BOTA - Training Fund under-utilised

"Most companies send employees to train outside, especially in South Africa where workshops and seminars are usually not accredited," Maikaelelo said. "We encourage training to be done here unless in instances where there are no locals who can do that,"  Besides, he noted, BOTA is experiencing an influx of training providers in Botswana, which Maikaelelo described as a double-edged sword because some are fly-by-night.

UDC: A journey just beginning

In realist theoretical posturing, one may conclude that what matters most is the ultimate goal. Moralistic arguments and many other value judgements matter little as one has his mind set on the goal he must achieve and the ultimate good that the achievement of such a goal ushers in.  In this case, the goal of a united opposition, one that was inherited from their late mentor is Mecca. It is the ultimate piece to the puzzle that will lead to winning over power; they think. And taking over power need not be in 2014, as we all must know by now that it will not be. While many wonder how Boko continues to exhume all the confidence in the world and be happy despite what in reality is a weak Umbrella, I have discovered it is so because he from day one did not believe he would be President in 2014. Make no mistake, he wanted to be, wants to be still even but he is not a foolish man to let an optimism bias lead him astray. It is also born out of the acceptance of the fact that an Umbrella without BCP is a weak Umbrella. Nevertheless, an Umbrella unites some of the parties - and likely will lead to a merge of those. The same way the BCP went about swallowing up both BAM and the National Democratic Front (NDF).

Confrontation with Botswana police lands smugglers in Zambian hospital

"I urge the smugglers to desist from this illegal business," she said. The Zambezi River is a rich ground for criminals who smuggle good to Zambia from Namibia and Botswana.  The dugout canoe is the transport of choice across the fast flowing Zambezi River for smugglers. The goods of choice seem to be liquor and groceries.

BDP primaries: A two-horse race

his side, then he will give Bolele a run for his money. In the 2009 general elections, Senai was Merafhe's campaign manager. This has brought him closer to the retired politician's supporters. Some people already view him as Merafhe's heir apparent. He however concedes that the contest is one of the toughest assignments he has ever had. He says that he is prepared to face the challenge like a man though.

Cebani: In the last general elections, the sitting civic leader haboured plans of challenging for the parliamentary seat but upon realising that Merafhe, whom he reveres greatly, was in the race, he opted out.The 47-year-old politician who was previously in the employ of the Botswana Railways as a traffic officer (hire accounts), pins his hope on advancing the cause of the youth as his trump card. As a sitting councillor, Cebani is familiar with the challenges of the office he wishes to occupy. For a long time, he has been volunteering his services to the youth - assisting them to do business plans. He has donated football kits and balls to the constituency's youths. His prayer is that factories could set up base in Mahalapye and employ the many unemployed youths in the village.

That he heavily banks his support on the youth could be his undoing because, generally, within the BDP and even in Mahalapye, it is largely the elderly who take active part in both party and national politics.

However, the politician has set out to get a good combination of both young and elderly people to get him the BDP ticket. Although Cebani is still in the race, he has not made it to the top two yet, reports from Mahalapye-West suggest. He however, still has another week ahead before the primaries to redeem himself.
Molefe:  A retired senior member of the army, he acquired BDP life-membership in 2004. Ever since his retirement , the 51-year-old has been working his way inside party structures.

Molefe, a businessman, has been more visible in the village, assisting the party in any way he can.
There is talk in the village that his 'discipline' acquired from the army has some elders wishing Merafhe could pass the baton to him.

Although experience counts in any given field,  work rate is an even weightier factor.
Compared to his competition, Molefe is relatively new to BDP politics and would have to work harder to appeal to the hard-to-please BDP diehards come September 15.

Motsete: Currently in the employ of Air Botswana as an aircraft maintenance planner, Motsete has served in various BDP structures. He has served in the Finance and Economic sub committee of the BDP Central Committee as well as the PEEC. He served as specially elected councillor between 2004 and 2009. In the 2004 general elections, Motsete was Merafhe's campaign manager.

He cut his political teeth in Mahalapye West in the party structures. His main challenge could be that his job keeps him mostly in Gaborone. As his campaign moves from door-to-door, one thing worries him. He has no idea about the strengths and weaknesses of his competition, and it does not help him in setting up his strategies. However, Motsete is determined to fight on and use the knowledge he has about the constituency to his advantage. He is fully aware that he is contesting against some of the most well-established politicians in the constituency.

For his first attempt in a contest of this magnitude, Motsete might just gain experience, which may come in handy for use in future forays.Although politics often has its surprises, Motsete is certainly not one to pull one in this contest.

Mascom empowers Botswana youth

The 13, who were awarded certificates together with those who participated in the course, will run the Kitsong Centres in their respective villages. Sullivan stated that this year Mascom, through other collaborative partners, have enrolled 10 Mascom Kitsong Centre operators for the International Computers Driving Licence (ICDL), a global computer literacy initiative developed to raise the level of knowledge about Information Technology (IT).Expected to complete their training early next year, the operators would qualify to run the Mascom Kitsong Centres and be in a position to extend the training to the rest of their respective communities.

Sullivan explained that as Mascom it is their view that for the centres to make a meaningful contribution to the development of the country's economy, they should be self-sustaining.

She stressed that Mascom continues to invest in capacity building as well as increasing the service offerings in the Mascom Kitsong Centres, ensuring that each centre is fully equipped before it is given to selected youth to operate for their own benefit.

"The Mascom Kitsong Centre services include airtime and simcard sales, email and Internet services, photocopying, printing, typesetting, fax services, and computer training," said Sullivan.In addition to these services, some innovative Mascom Kitsong Centre and business-driven operators continue to develop other revenue streams, including photography, stationery sales, graphics and video productions, as well as computer games.

Mascom is committed to a further 10 new centres to be rolled out next year to bring the total of Mascom Kitsong Centres countrywide to 71, she said. The Minister of Transport and Communication, Nonofo Molefhi said he was humbled to officiate at yet another Mascom initiative just a few months after officially opening the state of the art Mascom Innovation Centre in Phakalane, noting that he is once again witnessing another Mascom's commendable contribution to the ICT sector in Botswana.

Molefhi said in 2009 Mascom partnered with government through the Nteletsa II Rural Telecommunications Development Project, and extended coverage to a total of 41 villages and also set up Kitsong Centres in each of the 41 villages and with the success of the project, Mascom continued to build on the investment by establishing 10 Kitsong Centres in 2011.

Maiketso ousted as F/town mayor

"You can't even control the city council and you are talking like a small boy. We want to meet the minister ourselves and hand him our proposal personally. "We do not want to be addressed because this would not avail us time to talk to the minister and his officers about this land issue," Moswaane exploded. "This motion is fuelled by self-seeking individuals who want to be in power. This chopping and changing of the leadership is not taking us anywhere. It affects the way we render services to the electorate," Professor Lazarus Tlou of Itekeng ward, vented his frustration. Reliable sources have said the BMD councillors, whose party is a partner in the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), had decided to abstain because of their political differences with the BCP.

CDC trains firefighters from all over Botswana

He revealed that Palapye fire station, which operated with a skeleton staff for several years, now has a full complement of personnel.  "The department has acquired some of the most advanced fire, rescue and ambulance equipment in the country," he said. Raditanka said Serowe, which had depended on Palapye for some time, recently acquired a full complement of personnel and advanced fire rescue and ambulance equipment. CDC now intended to set up sub-stations in Mahalapye, Boteti, Bobirwa, Tonota and Tutume sub-districts, even though there were some challenges that the council still faced regarding that.

Suspected Diamond Smuggling Investigated in Botswana

Botswana security services are investigating allegations that a number of former state employees and members of the southern African country's economic elite conspired to illegally sell rough diamonds that were mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Diamond Intelligence reports.

 

The vehicles of the suspected members diamond smuggling cartel have been impounded and their houses have been cordoned off while they are questioned about their involvement in the alleged illegal activities. Major consumer purchases, seemingly beyond the means of even these well-to-do citizens, attracted the attention of the country's tax revenue service.

 

The Gaborone socialites are suspected of using the government's license to broker diamonds to launder gems that were mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Botswana's President Ian Khama only days ago spoke publicly of his government's commitment to vanquishing the illegaldiamond trade being conducted within the country's borders, according to Diamond Intelligence.

Let us applaud Botswana

Having realised that doing fence sitting while the Zimbabwean economy is deteriorating cannot help matters, Botswana chipped in with a credit facility worth about US$70 million meant to revive Zimbabwe's economy.
The lines of credit signed between Zimbabwe and Botswana Finance Ministers, Tendai Biti and Kenneth Matambo respectively in Harare on August 3, 2012, came at a time when the country had no access to international lenders like the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The initiative by Botswana to come up with such a package at a time when the international community is failing to bail out the country should be applauded. Botswana has shown the world that friendly countries should be assisted in times of need.

Whereas other countries have failed to see reason and bailout the ailing economy of Zimbabwe, Botswana has done exceptionally well by chipping in with such an offer.

Some of the countries in Africa and the world over have developed a wait and see attitude while Zimbabwe is in dire need of financial assistance.

Before such an initiative by Botswana, the media has been portraying Zimbabwe and Botswana as countries at a political war. Some media houses went on to say that President Robert Mugabe and Ian Khama do not see eye to eye as they are sworn enemies.

The recent offer by the Botswana government has dispelled that notion which was bent to sow seeds of hatred between friendly nations. While the media was portraying the two countries as enemies, the same media failed to influence those claiming to be friendly to Zimbabwe to come up with any offer.

If the truth be told, countries which were misleading former opposition leaders into believing that if they manage to get in government they would chip in with substantial amount of donor funds, have withheld their money to the disappointment of many Zimbabweans.

To show how helpful Botswana is, it did not impose its will on Zimbabwe before such a lifeline was offered. The country just felt that her neighbour needs assistance hence her desire to chip in with such a credit facility.
Had that credit facility come from either the EU or USA, strings would have been attached. The western countries, though developed, have no cheap money.

The WB and the IMF which are controlled by the developed countries, led by the USA and the EU bloc, are not good at releasing such facilities without economic prescription. Zimbabwe once experienced one of its worst era in history in the early 1990s when the WB and the IMF prescribed economic structural adjustment programmes for the country.

Other African governments should emulate what the Government of Botswana did to Zimbabwe. They should realise that Africa is for Africans and can only be saved by Africans. If only African leaders could dump the idea of rushing to the USA and EU for financial support in times of depression, the continent would be self reliant Africa is endowed with vast mineral resources which can sustain the continent and only the will and cooperation of African countries could save the continent.

Because of Botswana's assistance, companies which have been facing liquidity problems in our country would benefit as they would use such an initiative to recapitalise their operations.

NOCAL Warned Oil Expert Wants Botswana’s Steps Followed

The director of the International Growth Center (IGC), Paul Collier has admonished the Government of Liberia through the National Oil Company (NOCAL) to follow the positive examples of the Southern African state of Botswana in order to succeed from oil deposits.

Mr. Collier, who is currently in the country at the invitation of NOCAL, told a cross-section of entrepreneurs and business executives yesterday that it is important to institute necessary policies that Botswana used in driving her economy to a better standard other than following others that currently face crisis in handling their natural resources.

He stated that in order for Liberia to be successful in the equitable distribution of its oil wealth to all its citizens, NOCAL needs to prioritize the building of private sector capacity, instituting better rules governing the oil sector and continued engagement with local business by developing them.

“Oil is a signal for attracting investment to the country and if you manage its deposits well, you will attract investments from all around the world.”

“You have to put in place the best policies that will govern the sector and implement those policies,” said Mr. Collier.

Rural youth ask: What kind of animal is this BNYC?

In a rather surprising discovery, some youth, do not view the council as a structure with any relevance to them even after 38 years of operation. Phetso Danabe from Nata village described the BNYC, as a youth programme - but could not tell what it does. The Information and Technology graduate has never come across a young person who benefited from this 'scheme'.

"I know that BNYC is a youth programme, I don't know when it started and it held district council elections recently," Danabe said.

He does not hink the council can benefit the youth in anyway because it is event-oriented. The only time he hears about the organisation is during the Month of Youth Against AIDS and waits for a whole year to hear the acronym BNYC again. Adding that even those who usually attend some of its event may not know what it stands for and how beneficial it is to young Batswana, as entertainment pieces usually overshadow informative activities.

He is not the only one who does not see the role BNYC plays in addressing the plight of the youth. In its official website, the council list the following as its core business, aligned to its mandate; advocacy and lobbying, capacity building, research information dissemination and networking, resource mobilisation and adolescent sexual reproductive health.

Oratile Mooka*, a public worker based in Shakawe does not know much about the BNYC. In fact he hastened to say, "maybe I do not anything about the council"

Batswana, Namibians and Swazis, now need visa to visit Canada

As of September 12, 2012 citizens of Namibia, Botswana and Swaziland are required to apply for a visa to travel to Canada. The announcement was made on Wednesday by Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney. The ministry says about 35 million people visit Canada each year. 

"We continue to welcome genuine visitors to Canada," said Minister Kenney. "However, these visa requirements will give us a greater ability to manage the flow of people into Canada." This change will allow Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and its partners to screen more travellers for security risks prior to their arrival in Canada. This would help significantly reduce the risk that individuals engaged in organised crime or the trafficking of persons could gain entry to Canada.  Allafrica.com said in the cases of Namibia, Botswana and Swaziland, human trafficking, especially of minors and fraudulent documents were significant concerns.The minister was quoted as saying "these requirements will better protect the safety of Canadians by preventing foreign criminals from coming to Canada in the first place”.

Bringing countries together

'Botswana is an admirable country but the Australian Government has little to show for its relationship with your country because it is not in the realm of aid we provide. What can the Australian Government do for Botswana?'