Archive for September 22nd, 2008
source: BOPA
22 September, 2008
GABORONE – The Bank of Botswana is warning the public to be vigilant and exercise care when accepting banknotes from any source as there are some counterfeit P50 and P100 banknotes in circulation.
The public is urged to closely examine banknotes, particularly the old and worn-out ones.
A press release says the P100 fake notes bear the following serial numbers G/27 832232, G/33 636820, G/29 894749 and G/24 419516 while the fake P50 notes are of the serial number F/30 578648.
The fake notes are photo-scanned copies of genuine banknotes, and in an attempt to make them appear genuine, the counterfeits have applied a thin film of a silver coloured substance on the hologram to give it a shiny affect.
The fake notes are printed on a paper that [continue reading]
source: Standay Standard
by Kagiso Madibana
21.09.2008 6:33:15 P
The use of free access to music downloads and social networks, such as Face Book, Skype, You Tube and Edumela via the internet by both students and lecturers, has been blocked within Botswana’s top tertiary school premises.
Early last week, students in different colleges started noticing pop up blogs that informed them of their particular institution restricting the use of the sites they were trying to access.
Restrictions of websites in schools have been known to happen mostly in cases of websites containing pornographic materials.
Known cases have been identified at the country’s number one institution, the University of Botswana (UB) followed by the Botswana Accountancy College (BAC) and Limkokwing University.
Sunday Standard investigations reached the administration of Limkokwing University to find an explanation or meaning behind the [continue reading]
source: BOPA
22 September, 2008
GABORONE – After retracting the Media Practitioners Bill during the last session of Parliament, Minister of Communications, Science and Technology, Mrs Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, last week consulted with practitioners.
She told state and private journalists at the Mass Media Complex that she heard their complaints and those of other commentators. She said she realised it would be of no use to proceed with the bill, as it did not enjoy the blessings of those it is intended for.
“I had to go back and consult those who felt they never got a chance to add to the bill,” said Mrs Venson-Moitoi.
She advised media practitioners to select a committee that would represent them in further consultations.
Mrs Venson-Moitoi explained that they need to iron out some of the disputed clauses such as the registration and accreditation of media practitioners and the [continue reading]
source: allAfrica
September 22 2008 at 11:14AM
By Stanley Gama and Hans Pienaar
Harare – Despite being ousted as head of state of South Africa, President Thabo Mbeki is likely to continue as mediator in Zimbabwe’s power sharing deal reached between President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) last week.
Sources in both Zanu-PF and the MDC said on Sunday that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) had already hinted in confidential communications that Mbeki was likely to continue as mediator.
“It is unfortunate that in politics so many unexpected things happen. Nobody ever thought that President Mbeki would resign in dramatic fashion like this,” said a top MDC official.
“If one is a mediator, he or she does not need to be a president. Actually former presidents have proved to be [continue reading]
source: allAfrica
BuaNews (Tshwane)
20 September 2008
Posted to the web 22 September 2008
Cape Town
European helicopter manufacturer, Eurocopter, has completed a R2-million upgrade of its service and maintenance facility at Cape Town International Airport, enabling it to better support a rapidly expanding southern African customer base and fleet.
The newly refurbished facility was opened this week to coincide with the 2008 Africa Aerospace and Defence exhibition, where Eurocopter has a strong presence, reports SouthAfrica.info.
“This significant business increase is attributable, in a booming market, to the adequacy of our products to the customer needs and also to the recognition by the market of the quality of our support towards our customers,” Eurocopter Southern Africa Chief Executive Officer Fabrice Cagnat said in a statement this week.
“It could even increase in [continue reading]
source: BOPA
22 September, 2008
GABORONE – The contribution of manufacturing sector to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) remains small, but it forms the basis from which the country can build its industrialisation and diversification strategies.
Speaking at the Botswana Exporters and Manufacturers Association (BEMA) last week, Assistant Minister of Trade and Industry Mr Duke Lefhoko said the contribution of the sector to the diversification of the economy and employment cannot be underestimated. “The investors in this sector have heeded to the call of the government to diversify the economy from reliance on exports of minerals and beef,” he said. The assistant minister said the role of the private sector was becoming increasingly important in terms of advising the government on policy formulation as well as in international trade.
He assured BEMA that their concerns regarding intra-Southern African Customs Union (SACU) trade barriers were receiving attention within government and were raised during the SACU Council of Ministers Retreat held in Kasane last month.
Assistant Minister Lefhoko said while there were [continue reading]
source: Standay Standard
by Sunday Standard Reporter
21.09.2008 6:30:11 P
A war of words has erupted between the Government and Kgalagadi Breweries following a government decision to introduce a 30% levy on all alcoholic beverages, effective October1, 2008.
While Government says the decision is a product of proposals submitted by the private sector on behalf of the alcohol industry, Kgalagadi Breweries maintains the whole thing smacks of a government snub, as the levy was never a part of the proposals.
So strong and sudden has been the KBL response to the announcement that the corporation just fell short of accusing the government of engaging in spin.
On Friday, the government announced as its “final decision” the implementation of a 30% levy.
The “final decision” is lower than 70% initially proposed by President Ian Khama.
Also announced is [continue reading]
source: Republic of Botswana (20/9/08): TAUTONA TIMES no 28 of 2008
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President “Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline”
C1) 19/9/08: “Government adopts measures to combat alcohol abuse”
With reference to the above, please find below an electronic copy in plain text of a Press Statement issued today by the Ministry of Trade and Industry:
Members of the public are informed that Government has accepted measures proposed by the Botswana Confederation of Commence, Industry and Manpower (BOCCIM) to address concerns related to excessive alcohol consumption in Botswana.
These measures include the adoption of a National Policy on Alcohol, public education campaigns on the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption, and stiffer penalties for alcohol related offences, as well as the monitoring of the implementation of the programmes.
In addition, Government has decided to introduce a 30% levy on all alcoholic beverages consumed in Botswana as from October 1st 2008. The levy will be used to [continue reading]
source: Standay Standard
by Sunday Standard Reporter
21.09.2008 6:11:13 P
Government sent financial markets in a shock-wave Friday by imposing a 30 percent alcohol levy whose impact is likely to drive one of the titanic Botswana Stock Exchange companies to its knees and ignite inflationary pressures that would impact on the general economy.
In a statement released by the Ministry of Trade and Industry on Friday, the government said it “has decided to introduce a 30 percent levy on all alcoholic beverages consumed in Botswana as from October 1, 2008.”
“If there is no improvement, government will consider introducing additional measures, including the possibility of increasing the levy,” the statement added.
The bitterly contested move was initially mentioned two months ago when the government said that it intended to increase the levy by 70 percent but was stalled because an [continue reading]
source: The Standard
Saturday, 20 September 2008 19:39
CONCERN mounted yesterday that the power-sharing agreement, hamstrung by a deadlock over the allocation of cabinet ministries, faced another threat after the African National Congress (ANC) asked the mediator Thabo Mbeki to resign as President of South Africa.
The decision, described in South Africa as a political “earthquake”, came as negotiators for Zanu PF and the MDC prepared to seek Mbeki’s help in resolving a deadlock reached over the allocation of ministries last week.
Their principals — President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister-designate, Professor Arthur Mutambara — failed to agree on how to share the ministries on Thursday, dampening hopes that the politicians would start working together to resolve the country’s political and economic crisis.
Among the contentious ministries were those of Defence, Home Affairs, Information, and Finance.
Haile Menkerios, the UN Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs said in New York on Friday the parties would turn to Mbeki for help to solve the issue which he described as a “snag” and a “hiccup”.
Menkerios made the comments shortly after he briefed members of [continue reading]
source: allAfrica
South African Government (Pretoria)
DOCUMENT
21 September 2008
Posted to the web 21 September 2008
Thabo Mbeki
Fellow South Africans,
I have no doubt that you are aware of the announcement made yesterday by the National Executive Committee of the ANC with regard to the position of the President of the Republic.
Accordingly, I would like to take this opportunity to inform the nation that today I handed a letter to the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Honourable Baleka Mbete, to tender my resignation from the high position of President of the Republic of South Africa, effective from the day that will be determined by the National Assembly.
I have been a loyal member of the African National Congress for 52 years. I remain a member of the ANC and therefore respect its decisions. It is for this reason that I have taken the decision to resign as President of the Republic, following the decision of the National Executive Committee of the ANC.
I would like sincerely to thank the nation and the ANC for [continue reading]
source: International Herald Tribune
JOHANNESBURG: Revealing little emotion, President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa told the nation on Sunday that he had resigned, leaving it to Parliament to set the date of his departure.
Mbeki spoke for 14 minutes on television. The day before, the executive committee of his political party, the African National Congress, had demanded that he step down.
“I would like to say that gloom and despondency have never defeated adversity,” he said soberly. “Trying times need courage and resilience.”
He summarized what he judged had been his leading achievements, then bemoaned the fact that “abject poverty was still found side by side with extraordinary opulence.”
He said he remained a loyal party member. He thanked other heads of state across the continent. “These African patriots know as I do that Africa and Africans will not and must not be the wretched of the earth perpetually,” he said.
Mbeki, nine and a half years in office, departs after losing a power struggle to [continue reading]
source: Standay Standard
by REUBEN PITSE
21.09.2008 6:36:28 P
Financial institutions that lost millions of Pula with the collapse of Lobtrans will have to wait a bit longer to know whether the company managing director and his associates will ever be tried because police say investigations are still in progress.
Head of the Serious Crime Squad, Detective Senior Superintendent, Victor Mabina, said “our investigations are far from over”.
“This is a very complex case because it has a lot of documents, some of which have been taken by liquidators as well as by the financial institutions that fell victim to the company under investigation,” he said.
Mabina said that they had not yet recovered even a “thebe” in the alleged millions that the company is said to have cheated out of some financial institutions that funded Lobtrans, adding that chances of recovering the money are very slim because the company has already being liquidated.
He added that sometimes it is not easy to get some of those documents because the [continue reading]
source: The Standard
Saturday, 20 September 2008 19:33
FURTHER evidence of the international community’s desire for Zimbabwe to form a new Cabinet and speedily embark on a recovery programme came from the African Development Bank and the World Bank on Friday.
The announcement came as the United Nations and other organisations rushed to provide basic life-saving aid to millions of Zimbabweans and urgently need additional funds.
The African Development Bank and the World Bank said in a joint statement that the power-sharing agreement signed between Zanu PF and the two MDC formations represented a potential opportunity for Zimbabwe.
“The African Development Bank and the World Bank Group welcome the power-sharing agreement signed on Monday in Harare,” the two institutions said, “as a potential opportunity for Zimbabwe to begin to deal with its mounting economic, social and governance problems.
“We also look forward to a demonstration that it can form the basis for tackling the most urgent human needs, especially of vulnerable women, youth and children, such as those arising from hyper-inflation and the food and fuel crisis.”
The two financial institutions said as concrete progress on the ground was made, they would be “ready to join other development partners in exploring an [continue reading]
source: Standay Standard
by Bashi Letsididi
21.09.2008 6:13:52 P
A little over a week from today, the Botswana Unified Revenue Service will start collecting the national training levy.
In preparation for the levy’s introduction on October 1, joint teams of BURS and the Botswana Training Authority (BOTA) are holding seminars across the country to educate employers, tax consultants, accountants and the business community about the new tax.
In all, these seminars, which end in mid-October, will be conducted in 16 places.
The training levy shall be at the rate of 0.2 percent of turnover at the P250 000 mark and not more than P2 billion and 0.05 percent in the case of turnover in excess of P2 billion.
Employers with a turnover of less than P250 000 shall be exempted from [continue reading]
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- selected Press Preleases
- STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY Lt. GEN. SERETSE KHAMA IAN KHAMA
- H.E. the President, Lt. Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama, President of the Republic of Botswana on the Occasion of the Annual Diplomatic Reception
- H.E. the President, Lt. Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama at the Botswana Democratic Party Leadership Forum/Pitso, Gaborone
- H.H, Lt. Gen. Mompati S. Merafhe, Mp, Vice President of the Republic of Botswana at a Fundraising Dinner for Mochudi Resource Centre for the Blind
- The Minister of Defence Justice and Security Hon.D.N.Seretse at the Farewell Party of three Senior Staff
- The Director General Directorate of Intelligence and Security during the Security Association of Botswana Annual General Meeting, Oasis Motel
- Response to the Report in Mmegi of Friday 06 August on rumoured Replacement of the Attorney General
- Botswana retains eighth place position in Mining Survey
- President's Housing Appeal for the Needy
- Yusuf Dada, Group MD of Motor Centre Botswana on the Occasion of the Commissioning and Hand Over of the Boswelakoko Clinic by the A.S.Dada Foundation
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