Botswana growth forecast revised

30 November, 2009 in Botswana, Business

source: Mmegi STAFF WRITER London-based Business Monitor International (BMI) has revised upwards its full year growth forecast for Botswana from -9.9 percent to -6.5 percent for 2009 because of significant recovery in diamond exports in the second quarter of the year. The firm now expects Botswana’s economy to have a robust growth in 2010. “GDP [...]

DIS, DCEC probe dozens in corrupt land deals

30 November, 2009 in Botswana

source: Sunday Standard by REUBEN PITSE 29.11.2009 10:45:26 P The Directorate of Intelligence Services (DIS) and the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) have joined forces to investigate massive land corruption involving millions of pula and about 30 illegal land dealers The crime busters are understood to have frozen suspected dirty money estimated at [...]

Of titles,deeds and foreclosures

30 November, 2009 in Botswana, Business

source: Mmegi ISAAC PINIELO Correspondent FRANCISTOWN: Many in Botswana do not understand what title deeds and surety mortgage bonds are all about. They think ‘these things’ are none of their business, considering them to be matters of the wealthy. To 35-year old Maipelo Chabaesele of Francistown, deeds, leaseholds, freeholds and mortgage bonds are foreign languages. [...]

Introduce another `D` for Dismissal – council worker

30 November, 2009 in Botswana

source: Mmegi GALE NGAKANE Correspondent FRANCISTOWN: The Francistown City Council(FCC) is working flat out to meet the deadline set by permanent secretary, Thato Raphaka when he addressed Ministry of Local Government workers last Friday. Raphaka had given the council until today to have, among other things, made confirmations on those whose confirmations were long overdue [...]

Farm Invasions illegal — SA

30 November, 2009 in Zimbabwe

source: The Standard Saturday, 28 November 2009 20:44 THE South African government has accepted that the ongoing land invasions are unlawful, and that rulings of the Sadc Tribunal were binding. This followed a High Court application by farmers’ rights organisation Agriforum, which filed an urgent application seeking to stop the signing of the Bilateral Investment [...]

Police helicopter helps combat crime in F/town

30 November, 2009 in Botswana

source: Mmegi RYDER GABATHUSE AND KARABO SENAME Staff Writers FRANCISTOWN: “My wife and her cousin had just arrived home after visiting some of our relatives and friends on the other side of the town,” recalls Ricardo Mbakile, tears welling up in his eyes. “Three thugs,” he pauses before he could complete his sentence as pain [...]

Zuma team heads to Zim

30 November, 2009 in South Africa, Zimbabwe

source: News24 2009-11-29 21:28 Johannesburg – A team of South African officials departed for Zimbabwe on Sunday where they will facilitate talks on the Zimbabwean power-sharing agreement, the presidency said. “The facilitation support team constituted by President Jacob Zuma to work on the Zimbabwean process will head to Harare, Zimbabwe on Sunday,” said presidential spokesperson [...]

BCL gets tough on suppliers

30 November, 2009 in Botswana, Business

source: Sunday Standard by Godfrey Ganetsang 29.11.2009 10:31:44 P BCL mine, the copper/ nickel miner, presented a rule book to its league of suppliers with the aim of rooting out some rogue associates and at the same time slashing out on costs. The new terms of the rule book were presented to southern region suppliers’ [...]

South Africa: Waste company faces R10m fine

30 November, 2009 in South Africa

source: News24 2009-11-29 21:13 Johannesburg – A medical waste company which was found to be illegally dumping highly infectious raw waste is being investigated for corruption and fraud, the environmental affairs department said on Sunday. “One aspect of the investigation focused on the burying and dumping of truckloads of medical waste in and around Welkom [...]

`Collapse`of SACU could sink Botswana – Study

30 November, 2009 in Botswana, Business

source: Mmegi STAFF WRITER Although the world economy is slowly but surely showing signs of recovery, Botswana faces imminent economic jeopardy with the shaky Southern African Customs Union (SACU) threatening to break up. If that happened, it could result in the country losing billions of Pula, forcing it to take drastic measures like imposing a [...]

`Zim dollar won`t return soon`

30 November, 2009 in Zimbabwe

source: Fin24 Nov 29 2009 10:48 Harare – Zimbabwe’s central bank governor said the country will not put the local dollar back into circulation anytime soon as the economy must first achieve growth rates of at least seven percent, a state daily reported on Saturday. “For the avoidance of doubt and market uncertainty, it is [...]

European Union intervenes in Africa crisis

29 November, 2009 in Africa, Botswana

source: BOPA 27 November, 2009 GABORONE – The European Union has managed to set up institutions that have been able to deal with crises in the African continent. Speaking during a public lecture titled European Foreign, Security and Defence Policy (ESDP): European interventions in Africa at the University of Botswana on Tuesday, Professor Fabien Terpan [...]

South Africa: Medical waste dumped in yard

29 November, 2009 in South Africa

source: News24 2009-11-28 22:39 Johannesburg – Tons of highly infectious raw medical waste have been unearthed in the back yard of a brick factory in Welkom, Free State, the Sunday Times reported. The 300 ton stash, which includes bloody swabs, body parts, filthy bandages, used needles vials and discarded pills was found buried, making it [...]

Simply Botswana CD-ROM hits shelves

29 November, 2009 in Botswana

source: BOPA 27 November, 2009 GABORONE – The Simply Botswana CD-ROM is expected to take the country to greater heights through its creative concept to promote and market the country. Speaking at the official launch of the CD-ROM this week, the Chief Executive Officer of Shell Oil Botswana, Mr Boitumelo Sekwababe noted that it was [...]

Zim plane crashes in China

29 November, 2009 in Zimbabwe

source: News24 2009-11-28 08:01 Beijing — A cargo plane carrying seven crew crashed during take-off in Shanghai on Saturday, killing three, state media reported. The accident happened at 07:40 local time as the Zimbabwe-registered MD-11 aircraft was attempting to leave Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Xinhua news agency reported. Four crew members were injured – one [...]