Palapye.com News Blog

source: Mmegi
THATO CHWAANE
Staff Writer

Women interested in starting a business have been advised to get continuous mentoring from people who know more than they do.

Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) training and mentoring anager Chedza Marobela told a gathering of women at a leadership conference held over the weekend in Gaborone to get expert guidance and acquire the right skills. She urged them to visit the relevant offices for advice. She said LEA would assist with the business plan but that one would have to do it and own it. “Do your own research and think through the business idea and then register the company,” she said.

Marobela said that one has to also think about project funding, whether through a loan, by debt financing or use of own resources.

She urged women to think outside the box.

Marobela said that successful entrepreneurs are [continue reading]

source: BOPA
13 May, 2008

GABORONE- Diversification of the economy can be more successful if women are empowered to start their own enterprises, says CEDA deputy chief executive officer, Ms Lorato Morapedi.

Speaking at a workshop aimed at empowering women, Ms Morapedi said CEDA is looking forward to assist women and other entrepreneurs.

She said it was pleasing to see women seek financial assistance to start their own businesses. However, she said it was important for them to know what is expected when applying for loans at CEDA. She said they received a lot of loan applications and most of them were rejected for various reasons.

Ms Morapedi urged women to understand what their business plans entail, rather than relying on consultants. Some women, she said, engage consultants to make business plans for them and then submit them to the financiers.

She cautioned that some consultants do not do a good job hence the loan application will be turned down. Ms Morapedi therefore encouraged women as business owners to [continue reading]

source: Mmegi

Durban, South Africa - Botswana’s Tourism has received three prizes at the on-going INDABA.

The prizes, Best Wildlife Reserve in Africa, Best Ecologically Sound Operation and runner-up to the Best Safari Guiding Team in Africa were presented at a ceremony hosted by the Good Safari Guide, an independent directory of the top safari lodges, hotels and camps in Africa and member of the African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA).

ATTA is a network of over 360 members representing travel and tourism buyers and suppliers throughout Africa with headquarters in London. The association creates a platform for buyers and suppliers to interact at networking events, trade shows, crisis management and tourism seminars through its links with the media.

The awards honour the best in the safari industry. Nominations in [continue reading]

source: SW Radio Africa
By Tichaona Sibanda
14 May 2008

The regime in Harare announced on Wednesday the country’s presidential election run-off would now take place between within 90 days from the day the results were announced on May 2.

The second round poll, scheduled to have been held on the 23rd May, 21 days after the announcement of the results have been delayed and will now take place within 90 days from May 2.

In a special government notices gazette published on Wednesday, Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa said: ‘Not withstanding Section 110 of the Electoral Act, the period within which a second election for the office of the president is hereby extended from 21 days to 90 days from the date of announcement of results of the first poll.’

Most likely, the election will now be held on the first weekend of August, which [continue reading]

source: Mmegi
TUMELO SETSHOGO
Correspondent

Botswana Export Development and Investment Authority (BEDIA) has set itself a target of bringing at least half a billion Pula worth of capital investment annually.

BEDIA chief executive officer (CEO) Dorcas Makgato-Malesu was speaking at a news conference at which she outlined her strategic plan for the country’s investment body last week.

Since its inception nine years ago, BEDIA has brought combined investments and expansions to the tune of P692, 27 million, creating 9,314 jobs. New investments stand at P357, 77 million, creating 6,079 jobs and expansion investment of P334, 5 million that created 3,235 jobs.

Makgato-Malesu, who replaced BEDIA’s founding chief executive officer Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba last November, said: “We want to at least attract investment of half a billion Pula every year. This is the target we have set for ourselves.”

She said the total investments brought by her authority after [continue reading]

source: BOPA
13 May, 2008

GABORONE - The government has been urged to be bold enough and let go of businesses that can be best performed by the private sector.

Speaking at the 24th High Level Consultative Council (HLCC) meeting BOCCIM president Mr Modiri Mbaakanyi asked the government to encourage the private sector to be outward looking.

For example, Mr Mbaakanyi said Botswana Development Cooperation (BDC) could be allowed to use its financial muscle to take lead in the direction of development.

In order to prepare for the inevitable challenges, he said BOCCIM had embarked on the preparation of a private sector development, which would assist it to take its place as a member of the presidents team and to be the engine of growth.

The new strategy, he said would also inform BOCCIM of a more effective approach to [continue reading]

source: Mmegi
ARNOLD LETSHOLO
Correspondent

Only 300, 000 of the expected 900, 000 voters for the 2009 elections have registered. This came to light in a one-day workshop for out of school youth from churches, drama groups and other social organisations held at the Gabane Kgotla last week.

Senior Elections Officer for Molepolole, Potlako Matshaba said for this reason, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will hold supplementary voter registration from August 11.

Matshaba’s colleague, Francinah Moeletsi, had just told the participants about the role of the electorate on politicians’ nominations. She said during primaries, candidates for political office needed an electorate to second them as well as seven other supporters.
They should be 10 in number, be registered for elections, and with valid Omang cards. For councillors, such people must be [continue reading]

source: allAfrica
Business Daily (Nairobi)

14 May 2008
Posted to the web 14 May 2008

Kitsepile Nyathi

Mystery surrounds Zimbabwe’s surprise $700 million loan repayment to the African Development Bank at a time when President Robert Mugabe’s government says it cannot organise a presidential election run-off within the stipulated period because it is broke.

The pan-African bank announced that the country, whose economy is caving in under the weight of economic sanctions imposed by Western countries, reduced its arrears to $250 million following the huge payment.

But the state-run Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) says it is waiting for the government to allocate it $60 million before it announces the date for the presidential election run-off between Mr Mugabe and Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.

The announcement, which came ahead of the bank’s meeting in [continue reading]

source: BOPA
13 May, 2008

PORT ELIZABETH - It is one of the technological delights of the 21st Century. Almost everyone, from learning institutions to workplaces with the abundance of computers and internet connectivity, seems to have caught the fever.

Being on Facebook and the omnipotence to communicate with friends in another part of the world seem to have enchanted the young generation. They call this communication chatting with friends.

The world is just at your fingertips. Just a touch of the button and I am able to chat with my friends in any part of the world. I have a network of friends that I communicate with overseas and other parts of Africa, quipped Oakantse Nthapo, a student at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University who did not want to be identified.

An economics student who did not want to be identified says he logs onto Facebook almost everyday and the network of friends keeps on growing.

Through this network of friends he is able to know what is happening in another country or region. Incidentally, he says one of his friends met her girlfriend on Facebook.

Early this year, Facebook was reported to have 59 million active users, while [continue reading]

source: Mmegi
STAFF WRITER

DURBAN:South African Tourism has advised SADC countries, including Botswana, to do their own marketing despite the fact that tourism is now marketed as a ‘Southern African Package’.

Speaking in an interview, SA Tourism’s Global Events manager Sugen Pillay noted that because of developments of Transfrontier parks in southern Africa, the region is now sold to tourists as one.

“In The 2010 World Cup Guide, there is a section that talks about cross-border travel. But the SADC countries have to take responsibility and promote themselves”, advised Pillay._ His comments come at a time when South Africa is vigorously marketing itself to lure tourists to the country on the verge of 2010 FIFA World Cup to be held in Africa for the first time.

SA Tourism spends about R250 million in marketing the country annually after [continue reading]

source: BOPA
13 May, 2008

GHANZI - The increasing number of mobile phone operators in Botswana gives an assurance that governments initiative to liberalise and therefore develop the telecommunications sector has been successful.

Officiating at the Mascom 10th Anniversary dinner hosted for Mascom customers in Ghanzi, the Minister of Works and Transport, Mr Johnnie Swartz, said 10 years ago, government, through the Botswana Telecommunications Authority (BTA), awarded licences to the countrys first two mobile operators, Mascom Wireless and Orange Botswana.

Mr Swartz said the third operator, Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) launched its mobile services last month.

The Mascom Wireless celebration, Mr Swartz said, came at a time when both the transport and telecommunications sectors had shown a significant growth rate of 20.3 per cent during the 2006/07 financial year.

Mr Swartz said the telecommunications sector should however, not just see its responsibility as being the provision of mobile phone services but must complement the development of Botswana into a knowledge based society and attract foreign direct investment.

He said the government had through Maitlamo set a clear and [continue reading]

source: IOL
May 14 2008 at 02:52PM

ANC president Jacob Zuma’s corruption case will not be heard in August this year but in 2010, ANC Youth League president Julius Malema said on Wednesday.

He said the case against Zuma was aimed at disrupting the ANC’s campaigning for the 2009 elections.

“We will be answering questions about the rape and corruption cases rather than explaining the election manifesto. We will be going to court rather than going to stadiums,” he said at a Chris Hani workers heritage exhibition in Johannesburg.

He said charges against Zuma were a political ploy to project ANC leaders as dishonest.

“Those who were bitter that Zuma was elected president were quick to charge him and [continue reading]

source: BOPA
13 May, 2008

SELEBI-PHIKWE - Disaster management officials in Selebi-Phikwe and Bobonong are readying for an influx of Zimbabwean asylum seekers. Officials are setting up temporary receiving centres given the political turmoil in that country.

Ms Machelle Samuels, a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR) protection officer told BOPA that Botswana like other neighbours of Zimbabwe is expecting more migrants fleeing their troubled home due to violence that followed the March disputed elections.

The centres have been established in the two areas to screen asylum seekers before they are transferred to the Dukwi Refuge Camp.

The tents you see in Selebi-Phikwe and Bobonong are part of our preparedness to receive migrants fleeing Zimbabwe.

These are holding centres where they are screened and assisted with documents before they are transported to the Dukwi camp.

She said since the past week close to 200 asylum seekers have been registered, mainly from [continue reading]

source: Mmegi
STAFF WRITER

Government will not review its award of 15 percent salary increment to civil servants, this was said by the Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Daniel Kwelagobe.

In a statement released by the minister,Kwelagobe has diminished all hope of dissatisfied civil servants who were pressing for an upward review of the recent salary increase.

Among the major issues queried by the country’s major unions has been that government erred by choosing to adjust public sector salaries by 15 per cent against the 30 per cent advised by the Presidential Salaries Commission.

“The Minister has reaffirmed Government’s position that such an increase at this time would be unaffordable and [continue reading]

source: allAfrica
Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)

13 May 2008
Posted to the web 13 May 2008

Cairo

Africa has been the fastest growing market worldwide in communication technology over the past three years, according to the head of the United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Speaking at the opening of a major trade fair for the African telecommunications industry in Cairo on Monday, Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-General of the ITU, said the African information and communication technologies industry “is an exciting place to be. Market liberalization continues and most countries have established regulatory bodies to ensure a fair, competitive and enabling environment.”

The trade fair, called “ITU Telecom Africa,” was inaugurated by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

A report released at the event by the ITU said that growth in Africa’s mobile telephone sector had “defied all predictions.” Africa had 65 million new [continue reading]