Is internship a source of cheap labour?

Currently, 2,855 interns have been enrolled and attached to different government departments and in the private sector, while 1,234 are recorded to have completed and exited the 24-month programme. During the last parliamentary sitting Francistown South Member of Parliament (MP) Wynter Mmolotsi had asked whether government's mandate to reduce its employees through the early exit scheme would not affect those currently on internship in government departments.

"Won't the government's move to reduce its employees by five percent affect interns, and is government ready to absorb student interns, when it has been said that there is no employment and government departments are over staffed," Mmolotsi asked the minister.

Batshu dismissed the query, saying the reduction would not affect interns, adding that they were trying to engage the private sector to increase its intake of interns. The minister said the programme did not re-admit those who had exited it since there was a pending list of 5,094 applicants waiting to be admitted.