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From 6 July 2006, a graphic version of the current edition is available at the Daily News Online web site.

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This view was echoed by panelists during a discussion on Community Radio Stations-Can They Work in Botswana, organized by Reteng, a multicultural coalition of Botswana on Thursday.

Opening the floor Professor Lydia Nyathi Ramahobo, said Reteng believes that community radio stations have a role to play in national development. She said the means of communication are essential in the upliftment of communities.

One of the panelists, MP for Gaborone Central, Mr Dumelang Saleshando in support of the view said a community radio station serves a community which shares a geographical location or a common interest.

The MP observed that these stations are a platform for debate for issues peculiar to a particular community. Debate is only limited to the kgotla and this makes the need for community stations imminent, poverty remains stubborn and the poor cannot make their voice heard, he said.

Furthermore Mr Saleshando said radio breaks barriers and does not require any form of literacy to access. Relevant educational materials can be accessed through the use of the local language, he said.

Community radio stations, he said encouraged participation and volunteerism and this results in training and opportunities for permanent jobs.

He said community radio stations were highly successful in South Africa with more than one hundred and fifty stations.

In Botswana, he said there was lack of political will as evidenced by delays in implementing the Freedom of Information Act.

He added that government should avail resources and that community radio stations should prove that they can be sustainable beyond donations.

People who are against community radio stations have a tendency to cite the Rwandan genocide as the reason for opposing them, but fragile tribal relations do not exist in Botswana, he said.

Botswana National Front spokesperson Mr Moeti Mohwasa said community radio stations are an interface between the leadership and the target audience; hence they can work in Botswana.

Mr Mohwasa said these stations can be used as a platform to discuss problems affecting the community and to also give the leadership the opportunity to get feedback from the periphery.

Community radio stations should not have a profit motive; most are run by non-governmental organizations. Their presence will reflect the interests of the community through their participation in open forums. Local people also get the opportunity to share ideas on how the stations can be run, he said.

The BNF spokesperson noted that these radio stations can influence change and offer new hope and horizon for information sharing.

Also he said community stations can help make the media relevant, build an information culture and that they are vital in protecting language and culture. But he cautioned that if these radio stations are not properly regulated and monitored they may be detrimental to the people they are supposed to serve. Peoples rights to information should be respected, he noted.

Botswana Democratic Party representative Mr Gomolemo Motswaledi agreed that community radio stations can work but called for development focused communication.

These stations belong to their communities and do not come from above. This idea is consistent with the pillars of vision 2016, which advocates for a democratic and civic oriented society, he said.

In addition he asserted that these stations will give citizens the ability to express their views and opinions. However he said community radio stations need proper project management so that they can achieve their intended goals.

The challenge now is that Christian applications are overwhelming and this presents a complexity, he said Mr Motswaledi also some issues that need to be addressed include training and education for volunteers.

The BDP representative also argued that technology is going to be a challenge in the delivery of community radio stations and that support services are needed.

Furthermore he noted that control and ownership should be tackled from the onset to avoid some interested groups like politicians using them to gain mileage.

MISA Botswana chairperson, Mr Laone Segaetsho said the stations can be used to document local heritage, reach nomadic groups and to the meet millennium development goals.

MISA has been vigorously campaigning for this as it addresses matters that directly affect communities. The community radio station landscape in Southern Africa is a paradox as South Africa and Namibia have fully fledged stations while in Botswana there is none, he argued.

Mr Segaetsho said community radio stations increase citizen participation enhance democracy knowledge and empower marginalized and vulnerable groups.

The MISA Chairperson noted that community radio stations contribute by shaping public attitudes and mobilize affected communities to be self reliant.

Furthermore community radio stations, he said can help in the preservation of linguistic and cultural knowledge.

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