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BOPA News on 15 June 2005

The elections, which were held on Saturday night after Kwelagobe had addressed the meeting on the compromise, degenerated into a winner-takes-all contest.

Kwelagobe said he supported the compromise initiated by Vice President and BDP chairman Seretse Khama Ian Khama, and that he would do all in his power to ensure its success because failure to unite and compromise could be catastrophic.

Kwelagobe told the meeting that he was in Kgalagadi North constituency a fortnight ago to preach the same compromise gospel and that the constituents there embraced it. He added that the BDPs Womens Wing also accepted the initiative at their Mochudi congress.

Briefing the meeting on the history of compromise and elections in the BDP, Kwelagobe said the party won 27 out of 44 seats in the 1994 general election because there were conflicts in the party.

Former president Sir Ketumile Masire came up with a compromise deal in 1997, and that in the 1999 general election the BDP was united and scooped 34 seats while the opposition won six seats, said Kwelagobe.

The secretary-general said the party performed poorly in the last general election because of factions in the party and that if a compromise deal failed the party was likely to suffer its first defeat during the next general election in 2009.

"I urge all delegates who will be elected today to preach the compromise philosophy," said Kwelagobe.

The meeting elected Iphimele Kgokgothwane, Shakes Kerebotswe, Tibe Chiepe, Ofentse Osetse, Pelontle Phuti, Rossina Samuel, Ronald Mojakgomo and Sonne Malefho as delegates while Dangwa Makuluba, Pinkie Moengwa, Mokae Hoto and Dikabo Reinetse lost the elections and were chosen as observers.

According to Neo Kealotswe, who was chairing the Saturday meeting and elections at Ditimamodimo Community Hall, the chosen delegates belong to one faction of the party.

The former chairperson of the Central District Council Kgotla Autlwetse, who also attended the meeting, said he was also in favour of the compromise initiative.

But he stressed that the compromise deal should demonstrate an equal representation between the factions.

Other speakers at the meeting did not explicitly support the compromise as presented by Kwelagobe and accused him of being scared of an open contest as he would lose his position in the party.

However, Kwelagobe maintained that he was not after positions in the party as he could have accepted President Festus Mogaes offer of the deputy Speakers position after the last elections.

"I declined the post because I wanted time to revive the party," said the secretary general. He urged the BDP members to appreciate that the party belonged to them all and that "nobody should claim to be more of a democrat than others". He added that if the vice presidents initiative failed they would have all failed.

Kwelagobe, who is the MP for Molepolole, said they were all to blame for the factions, which have entrenched themselves in the party.

He said BDP members should not try to pretend that all was well in the party, "as we all know that there are factions in the party and what caused them".

The other two Serowe constituencies are still to hold elections of delegates to the July congress, which will be held in Serowe. However, representatives from the two constituencies also observed the meeting and elections.

Communications, Science and Technology minister Pelonomi Venson, who is also the MP for Serowe South, attended the meeting.

His assurance comes amid claims by one section of his party that the tripartite pact it entered into with Botswana National Front (BNF) and Botswana Alliance Movement (BAM) last year is no longer in force.

Balikani said his party remained committed to opposition unity and declared that BPP would not "contest elections in a constituency where another opposition party will be contesting".

BPP Gaborone West North constituency secretary Fredy Begane claims through a public statement that the BPP president had announced that the pact between BPP, BNF and BAM was no longer in force and that the BPP had decided to contest the Gaborone West North constituency parliamentary by-election.

The statement said that its candidate would contest the Gaborone West North constituency independent of the pact.

"The committee resolved to contest the constituency after the acknowledgement of meeting held in Francistown on the 15th May 2005, where the BPP president announced that the pact between BPP, BNF and BAM is no longer in force," the statement reads in part.

The statement invited members of the BPP interested in representing the party in the Gaborone West North by-election to register with the party.

The seat fell vacant after the death last month of Paul Rantao, who won it in last years general election.

Balikani rejected the claims, arguing that some people within his party are deliberately mixing up issues to cause confusion. He said his party remained committed to the spirit of the pact.

"What I said at the meeting was that we are continuing to negotiate another co-operation pact with other parties with the intention of unseating the ruling Botswana Democratic Party at the next general election.

The last pact agreement was for the 2004 elections and as we are focusing on the 2009 election, we want to enter into a similar agreement," he said.

The BPP president has dismissed the claim as mere act of indiscipline. Balikani says Begane is not in any position to issue party statements.

However, Begane said BPPs Gaborone West North constituency has resolved to enter the by-election race because as far as they are concerned, the pact is not in force and there is nothing binding any party from contesting the seat.

"No party has been mandated by its membership to enter into a pact agreement with other parties so we cannot sit back and look on.

We will continue with a process of identifying our candidate for this parliamentary by-election until something concrete halts us." As for the BNF, it appears two candidates will stand for the constituency primary elections, which are envisaged to take place before the partys July congress.

BNF director of elections Billy Makuku says it is evident that the general feeling of the membership is that party president Otsweletse Moupo should relocate from Selebi-Phikwe to Gaborone.

He however said another member, Rhoda Sekgororwane, has shown interest in contesting the seat.

He said the general membership wanted Moupo to stand unopposed but the decision on the matter has not been taken. In the meantime, BNFs primary election procedure will go on. The general membership meeting deferred a decision on whether Moupo should be opposed or not.

Meanwhile, the BDP will hold its primary elections for the constituency on July 2.

Deadline for submission of names is June 16 at 5pm.

Executive secretary Batlang Serema said it is not clear who will stand because interested candidates have not yet submitted names to his office.

BAM on the other hand has reiterated its commitment to the pact, saying through its president Lepetu Setshwaelo that it will support the BNF candidate in the by-election.

BAM is a co-founder of the electoral pact and still perceives opposition unity as the only way to go by Botswana opposition parties, according to Setshwaelo.

Despite the latest development in opposition co-operation, he says BAM is confident that unity is possible, especially that the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) has demonstrated its commitment to the envisioned dispensation.

Chauke was giving evidence in an inquest in which the state wants to prove whether Moeti was killed justifiably, carelessly or by accident.

After the inquest, the court would advise the Attorney General on who to charge and then there will be an arrangement on how the family of the deceased will be compensated.

Chauke, of the Serious Crime Squad, said at the time of receiving the call, he was patrolling Gaborone and surrounding villages with Corporal Motshegwe and that the said Moeti was travelling with his friends in a metallic blue BMW, registration number DJM 663 GP.

"We were interested in the said vehicle since Moeti was wanted by the police in connection with a robbery case, which occurred at Pula Textile in Mogoditshane.

We spotted the vehicle somewhere in Mogoditshane and followed it up to Take 5 Club and called for reinforcement from other officers." Chauke said police officers accompanied by members of the defence force trailed the car from Take 5 Club.

They later stopped the driver who was alone in the car and when asked about the whereabouts of Moeti, he said that he was staying at Riverside Lodge in Tlokweng with his friends, Andris Lehau and Jeremiah Moloi.

He said that on their arrival at the lodge the driver of the car directed the officers to the room where Moeti, also commonly known as Bapsta, and his friends were booked.

Chauke said the officers positioned themselves around the house, others went for the door while he waited by the window next to the entrance.

"Three officers went to the door and someone opened from inside to let them in and I heard the voice of Corporal Galelemogwe ordering the occupants of the house to lie down," said Chauke.

"After a short while I heard a gun shot from inside but I did not know who fired between the occupants of the house and my colleagues because I was outside," said Chauke.

He said he found Moeti lying on the floor by the bathroom entrance with a wound on his forehead and blood oozing from the wound.

"He was holding a gun, with his index finger on the trigger," he said. Chauke said that he immediately called Tlokweng police officers who came and took photographs of the scene and Moeti was taken to hospital.

Chauke said he inspected the gun, which Moeti was holding, and it was loaded with six rounds of ammunition and one bullet was already in the chamber showing that the gun was ready to fire.

A search was conducted in the room and another gun was found on top of the partition wall dividing the bathroom and toilet and a greenish staff in small packets was also retrieved from Moetis pockets.

During cross-examination by the prosecutor Diratsagae Molomo, Chauke said when one hears the cocking of a gun, it spells danger and one must prepare to act.

"You have to shoot if you hear the cocking of a gun and you shoot straight at the target. But I am not clear whether you shoot in order to arrest or shoot to kill," said Chauke.

He said that the instructions they got from the office were to arrest Basimolodi Moeti but not to shoot and kill him.

Motsumi, who is also the South East MP was addressing a kgotla meeting in Otse. She regretted that people still continue to water their gardens and farmers also water their livestock at standpipes.Gaborone dam, she said is drying up and there are no signs of rains this year.

She said the Department of Water Affairs and other stakeholders have emphasised the need to conserve water but it seems the message falls on deaf ears.

Motsumi stated that some projects, which use a lot of water have been shelved to conserve the resource.

However, the minister said the government is intending to recycle water but she was concerned about the prohibitive costs of equipment.

She also said another alternative would be to draw water from Letsibogo Dam. Minister Motsumi appealed to residents to conserve surface water. She said because of low rainfall this year farmers do not expect a bumper season.

Concerning budget allocations, she said P660 million has been diverted to HIV/AIDS programmes.

She talked about the Environmental Conservation Act, which will deal with roads and building constructors that litter the environment.

Commenting, Otse residents complained about rising crime in their village, saying youth are in the forefront of the rise.

They said crime prevention committees should be revived to fight against crime, observing that some residents still keep illegal immigrants in the village. They stated that any stranger should be reported to kgosi.

Residents were worried about elections of village development committees (VDCs), saying some members remain on such committee for a long time and become ineffective.

The two accused persons, Gaomodimo Phiri, 48, and Phorano Seape, 22, from Semotswane ward in Tonota, were arrested by the Tonota police on April 21 this year after they were found in possession of dagga weighing 4 568.9 grams.

In another case, a Zimbabwean national, Joshua Mpofu, pleaded guilty to dagga possession before Francistown chief magistrate Kenneth Obeng and was ordered to pay P50 or face three months imprisonment in default.

In its report, Stockbroker Botswana states that in line with their expectations of upward inflationary pressures across group indices, the inflation rate should remain outside the central banks target range settling between 7-8 per cent in the third quarter.

However, in an interview with BOPA University of Botswana (UB) economics lecturer Benjamin Acqualt said it was difficult to beat inflation but the central bank "can always come up with tight monetary policies" in an attempt to monitor inflation.

He said BoB could tighten access to loans by increasing interest rates. "Government can also reduce its projects in order to dampen the escalating inflation rate." He however admitted that by lessening government activities people can lose their jobs but "we have to look at both sides of the coin".

"People may always be re-deployed," said Acqualt.

Stockbrokers Botswana research analysts Alphonse Ndzinge concurred that if the government curbed money supply inflation could be controlled but it was highly unlikely because the money supply was already high.

Asked whether buying locally produced goods can help bring down inflation, Ndzinge said: " It will help but that cant happen because most of the products are not manufactured locally." Meanwhile, according to Stockbroker Botswana, the national inflation rate was 6.3 per cent year-on-year last month, up from 6.2 per cent in April.

"The descending trend for inflation for the year ceased as four group indices recorded increases of over one per cent for the month of May." These indices, according to Stockbrokers Botswana, included transport and communications, fuel and power, education and furniture and appliances.

"Non-tradeables inflation was 5.6 per cent for May, dropping from 8.9 per cent in April." The increase of transport and communications index was mainly attributed to the rise in the vehicles section with the 14 per cent increase in average vehicle prices for the period.

"As anticipated, the fuel price hikes implemented on May 1, 2005 resulted in inflationary pressures pushing up the fuel and power." On market commentary Stockbrokers Botswana reports a great week for the market with the Domestic Companies Index (DCI) closing well up to 3240.72 points with higher volumes across the board.

Stockbrokers Botswana states that the blue chip had another strong week with Sechaba and BIHL the big movers up 25 thebe and 20 thebe to P13.75 and P3.20 respectively.

"The other big mover on the week was Letshego trading up 17 thebe to an all time high of P3.77 on over a million shares." Securicor and Stanchart each firmed 10 thebe and one thebe to P12.10 and P7.16 respectively.

However, a well known fact is that lies have very little chances, if any, against the truth, once it starts setting in." This was BDF commander Lt Gen Matshwenyego Fishers parting shot in Shakawe at the weekend after a two-day guided media tour of the areas where Exercise Thokgamo is taking place.

He told over a dozen journalists from the countrys different media houses that he is averse to people who hide information from the media, saying such an attitude serves only to increase their suspicions, speculation and subsequent inaccuracies.

"Honestly speaking, I have no problem with journalists.

They are most welcome, much as they play a very important role of promoting democracy and feeding the society with information it needs," said the army commander.

People must be responsible for their actions and not the other way round, said Fisher with an apparent deep feeling, adding that people should not expect journalists to model facts in anybodys favour.

"It is regrettable that journalists are friends only when they write complementary stories about certain individuals yet the same people spectacularly turn around and hate them the moment they write negative facts about them," he said.

He commanded journalists for holding steadfastly to a profession that no one has ever praised safe for criticism after criticism, saying this should only serve to strengthen their resolve to report facts as they see them without fear or favour.

The two-day media tour began on June 10 outside Maun, at Boros BDF base, where the army leader briefed the journalists on the basics of Exercise Thokgamo, headed by Brigadier Letsogile Motsumi.

The South African Defence Force (SADF), based at the now defunct Maun BMC abattoir, hosted the first lunch for the journalists, after which BDF helicopters airlifted them to some of the exercise areas such as Sehitwa, Shakawe, Gumare and Kwando.

The chief tour guide was the commander himself, accompanied by one of his second in command, Major General Pius Mokgware and Brigadier Letsogile Motsomi. At Kwando Captain Donald Mudongo explained that their main assignment is anti-poaching operations, saying this is so because the area is rich with wildlife , especially elephants , which are the target for poachers.

He said commercial poaching is rife in the area, especially because there are no settlements on the Botswana side, as such poachers cross in from Namibia with little disturbance, carrying automatic rifles, AK47s and other sophisticated pieces of equipment.

Here also BDF operates a makeshift immigration facility at Kwando border post between Namibia and Botswana, and, peculiarly enough, it is entirely manned by the BDF a mutual agreement between BDF and the Department of Immigration, says the army commander.

The facility serves cross border activities between the two countries and benefits the safari camps in the area greatly.

Nearby in another facility there is another clinic also run by the BDF. Here Captain Jerious Chabanga, who is the nurse in charge, tells the scribes that the facility serves members of the BDF as well as employees working in safari camps in the area.

He says the clinic has HIV/AIDS and malaria testing equipment. Exercise Thokgamo is a French sponsored brigade sized multi-national peace keeping mock exercise hosted by the BDF and is taking place in and around Maun from June 10 to 25.

The main aim of the exercise is to bring together soldiers from SADC countries and prepare them for the conduct of occasional multi-national peacekeeping operations (PKO) under a UN, AU and SADC mandate.

According to the police, the saga started in White City location where he killed the girl friend. The police officer later committed suicide at Block 5 by turning the rifle on himself.

According to a release form the Botswana Police Services Public Relations Unit, the girl hails from Tlokweng while the officer comes from Mlambakwena village in the North East District.

Pikati who was a playing for Police XI, which is on top on the St Louis Premier League was stationed at the Special Support Group (SSG) in Gaborone.

"Gaborone city is classified as a class "A" risk area and it requires a response of a minimum of three fire stations with a maximum attendance time of five minutes of the first two fire engines" he added.

Ramaotwana was giving a keynote speech at a handing over ceremony of a new fire sub-station at Block 10 He said currently, there is only one fire station, which is based in the Southwest-central part of the city and cannot easily attend to fire outbreaks in the other side of the city.

"Around this area the response time can be as per the standard and this cannot to be the case with other areas in the northern part of the city," he said.

He said the present problems of traffic congestion and increasing distances "makes it impossible for the fire engines to attend fires" in northern parts of the city in less that 15 to 20 minutes, especially during peak hours.

Ramaotwana said based on the above criteria, council prioritised "this problem under National Development Plan Nine (NDP9) and Urban Development Plan Two".

He said the available fire fleet could then be shared between the two stations, in order to reduce the response times by the citys fire fighting department.

Ramaotwana disclosed that he was impressed by the facilities provided and appealed to the council Fire Department to make full use of the project to benefit the society.

UNICEF consultant Rosemond Opare-Kume says the initiative involves a number of stakeholders, which include government, the private sector, parastatals and the religious fraternity.

During a media briefing in Selebi- Phikwe, she said that the development of a youth and child friendly strategy for disseminating information about HIV/AIDS is a necessary step towards bringing the pandemic to a halt.

She stressed the need to empower children and youth to help them make better choices and the kind of lifestyle they would eventually choose to lead.

"Children and the youth need our support to live HIV-free lives", she said. According to the Director of Culture and Youth, Gaogakwe Phorano, the strategy development process will be nationally driven, and so consultations and participation will be at both national and district levels.

"It is, therefore, critical that there is full participation of children and youth and in close collaboration with key stakeholders who will be visited to obtain baseline information," he said.

At such forums, he said, HIV/AIDS communication strategies and activities that the institutions and their collaborators use will be ascertained so as to derive methodologies consistent with the needs of the country.

Opare-Kume said the media have a major role to play in the development of the communication strategy because they possess the power to influence, but added that it is imperative that journalists especially those in Botswana, recognise the need for better news judgment particularly on HIV/AIDS related matters.

"The public has the right to useful information and so journalists should learn to suppress information that is not useful to the public, such as sensational news".

She expressed concern over the attitude children and the youth have about sex, saying that it has been trivialised.

She said that some young people have gone so far as to equate sex to love, thinking that it is an act necessary to prove ones love for the partner.

Briefing the Parliamentary Health Committee in a kgotla meeting, Kehinana said currently the hospital is operating with only two doctors although the establishment register lists five posts.

Kehinana says the third doctor is on leave pending the end of his contract. However, a temporary doctor has joined the team.

He said one doctor has been assigned to the outpatient department, the other to ARV clinic and the third one to other wards.

But for the doctors to perform well and make the difference, at least two of them should work at the outpatient department.

Part of the problem is shortage of staff accommodation. Only 16 of the 70 officers have their own houses while the rest are sharing.

He says the ARV clinic operates from a porta-camp and patients wait in the open where they are exposed to adverse weather conditions such as cold, rain and wind.

He spoke of a promise to build an ARV clinic at the hospital. Kehinana asked the government to improve security at the clinics to reduce theft of anti-retroviral drugs.

The administration of anti-retroviral therapy often runs into problems when patients from outside Gumare cannot honour appointments because of transport problems.

The other problem is that patients believe that once they enrol for the ARV therapy, they are entitled to be provided with food.

He says Gumare Primary Hospital needs more vehicles to transport patients, including AIDS sufferers as well as to ferry samples to laboratories in Gaborone.

He also asked the government to provide lights on the runway of the local airstrip so aircraft can land at night. Referred patients often have to be airlifted to Francistown.

Kehinana says TB patients are often admitted in the general ward with paediatric and other patients without infectious diseases because of shortage of hospital beds.

The hospital does not have a cold storage facility. As a result, its supplies officers make frequent trips to Maun to buy perishables.

The community hailed the project as a significant development that could help reposition Molepolole, as the biggest village in Botswana.

The re-development of Mafenyatlala hotel follows a blaze in which the hotel was gutted by mysterious fire last December.

Monageng told the meeting that several consultative meetings were held that advised the board to look into the viability of total re-development of the 11 hectare plot on which the hotel was situated.

Monageng said the board with the assistance of some consultants came up with a development proposal that was presented to the community at the meeting.

It comprises a hotel of modern design, a shopping complex, a filling station and paved parking. Previously the village had one hotel with 10 rooms.

Although KRDA board was satisfied with reports by both the police and Fire Brigade Department regarding the fire incident, some community members insisted on a forensic audit.

Monageng told the audience that some people were holding night meetings to sabotage the efforts.

Rex Motshweneng, differed with most speakers saying he has lost confidence in the board because of its failure to renew the insurance policy on the hotel. He said this clearly indicated that the board was negligent.

However, his comments angered some people who accused him of being a member of the group working against the boards efforts. They said his accusations were misleading and baseless.

That will be a record number of athletes up from 250 in 2002, the highest since Cresta Bosele Hotel initiated and sponsored the marathon in 1985.

Botswanas longest marathon competition has contributed in the preparation and selection of athletes for competitions around the world including the Olympics and All Africa Games.

Bosele Hotel general manager Michael Montshiwa said they planned to make this years marathon a big and exciting one by introducing cash prizes.

But Montshiwa would not reveal the cash prizes to be awarded as sponsors contacted to help were busy working out the details.

He said about five main sponsors were expected to respond to the request. Cresta Bosele and some well wishers have been sponsoring the race over the years.

Montshiwa told BOPA that preparations were ongoing and they awaited the arrival of BAA officials next week to strengthen their preparations capacity.

Montshiwa said almost all secondary schools and athletics clubs were contacted and promised to participate in the marathon on which Bosele will spend at least P4 000.

Botswana Defence Force (BDF) medical personnel and MedRescue (Francistown) would assist during the race, according to Montshiwa.

Participants under 15 years would participate in a fun run on June 25 ahead of the 15km for the junior categories and 42.2km for the seniors the following day.

BAA officials, Bosele and the organizsing team are scheduled to address a press conference on the evening of the event.

Speaking at a farewell party hosted for seven school heads and deputies, former Boitshoko Primary School head, Roy Lehuma warned that "teachers misuse the little money from government and eventually suffer after retirement".

The seven comprised two school heads who have retired, one on transfer to Nata, three deputies promoted to school heads and one transferred to Serowe College of Education.

He said the weakness of the retiring teachers was lack of proper financial management leading to destitution after exhausting the meagre personal savings.

He said there were many opportunities to invest.

Lehuma, who retired last year, he left teaching to face other challenges of life. But said he was proud of his quality products and the calibre of the teaching staff he left behind.

He urged his colleagues to maintain the outstanding performance in primary school leaving examinations because "I will be so disappointed if you falter." Lehuma said the formation of the headteachers forum displayed a spirit of parenthood and would be a greater reminder of their love even in future.

Earlier, chairperson of the heads forum, Modise Motshegwa said they would miss the presence and support of the retirees.

However, Motshegwa who is head of Segomotso Primary School , appreciated that retirees were still energetic and ready to make immense contributions in community development.

For his part, principal education officer (training and management), Jeremiah Serero commended the heads forum for initiating such an idea through team spirit, saying it was a sign of self-empowerment.

Serero acknowledged the gesture because "with the amount of work the school heads handle, they still have time to think of their colleagues," saying they had planted a seed and they would reap happiness.

Briefing the media on the outcome of the Integrated Committee of Ministers (ICM) meeting held in Lesotho last week, SADC acting executive secretary Albert Muchanga said the SADC in 2003 sought support from the World Bank to design a Regional Food Reserve Facility.

As an initial step, the World Bank undertook a short case-studies in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia to determine nature, level and modality of a possible strategic food reserve facility, drawing on experience from other regions of the world." Muchanga said the ministers held Ministerial Cluster Meeting for Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment (TIFI); Infrastructure and Services (I &S); and Social and Human Development and Special Programmes.

A mid-term review of the SADC Protocol on Trade was undertaken to assess progress achieved in the implementation of the SADC Protocol in aspects, namely the status of tariff phase-downs; the implications of the SADC Rules of Origin; and the scope of non-tariff barriers to trade.

The review also provides a comprehensive analysis on the impact of trade Liberalization on intra-regional trade.

Muchanga said the ICM also reviewed progress on the Development of the Protocol on Finance and Investment, whose strategic objective of the FIP is to contribute to the establishment of a Regional Common Market where there would be free movement of capital, labour, goods and services.

The establishment of such a market, he stressed, is the end goal of SADC in the economic arena.

Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Amendment Bill, 2005 was published in the Government Gazette on June 10, 2005.

One of the amendments will be the establishment of a Copyright Office, that will among other things, supervise the activities of the Copyright Society of Botswana and advise government on all matters pertaining to copyright.

A Copyright Administrator will head the Copyright Office and other officers of the copyright office shall be appointed in accordance with the provisions of the Public Service Act.

The Copyright Office shall be responsible for all matters affecting copyright in Botswana and supervise the activities of the Copyright Society as provided for in the Act.

It will also advise government and its agencies on all matters pertaining to copyright and monitor the position of Botswana in relation to international conventions, treaties or agreements relating to copyright.

In addition, it will advise on the conclusion of bilateral and multilateral agreements on copyright between Botswana and other countries.

It will organise out-reach and awareness creation programmes to inform, educate and sensitise the public on matters relating to copyright as well as to maintain an effective database on copyright matters and on authors and their works.

Maintain a register of works published in Botswana and be responsible for such matters related to copyright, as the minister may from time to time direct for the better carrying out of the purposes and provisions of the Act.

Another amendment will be the inclusion of arbitration penal to be known as the Copyright Panel.

This shall be composed of not less than three people but not more than five people - one of who shall be an attorney in the High Court or has held judicial office in Botswana.

Other members of the panel shall be persons who are knowledgeable in the field of copyright.

The other amendment is that of the establishment of "Copyright Society", for various categories of works protected under the Act. That will be a collective administration body.

Maleka would not deny the fact that some traffic police officers receive kick-backs in the form of money from some of the vehicle towing companies.

He said the main problem in catching the culprits is that the offence "is done secretly" because the culprits are aware of the serious penalties.

"It is not a new thing to us but any police officer and tow company caught indulging is such malpractices will reap the fruit of their labour," he warned.

He was speaking in the wake of complaints by motorists who had their vehicles towed away by companies who then charge them high charges.

Maleka explained that police were failing to crack down on the culprits more specially towing companies "is the fact that there is no standard charge" for towing vehicles.

"Any towing company can charge any amount because it is business; moreover Botswana is a free market economy." One motorists told BOPA that he was charged P350 after his vehicle was towed for illegal parking at the instruction of the police.

The car was towed from Broadhurst Post Office to the police compound, which is less than 100 metres. When the motorits approached police they were adamant that either he pays or he will not get the car.

Reginah Jansen, who works for Rieks Towing company told BOPA that in most cases "the police are the ones who call us to go and tow a vehicle that had been involved in an accident".

She said before towing the vehicle, they normally ask the police so that the owner can be contacted for payment arrangements.

However, she hinted that it might be true that some police officers connive with the tow companies because "when there is an accident, there is always some misunderstanding as to who should not or should tow the vehicle ".

She said for small cars they charge P325 around Gaborone or in a radius of 30km and that outside Gaborone they charge depending on several factors such as distance, the weight of the vehicle and recovering.

The managing director of Gaborone Car Breakers and Towing Services told BOPA that they have closed down the business because of some corrupt practices by some people. "Gaborone Car Breakers and Towing Services no longer have an interest in the towing business" said Coghlan Hinze.

Hinze said if a towing company was not aligned with a certain group (of traffic police officers), there is no way such a company could prosper in the industry.

"I have to state it black and white that the police officers are involved in this business," he charged, adding that the playing field should be levelled if the industry is to be rid of corrupt elements.

Hinze said they have decided to quit the business because where there is corruption, there is no competition.

He said his company used to charge P250 for towing vehicles around Gaborone and outside the city they charge according to the distance.

Meanwhile, station traffic officer (Broadhurst and Central Police Stations) Endrew Montshiwa said we dont favour any towing company nor do we schedule these towing companies because we call the nearest, looking at the safety of road users in the area," he said.

He said they engage private towing companies because the police do not have enough towing equipment, adding that Section 117 of the Road Traffic Act empowers any traffic police officer to use the quickest method to remove any vehicle obstructing traffic.

Motshiwa said all the towing companies use the same tariff charge of P250 irrespective of distance, adding however that some towing firms may adjust the charge "because there is no organisation that controls and regulates these charges".

"It is the responsibility of the Council Education Committee to ensure that head teachers collect such revenue without fail," Nasha said.

Nasha, who is on a countrywide tour, singled out Kgatleng District Council for praise for proper utilisation of public funds and keeping financial records up-to-date.

She said district councils should urge councillors to eradicate corruption in their council by being fully involved so corrupt officials do not hoodwink them.

She said the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) has fingered the Ministry of Local Government as the most corrupt government ministry in the country, especially the district councils tender committees.

She said the level of corruption warranted that councillors scrutinise tenders and ask questions before signing documents, adding that councils could only have capacity to assess and evaluate projects through further training.

Minister Nasha suggested that members of tender committees should visit on-going projects around the district to get first hand information instead relying on officials some of whom might have something to hide.

She said her ministry recently submitted a Cabinet memorandum with the view to improving the working conditions of councillors, which she agreed were a serious cause for concern. She stated that they would know the outcome in due course.

Nasha said she concurred with councillors that in future the criteria for allocating resources should be reviewed because some councils were not utilising funds properly because of factors like lack of capacity and poor revenue collection, and accounting lapses.

Earlier, councillors had complained that they had long exhausted the development funds allocated to the district and the committees were now doing nothing, hence they requested the minister to request the treasury for a supplementary vote.

Responding to questions, assistant minister Ambrose Masalila said Village Development Committees (VDCs) were also expected to formulate their own development plans and properly account for public funds.

The Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Baledzi Gaolathe, said in an address to Botswana Association of Local Authorities (BALA) that in many districts, school facilities were in a dilapidated state.

He said Monday during BALA s 2005 congress that "in some community junior secondary schools, there are reports of up to 15 years backlog of maintenance of the facilities." He therefore called on local authorities to act promptly. Gaolathe was also concerned that there are mounting complaints from the public that district development committees and urban development committees are not operating effectively to ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget.

Delays by land boards to resolve land related matters, he warned, "work against governments efforts to promote investment and employment creation." He appealed to local authorities to introduce the necessary cost recovery measures and collect arrears of revenue owed to them in order to augment the grants they get from government.

"The governments wish is to see the backlog of audited accounts of local authorities cleared by the end of 2005, in order to have confidence that the funds are used effectively for intended purposes." Gaolathe credited government for taking necessary action and measures to deal with challenges facing the nation.

He challenged local authorities to take the lead in the implementation of existing policies and strategies to uplift the living standards of Batswana.

He also said the formula for determining revenue support grants to local authorities will be reviewed in order to improve their effectiveness.

The book is an ideal motivator that does not require a mentor, you can do it alone by reading this book.

Still Grazing is a must for everyone interested in Africas past and the evolution of the apartheid era.

Most would agree that they have only watched movies or read in magazines about individuals, especially celebrities who have married more than four times and have been stoned countless times.

That Bra Hugh has been through a couple of marriages and drugs is a bit far fetched for some.

The marriage that most people are aware of is to Marriam Makeba in 1964.

People do not know Hugh was married to Chris Calloway in 1968, and the marriage only lasted for three months.

In 1981 he married Jabu Mbatha before marrying his current wife Elinam in 1999.

Elinam originates from Ghana.

His marriages and even career suffered due to too much substance abuse. He lived a risky life and should thank his gods for being fit as he is today. Some of the things in the book are embarrassing such details about his relationships.

When you take his marriage experiences with Makeba, you would feel pity for her. Reading about Makeba insulting another woman over the phone, and then comparing the Makeba of today and that in the book and, there is a big difference.

Then ther is the drug addiction part, I think it justifies why some parents in the olden days would not allow their children to choose music as a career.

The book says it all, Hugh and the rest of the musical circle inhaled or piped one substance or the other. .

The book has sad moments, too, when his mother died he could not attend the funeral because he was in exile.

He lost close friends and relatives yet he never had an opportunity to pay his last respects because the apartheid regime would not allow it.

Despite the odds, Hugh pulled himself together and went for drug rehabilitation and he managed to beat the demon out of his life - for good.

Ghanzi District Council secretary Ringo Ipotseng told a meeting of students, lecturers and members of the board of trustees that students should not boycott classes because it could impact negatively on their academic performance.

Ipotseng advised the students to co-operate with their Students Representative Council (SRC) as it engages the management to resolve the contentious issues before seeking board of trustees intervention.

"Problems such as the use of trucks during trips could not be resolved overnight as the institution has financial constraints to buy buses, hence you will have to put up with it for a while," he said.

He urged students to give their lecturers the respect they deserved as "they have sacrificed to teach you and are lowly paid compared to their counterparts working elsewhere with similar qualifications".

Ipotseng reminded students that they are at the school to acquire knowledge. Lecturers reported to have beat and used abusive language when addressing students were given a stern warning to stop the habit as it is against the school rules and regulations.

In the 100m, Tlhalosang Molapisi qualified for the championships over the weekend during the Namibia National Athletics Championships.

Molapisi qualified for both World Championships and Commonwealth Games, clocking 10:27 against the 10:28 set qualifying standard for both competitions. The world games are scheduled for Helsinki, Finland, on August 6-14.

"Honestly, we are happy about the outcome, his record is an A standard, Molapisi is one athlete that is very good and we are certain that he will run a better time during both competitions as he is currently training hard.

Although some did not qualify we are optimistic that they will qualify in the Zimbabwe meet scheduled for July 3," said BAA public relations officer Ipolokeng Ramatshaba.

He said that in the 400m Gakologelwang Masheto obtained second position in a record time of 46:07 followed by Obakeng Ngwigwa at 47:43.

Ramatshaba said the two athletes times are not far from qualifying times and he is confident that the Zimbabwe meet will help them book their tickets to Finland.

He said he is worried about the set 2.30m qualifying standard for the high jump. During the competition, Onanye Ramohube led the way managing to clear 2.20m while Kabelo Mmono who has been the national champion jumped 2.15m in second position.

Gaosego Mogomotsi obtained position one in the 800m race. Pikisani Lokwalo also scooped first place.

The bare-footed Kaelo Mosalagae came second in the 5 000m while Gabaitumele Kananyo was third in the 15 000m race.

Ramatshaba said that the long distance runners can use the Bosele national marathon, billed for Selebi-Phikwe on June 26, as a yardstick to qualify for the Commonwealth Games.

On the womens side, it seems efforts to get more women to participate at the coming games are not bearing fruit as they are failing to impress.

In the 200m Seonyatseng Nthompe obtained third position while Seolebaleng Seomile was runner-up in the womens 400m race. Tlhalefang Seleke obtained position two in the womens shot-put.

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