Corrupt immigration officers get the sack

30 April, 2009 in Botswana

source: Mmegi EPHRAIM KEORENG Staff Writer The Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs has said it has sacked 18 immigration officers for selling Botswana passports to foreign nationals. The employees were dismissed after thorough investigations. The ministry’s permanent secretary, Segakweng Tsiane has said that some foreign nationals were arrested when they were found in possession [...]

BoB Cuts Bank Rate – Again

30 April, 2009 in Botswana, Business

source: The Botswana Gazette Written by JFG Wednesday, 29 April 2009 The Bank of Botswana (BoB) has reduced interest rates for the second time in four months to bolster an underperforming economy. The central bank announced last week that it had decided to reduce the bank rate by one percent, from 14 percent to 13 [...]

South Africa: New technology to detect swine flu – Acsa

30 April, 2009 in Africa

source: IOL April 29 2009 at 10:40AM The Airports Company of SA (Acsa) is planning to install technology to check the temperatures of passengers arriving from countries affected by swine flu, an official said on Wednesday. “These thermal image detection systems, we had all along planned on employing them,” said director of operations Bongani Maseko. [...]

BNF to expel members?

30 April, 2009 in Botswana

source: Mmegi OARABILE MOSIKARE Correspondent FRANCISTOWN: Botswana National Front (BNF) is reportedly planning to suspend and expel more than 50 members for supporting an independent candidate during Thamaga West ward by-election. The members are waiting to know their fate following a disciplinary hearing at the weekend. BNF sources have revealed that a number of activists [...]

Who should write Zimbabwe`s constitution?

30 April, 2009 in Zimbabwe

source: SW Radio Africa By Tichaona Sibanda 29 April 2009 The making of a new constitution is slowly turning into one big fight. That our country needs to revitalise itself is in no doubt, and the fact that it needs a constitutional overhaul is also a well known fact. But the road to constitutional reform [...]

Handle Education With Care

30 April, 2009 in Botswana, Education

source: The Botswana Gazette Written by JFG Wednesday, 29 April 2009 I have in the past written on how education is potentially a politically destabilising force. I want to reiterate this point in light of recent developments at the Ministry of Education and Skills Development. The decision of the ministry to sponsor only students with [...]

Africa: Education On the Brink

30 April, 2009 in Africa, Education

source: allAfrica AfricaFocus (Washington, DC) 29 April 2009 analysis Washington, DC — “Investments in education and training were signaled in the G20 Communique as a priority to stimulate the economy – and as a key strategy to get out of the global recession. However, these warm words about education were focused on the G20 countries [...]

South Africa: Not Enough Drugs to Handle a Pandemic

30 April, 2009 in South Africa

source: allAfrica UN Integrated Regional Information Networks 29 April 2009 Johannesburg — South Africa, the country with the most resources in Africa, has two suspected cases of swine flu, but does not have adequate supplies of the antiviral drugs known to be effective in treating the rapidly spreading disease that has so far claimed more [...]

Universal and mandatory pension scheme proposed

30 April, 2009 in Botswana

source: Mmegi WANETSHA MOSINYI Staff Writer The high administrative costs of local commercial banks have been highlighted as one of the major detrimental factors that will hinder the introduction of the proposed broad-based occupational pension scheme for Botswana. Various speakers at a workshop on developing the pension scheme organised by the Ministry of Labour and [...]

BMC Makes Profit

30 April, 2009 in Botswana, Business

source: The Botswana Gazette Written by JFG Thursday, 30 April 2009 Higher prices in the European Union (EU) markets due to import bans on South American products have seen Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) record handsome profits during the financial year ended December 2008. As a result of the good returns from beef sales, BMC had [...]

Zimbabwe: Mugabe agrees to swear in Bennett BUT only after court acquittal

30 April, 2009 in Zimbabwe

source: SW Radio Africa By Violet Gonda 29 April 2009 The three principals in the unity government, Robert Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, have met five times recently to discuss the controversies surrounding the implementation of the Global Political Agreement, but they have still failed to come up with a solution. Observers say this [...]

Inflation rate to reach BoB target in third quarter

29 April, 2009 in Botswana, Business

source: Mmegi BRIAN BENZA Staff Writer The annual inflation rate is likely fall within the Bank of Botswana (BoB) medium to long-term target of between 3-6 percent by the third quarter of the year, economist Keith Jefferis has said. In the first quarter economic review of BIFM, Jefferis who is chairman of the financial institution’s [...]

Africa: Swine Flu Outbreaks Mobilize International Public Health Effort

29 April, 2009 in Africa

source: allAfrica America.gov (Washington, DC) Cheryl Pellerin 27 April 2009 Outbreaks of a new strain of influenza virus that began in north-central Mexico March 22 and have spread to the United States, Canada and Spain so far have prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the event a public health emergency of international concern. [...]

ICT sector grows at snail pace

29 April, 2009 in Botswana

source: Mmegi BRIAN BENZA Staff Writer Driven mainly by a conducive environment and infrastructure set up by government, Botswana’s Information, Technology and Communications (ICT) sector continues to develop although at a slower pace than expected, an economist said yesterday. Dr Phumzile Thobokwe of the Botswana National Productivity Centre (BNPC) told an ICT seminar in Gaborone [...]

IMF agrees to set up multi donor trust fund for Zimbabwe

29 April, 2009 in Zimbabwe

source: SW Radio Africa By Violet Gonda 28 April 2009 Finance Minister Tendai Biti was expected to leave the US on Tuesday evening, following a fundraising trip to try and get immediate financial rescue packages from the US government, the International Monetary fund (IMF) and the World Bank. It is understood that although there was [...]