Brigades takeover costs P249m

26 February, 2009 in Botswana

source: Mmegi MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE Staff Writer The Brigades takeover is costing the Botswana government P248, 800, 330, Education and Skills Development Minister Jacob Nkate has told Parliament. The takeover has resulted in 103 percent increase in the recurrent budget for the Department of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (DVET), bulging to P 488, 494, [...]

Ramsden clarifies CTO debt

26 February, 2009 in Botswana, Business

source: BOPA 25 February, 2009 GABORONE – The Central Transport Organisation (CTO) owes Shell Oil Botswana over P2 million on invoices that were wrongly priced. The Minister of Works and Transport, Mr Frank Ramsden, said Shell Oil Botswana had charged CTO at fuel retail prices instead of government tender prices. He said Shell has since [...]

BHC builds over 23 000 houses

26 February, 2009 in Botswana

source: BOPA 26 February, 2009 GABORONE – The Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) has built a total of 23 684 housing units since its inception in 1972, Parliament was told. According to the Minister of Lands and Housing Mr Nonofo Molefhi out of the 23 684 housing units 1 426 houses were vested in BHC by [...]

Zimbabwe: Mugabe agrees to free detainees

26 February, 2009 in Zimbabwe

source: International Herald Tribune The Associated Press Published: February 25, 2009 HARARE, Zimbabwe: The prime minister in Zimbabwe’s new coalition government said Wednesday that President Robert Mugabe has agreed to free political prisoners, but the attorney general was “willfully obstructing” releases. Morgan Tsvangirai, speaking at a news conference, said the detentions threatened the new unity [...]

Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai rejects Mugabe appointment of permanent secretaries

26 February, 2009 in Zimbabwe

source: SW Radio Africa By Lance Guma 25 February 2009 Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Wednesday held a joint press conference with his Deputy, Arthur Mutambara, at which both men rejected the unilateral appointment of ministerial Permanent Secretaries by Mugabe on Tuesday. Tsvangirai said these were, ‘in contravention of both the Global Political Agreement and [...]

Cholera Threat Haunts Francistown Residents

26 February, 2009 in Botswana

source: The Botswana Gazette Written by Botswana Gazette online Wednesday, 25 February 2009 00:00 Residents in Francistown city and other areas serviced from the Shashe Dam could be drinking sewerage water. Over the past week, drains carrying effluent at Mambo Water Treatment Works burst, spilling refuge into water streams running directly into the flowing Tati [...]

More specially elected MPs for BDP?

26 February, 2009 in Botswana

source: Mmegi OLIVER MODISE Correspondent Indications are that the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) is determined to ensure the Constitution is amended to increase the number of specially elected Members of Parliament (MPs) from four to eight. In an unprecedented move, the BDP has written to all its members directing them not to oppose a [...]

Industrial court halts BPC early exit scheme

26 February, 2009 in Botswana, Business

source: BOPA 26 February, 2009 GABORONE – Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) has been interdicted by the Industrial Court from implementing its early exit scheme until Thursday next week. This follows an urgent application by the National Amalgamated Local and Central Government and Parastatals Workers’ Union (NALCGPWU), commonly known as “Trade Unions” to obtain a relief [...]

Response by the Ministry of Lands and Housing to Sunday Standard story of 8/2/09 `Government in secret land deals with South African Company`

26 February, 2009 in Botswana

source: Republic of Botswana (16/2/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 3 of 2009 The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President “Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline” C6) 16/2/09: Response by the Ministry of Lands and Housing to Sunday Standard story of 8/2/09 “Government in secret land deals with South African Company” In the interest [...]

Confusion about media legislation abound

26 February, 2009 in Botswana

source: BOPA 24 February, 2009 GABORONE – Government says an appeal by some freedom of expression organisations that appeared in newspapers recently, for President Seretse Khama Ian Khama to reconsider the Media Practitioners Act reflects misunderstandings of the legislation. Dr Jeff Ramsay, Co-ordinator of the Botswana Government Communications and Information System (BGCIS), says the government [...]

SA`s newest teleco launched

26 February, 2009 in South Africa

source: SouthAfrica.info 24 February 2009 South Africa’s emerging status as one of the world’s most liberalised telecoms markets has received a boost with the launch of O-Tel, the latest entrant into a rapidly hotting-up telecoms space. O-Tel is a licensed national telecoms operator, having receiving its individual Electronic Communication Network Services (i-ECNS) license from the [...]

Orange customers not happy

26 February, 2009 in Botswana, Business, Telekoms & Providers

source: BOPA 24 February, 2009 GABORONE – The recent network problem experienced by mobile phone provider, Orange, has adversely affected small businesses that sell airtime. One of the cutomers, Mr Thato Omphile who is earning a living by selling scratch cards and quick recharges says his business has been affected by this problem, adding that [...]

Over 1, 000 govt cattle stolen

26 February, 2009 in Botswana, Business

source: Mmegi MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE Staff Writer Parliament has been told that 1, 027 head of cattle have disappeared from Banyana farm, since government bought the facility from the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC). Kweneng East Member of Parliament (MP) Moeng Pheto asked the Minister of Agriculture, Christian De Graaf, about the state of affairs at the [...]

Govt Failing to Create Jobs – Survey

26 February, 2009 in Botswana, Business

source: The Botswana Gazette Written by Botswana Gazette online Wednesday, 25 February 2009 21:14 Income Gap Widening Batswana see economic problems as most pressing and unemployment is top of the list f their concerns. 64% of the respondents in the Afrobarometer survey carried out in October 2008 identified unemployment as one of the key problems [...]

Batswana favour democracy

25 February, 2009 in Botswana

source: BOPA 23 February, 2009 GABORONE – A 2008 study by Afrobarometer on perceptions and democratic governance has found that Batswana are committed to democracy. The report shows that in 2008, 86 per cent of respondents supported democracy as a form of government, and a negligible 5 per cent would, in some circumstances, prefer a [...]