Abstract
The study explores the role played by trade unions and employers in enhancing the effectiveness of labour dispute resolution systems in Botswana. It begins by defining labour disputes and dispute resolution systems, then outlines the challenges facing labour relations systems in Africa and in Botswana specifically. This is followed by a detailed literature review on social partnerships and effective dispute resolution. Using a qualitative exploratory design within an interpretivist phenomenological framework, the study gathered data through virtual semi-structured interviews with fifteen purposively selected participants from Botswana and the wider SADC region. The findings indicate that social partners play a vital role in shaping the success or failure of dispute resolution processes, and that their involvement affects not only the resolution of individual disputes but also the overall stability of labour relations.