Attorney General reins-in Bakgatla over floggings

27 January, 2010 in Botswana

source: Mmegi EPHRAIM KEORENG Staff Writer As the controversy over the whipping of people in Kgatleng rages on, Defence, Justice and Security Minister, Ramadeluka Seretse and police commissioner, Thebeyame Tsimako are said to have met Bakgatla paramount chief, Kgosi Kgafela II today to discuss the goings-on in the district. The meeting interestingly coincides with a [...]

Zimbabwe: Australia Softens Zimbabwe Stance

27 January, 2010 in Zimbabwe

source: allAfrica Business Day (Johannesburg) Hopewell Radebe 27 January 2010 Pretoria — The Australian government, a vocal critic of Harare and one of the governments instrumental in getting it kicked out of the Commonwealth, has softened its approach and will now provide assistance to Zimbabwe. “We have agreed on projects to help Zimbabwe with taxation [...]

Botswana grapples to meet food demand

27 January, 2010 in Botswana

source: BOPA 26 January, 2010 GABORONE – Botswana is grappling with the challenge of turning its agricultural sector around to meet local food demand. Briefing Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Stephen Smith, agriculture minister, Mr Christian De Graaff said Botswana continued to rely heavily on food imports. He regretted that the agricultural sector produced [...]

SA, Australia push for closer ties

27 January, 2010 in South Africa

source: SouthAfrica.info 26 January 2010 South Africa and Australia have reaffirmed the need to strengthen their existing relations and further expand cooperation between the two countries. This follows a meeting between International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and her Australian counterpart, Stephen Smith, in Pretoria on Tuesday morning. Speaking to the media after the [...]

Botswana officers still detained in Zimbabwe

27 January, 2010 in Botswana, Zimbabwe

source: Mmegi BAME PIET Staff Writer Three officers from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) are still detained in Zimbabwe after they crossed into the country by mistake last week. The armed Botswana officers, travelling in a government vehicle, were tracking lions that had killed two cows in Lesoma village along the border [...]

Morupule official seeks support for mine expansion

26 January, 2010 in Botswana, Business, Morupule

source: BOPA 25 January, 2010 PALAPYE – The Operations Readiness Manager for Morupule Colliery Limited, Mr Koolatotse Koolatotse has asked for support and cooperation from the Palapye sub district council in relation to the anticipated expansion of the mine. Briefing the councilors about the project last week, Mr Koolatotse said it was important for the [...]

Ten more years to total food security

26 January, 2010 in Botswana

source: Mmegi Botswana agriculture sector has generally been seen as a weak link for a country that is aiming to achieve economic prosperity and independence, with fingers pointed at the unfavourable climatic and soil conditions in most parts of the country while others have blamed lack of adequate investments into the sector. Statisticians say Botswana [...]

Govt devises initiatives to boost growth

25 January, 2010 in Botswana, Business

source: BOPA 25 January, 2010 LETLHAKANE – Minister of Local Government, Mr Lebonaamang Mokalake has informed residents of Letlhakane that government has come up with initiatives to boost economic growth. Mr Mokalake, who is also Boteti South MP said this during a kgotla meeting in Letlhakane recently. He explained that one of the initiatives that [...]

One% diamond business for Botswana in 40 years

25 January, 2010 in Botswana, Business

source: Mmegi MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE Staff Writer They may have transformed Botswana from one of the poorest countries in the world at independence to a middle income economy, but many would be shocked at the revelations that the returns Botswana derived from the diamonds under the De Beers arrangement of 40 years were just a drop [...]

Contractor fails to complete Serowe college on time

24 January, 2010 in Botswana

source: BOPA 22 January, 2010 SEROWE – The more than P135000 project of the expansion of Serowe College of Education (SCE) is yet again delayed after the contractor failed to deliver it on schedule. The project which consists of Science and Mathematics block, Home Economics laboratory, library, performance and visual arts laboratory, physical education and [...]

Zimbabwe: Charged for insulting Mugabe

24 January, 2010 in Zimbabwe

source: Fin24 2010-01-22 22:30 Harare – The joint head of the body meant to draft a new democratic constitution for Zimbabwe has been charged with insulting President Mugabe by calling him a goblin, lawyers confirmed on Friday. Douglas Mwonzora, a parliamentarian for Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and co-chairperson of the [...]

Rates payers owe GCC millions

24 January, 2010 in Botswana

source: BOPA 22 January, 2010 GABORONE – The Gaborone City Council (GCC) is owed millions of Pula in unpaid rates and default in loan payments in respect of the Self Help Housing Agency Scheme (SHAA). Segoditshane Councillor, Mr Ephraim Mabengano told a kgotla meeting addressed by Gaborone Central Member of Parliament, Mr Dumelang Saleshando, that [...]

Botswana needs to transform to knowledge-based economy

23 January, 2010 in Botswana

source: BOPA 22 January, 2010 GABORONE – The National Policy on Science, Technology and Innovation on Science and Technology is being developed to replace the Science and Technology Policy which was approved by Parliament in 1998. Presenting the draft in Gaborone during its final discussion the Director of the Department of Research Science and Technology [...]

Zimbabwe: MDC Ministers Face EU Sanctions Over Corruption

23 January, 2010 in Zimbabwe

source: allAfrica Zimbabwe Independent (Harare) Faith Zaba 21 January 2010 IN a new twist to the corruption saga in the MDC-T, the party is engaged in an attempt to foil a move to have two of its ministers put on the European Union sanctions list for allegedly conniving with their Zanu PF counterparts in corrupt [...]

Botswana receives P5.1b SACU share

23 January, 2010 in Botswana, Business

source: BOPA 22 January, 2010 GABORONE – Botswana has received over P5.1 billion (R5.6 billion) as its annual Southern African Customs Union (SACU) revenue share. Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Mr Kenneth Matambo, said the money will be used to finance the 2010 national budget. He said the amount is smaller than in previous [...]