Member of Parliament for Francistown West, Tshelang Masisi, has called for paternity leave.

Contributing to the Employment Amendment Bill, Masisi said fathers should also be given paternity leave to care for their newly born children. He said there are situations where women earn more money than their husbands and should continue working so that their salaries are not reduced while they are on maternity leave; such families cannot sustain themselves when the wife’s salary is reduced and the husband should be allowed paternity leave to care for the infant.

Masisi is not the first person to call for paternity leave. The Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA) has also called on employers including government to develop work place policies that allow men paternity leave. BONELA Director Uyapo Ndadi told The Gazette that modern men are now much more involved with child birth and care.

“I think it is sad that our laws are not aligned to present-day reality.  Gone are the days when men were passive observers. Men need to take time off to accompany their pregnant partners to antenatal clinics and other health facilities,” said Ndadi.

Men need to give their partners support, care and comfort especially soon after delivery of the new born baby as the new mothers are in the majority of cases almost incapacitated. “They should cook, care for and run errands for their partners. Elders, especially grandmothers, if alive, are busy with their own affairs as life is hard nowadays and they cannot be expected to be there instead of the other partner,” he said.

Ndadi recommended that paternity leave should be included in the labour laws. “In the meantime, I urge employers, including government, to emulate BONELA and develop work place policies that give men paternity leave; otherwise equality will remain a pipe dream,” said Ndadi.

The Botswana Public Employees Union (BOPEU) President, Andrew Motsamai, said they have consistently called on government to introduce paternity leave.

“A worker also contributes to population growth. The issue needs to be addressed and negotiated for; we should benchmark on other countries so that when it is introduced it does not pose challenges,” he said.

Contacted for comment, the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs Public Relations Officer, Osesenaqa Lekgoko, said paternity leave is not provided for in Botswana’s labour laws that address minimum working conditions. Paternity leave could be negotiated between employers and workers. “These negotiations on employment conditions could be part of collective agreements that are binding,” said Lekgoko.