Govt secures 6, 000 ha for Gaborone expansion

8 November, 2010 in Botswana

source: Mmegi MBONGENI MGUNI Staff Writer The Ministry of Lands and Housing is on the brink of acquiring 6,000 hectares of tribal land on the western outskirts of Gaborone, for the expansion of the capital city. The land in question stretches from Ledumadumane towards Mmopane and the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport. Negotiations are still [...]

South Africa: First national Zulu-language paper

8 November, 2010 in South Africa

source: News24 2010-11-07 17:07 Johannesburg – South Africa’s first national Zulu-language newspaper hit the streets on Sunday, catering to a growing demand among the country’s largest ethnic group. The Sunday Times launched its Zulu edition in KwaZulu-Natal. “We are extremely proud to be making a contribution to the growth of an indigenous language. This in [...]

African Diamonds issues detailed plan to shareholders

8 November, 2010 in Botswana, Business, Mining

source: Sunday Standard by Prof Malema 05-11-2010 African Diamond Plc, the diamond company involved in AK 6 resources, has issued out a scheme of arrangement to shareholders, indicating that it is planning to de-list on both the London and Botswana Stock Exchanges (BSE), before the end of the year. The move follows what was dubbed [...]

Computerisation of land records on course – Molefhi

8 November, 2010 in Botswana

source: Mmegi MBONGENI MGUNI Staff Writer The Ministry of Lands and Housing and Swedish consultants are in the process of data collection as part of a five-year project to computerise land ownership records, the most comprehensive attempt made thus far. Efforts to computerise land records and management systems date as far back as 1990 through [...]

Botswana carries Wilderness as bed nights fall across operations

8 November, 2010 in Botswana, Business, Tourism

source: Sunday Standard by Sunday Standard Reporter 07-11-2010 Wilderness Holdings predicted that tough market conditions will continue in the medium term with bed night demand battered as traditional markets in the U.S and Europe remain affected by the credit crunch. Unfavourable exchange rates, rising costs and recession in source markets remain some of the challenges [...]

Construction of AK6 mine to start soon

8 November, 2010 in Botswana, Business, Mining

source: Mmegi BRIAN BENZA Staff writer Construction of the AK6 diamond mine in Boteti is set to take off in the next few months with full commissioning targeted for early 2012. A statement released this week by joint-venture partners, Lucara Diamonds and African Diamonds, announcing a formal decision to proceed with development of the mine [...]

No agreement yet on Zim diamond future

8 November, 2010 in Zimbabwe

source: SW Radio Africa By Alex Bell 05 November 2010 A four day meeting of the international diamond trade watchdog, the Kimberley Process (KP), ended with no sign of an agreement on Zimbabwe’s diamond trade future on Thursday. KP Chairman Boaz Hirsch told a news conference at the end of the meeting in Jerusalem that [...]

Xenophobia rising in Mochudi

3 November, 2010 in Botswana

source: Mmegi GREG KELEBONYE Staff Writer Xenophobic sentiments are rising in Mochudi with some tribesman calling for “kick out” of non-Bakgatla government workers such as the police.None of the Bakgatla royals holding fort following the remand of Kgosi Kgolo Kgafela, has condemned the statement. If some Bakgatla tribesmen have their way, all non-Bakgatla working in [...]

Zimbabwe: AfDB to Fund Projects

3 November, 2010 in Zimbabwe

source: allAfrica The Herald (Harare) Published by the government of Zimbabwe Bright Madera 2 November 2010 Harare — The African Development Bank has approved two local projects that require US$58 million to be funded under the Zimfund next year. AfDB representative Dr Damoni Kitabire told a budget consultative meeting in the capital yesterday that US$28 [...]

Khupe to call on Khama

3 November, 2010 in Botswana, Zimbabwe

source: Mmegi Staff Writer Zimbabwe’s Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe is on a four-day official visit to Botswana to learn about how the country handles its mineral revenues. A Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources statement says the deputy prime minister will also pay a courtesy call on President Ian Khama, Minister of Foreign [...]

South Africa: Pioneer Forced to Cut Bread Price – Patel

3 November, 2010 in South Africa

source: allAfrica South African Press Association (Johannesburg) 2 November 2010 Cape Town — Pioneer Foods will reduce the sale price of bread and flour products by a total of R160 million as part of a R1.05 billion settlement reached on Tuesday in its price-fixing cases, Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel said. In a speech in [...]

Govt targets 6% budget deficit

1 November, 2010 in Botswana, Business

source: Mmegi BRIAN BENZA Staff writer Government is targeting to cut the national budget deficit to P6 billion in the next financial year (2011/12) from this year’s estimated P12 billion as it aims to achieve a balanced budget in the next two years. The cut translates into six percent of GDP. After posting deficits since [...]

South Africa: Zuma Announces Major Cabinet Reshuffle

1 November, 2010 in South Africa

source: allAfrica BuaNews (Tshwane) 31 October 2010 Pretoria — President Jacob Zuma has announced a major reshuffle to his cabinet. A few ministries have new ministers and a host of new deputy ministers have been appointed. Making the announcement on Sunday, President Zuma said after 17 months in government since his inauguration, the process of [...]

South Africa: Siemens in line for R961m rail contract

1 November, 2010 in South Africa

source: SouthAfrica.info Nthambeleni Gabara 1 November 2010 The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa has named Siemens SA as the preferred bidder to install a R961-million state-of-the-art signaling and communication system on the country’s commuter rail network from January 2011. Making the announcement last week, Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) chief executive Lucky Montana [...]

Khama declares war on poverty

1 November, 2010 in Botswana

source: Mmegi Botswana has over the years managed to reduce the level of poverty, President Ian Khama told the inaugural Pitso ya go Nyeletsa Lehuma in Mahalapye yesterday. President Khama said statistics also show that the number of people living below the poverty datum line in Botswana has reduced from 59 percent in 1985/86 to [...]