SADC envisions food security in spite of the recession

29 June, 2009 in Botswana, SADC

source: Sunday Standard by Gowenius Toka 02.06.2009 2:13:24 P Ministers for Agriculture and Food Security in the Southern African region have said that despite the economic slow-down that affected the region the food security in the region is reassuring. The ministers of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) said this at the end of their [...]

New St Louis beer hits the market

29 June, 2009 in Botswana, Business

source: Mmegi MPHO TLALE Correspondent On Tuesday evening, a curious crowd gathered at Gaborone International Convention Centre (GICC) to witness what Kgalagadi Breweries Limited (KBL) had in store for them. The surprise turned out to be the launch of a new beer called St Louis Export premium lager. St Louis Export has an alcohol content [...]

Nursing is plagued by `brain drain`

29 June, 2009 in Botswana

source: Mmegi CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI Staff Writer Botswana, like other developing countries has in recent times experienced a serious ‘brain drain’ in the nursing cadre, worsening the ever-increasing challenges in health care such as HIV/AIDS, TB and other illnesses that require a dedicated nursing work force. The Assistant Minister of Health, Gaotlhaetse Matlhabaphiri, was officiating at [...]

Government denies Bakgatla mophato hunting permission

29 June, 2009 in Botswana

source: Sunday Standard by Kagiso Selabe 28.06.2009 6:07:19 P The Bakgatla candidates for bogwera will be left yesterday (Saturday) the 27th of June as planned, but there will be no hunting of animals as negotiations between the Kgatleng Tribal Authorities and the Ministry of Wildlife and Tourism failed. Hunting of animals has always been an [...]

Oil price hikes to stem inflation slump

29 June, 2009 in Botswana, Business

source: Mmegi STAFF WRITER The continued downward trend in the annual inflation rate could be temporarily halted by the renewed firming of international oil prices, analysts have said. A report from Motswedi Securities says that although inflation has eased off since late last year, the downward trend might be slowed as a result of resurging [...]

South Africa: Power hikes may scare investors

29 June, 2009 in South Africa

source: Fin24 2009/06/28 06:01:00 PM Jana Marais Johannesburg – South Africa’s days as a cheap investment destination for power-intensive industries such as mines, smelters and manufacturing plants are numbered. After this week’s 31.3% increase, South African electricity tariffs for industries are more expensive in dollar terms than those of China, parts of Eastern Europe, certain [...]

Khama should pick woman VP – Kwelagobe

28 June, 2009 in Botswana

source: The Botswana Gazette Written by JFG Tuesday, 23 June 2009 09:38 Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) chairman Daniel Kwelagobe has said he will advise party president Lt Gen Ian Khama to nominate a woman as Vice President after the general elections. He was speaking at the launch of the Kanye South parliamentary candidate on Saturday. [...]

Report hails Botswana`s development record

28 June, 2009 in Botswana

source: Mmegi EPHRAIM KEORENG Staff Writer Botswana has been hailed for being a developmental state that prudently delivers public goods and services. In a report titled: ‘The progress of good governance in Botswana, 2008′, the Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis (BIDPA) says that the country has realised good economic growth and made deliberate efforts [...]

Don`t run large deficit – Jefferies

28 June, 2009 in Botswana, Business

source: The Botswana Gazette Written by JFG Friday, 26 June 2009 00:00 Total foreign debt estimated at P12.13 billion Economic consultant Keith Jefferies has said the ability by the country to borrow externally should not be a reason to run a large deficit. In the 2009/10 Budget speech in Parliament the Minister of Finance and [...]

Health ministry quashes rumours of `swine flu`

28 June, 2009 in Botswana

source: Mmegi EPHRAIM KEORENG Staff Writer The Ministry of Health has dismissed allegations that the H1N1 2009 influenza pandemic. In a press briefing on yesterday in Gaborone, public health director, Shenaaz El Halabi said that media reports that say Botswana has registered five H1N1 influenza suspected cases were not true, adding that the country has [...]

South Africa `ahead of schedule for 2010`

28 June, 2009 in South Africa, World Cup 2010

source: SouthAfrica.info 25 June 2009 South Africa will meet its infrastructure deadlines well ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe told Parliament in Cape Town this week. He pointed out that oversight visits conducted by members of the inter-ministerial committee had helped to ensure that the government and other stakeholders met [...]

Siele reports 22 companies liquidated

27 June, 2009 in Botswana, Business

source: Mmegi STAFF WRITER At least 22 companies have been put under liquidation for the financial years 2007/08 – 2008/09, Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Peter Siele said yesterday. He was responding to a question from MP for Lobatse, Nehemiah Modubule, who also wanted to know how many employees were affected and the amount [...]

South Africa: Eskom hike `unacceptable`

27 June, 2009 in South Africa

source: Fin24 2009/06/25 02:27:00 PM Sikonathi Mantshantsha Johannesburg – Trade union Cosatu has said the 31.3% electricity tariff hike granted to power utility Eskom is “totally unacceptable” and unwarranted as it is almost four times the inflation rate. “Cosatu strongly condemns this hike; it is a face-saving measure by Nersa (the National Energy Regulator of [...]

Zimbabwe: Foreign trip a success – PM

27 June, 2009 in Zimbabwe

source: News24 2009-06-25 22:26 Angela Charlton Paris – Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai called his tour of Europe and the United States a success on Thursday, though he won few commitments of aid amid new UN warnings of food shortages in his country. Officials in France, Tsvangirai’s last stop on a nearly three-week tour, offered [...]

Nursing council sets up to protect patients

27 June, 2009 in Botswana

source: Mmegi CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI Staff Writer The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Botswana (NMCB) has promised to be more visible in their endeavour to protect the public from negligent nurses in hospitals. The registrar of the council, Khumo Modisaemang, said their mandate is to make sure that the public receives quality services. “Our mandate is [...]