV), where does one even start? Why is it that LTV still fails to control its volume 33 years after its inception? Yes, since 1988 ka leeto la Mopapa. Guess what? Haai! Let me leave it there. In closing, if Lesotho wants to create jobs, its people better be prepared to change. Jobs are a by-product of change. Change brings about new ideas and new ways of doing things (development). You can’t have a country where people talk about change yet organisations and ministries are full of people that have overstayed their visit and end up becoming bitter, jealous (mona) and corrupt. Hoba hee Basotho ba mona! At the same time, people are social beings. People are engineered to move about and integrate with other nationalities and the world. I’m a firm believer that Lesotho has to open its borders, integrate with South Africa, legalise Basotho in South Africa and allow for some fresh air to enter. New people have to enter into the central region of South Africa with fresh ideas and better ways of doing things. Well, quality people (skilled people). At the same time allow for some free-movement into South Africa so that staff members at Maseru City Council can one day work at Ethekwini Metro Council in Durban. Why not? Do you finally see the reason why Lesotho will never make it? ‘Mako Bohloa