Vol 8 No 330 September 1 - 8, 2006  Registered at the Post Office as a newspaper  Tel: 686  4807  Fax: 686 0257  e-mail: tnt@info.bw    

The North West District Council (NWDC) is negotiating for funding to replace the Maun sewerage scheme. There are reports that the project will cost about P250-million and will replace an outdated scheme which is causing distress to many as it is regarded as “smelly and inadequate.” The NWDC believes water supply in the district can be said to be “generally good as the demand in all villages is adequately met.”

Static water levels of all production boreholes are said to have remained constant and no change in yields have so far been experienced. The chairman of the Council, John Benn, said at the recent full Council meeting that the major challenge for the NWDC department of water and waste water management is the Maun sewerage scheme. “The scheme is in a very bad state because it has now passed its design period,” he said, adding that the pump stations and lift pump stations’ walls are beginning to collapse. The pump stations emit a foul smell that some residents have termed a health hazard. Benn said the condition of the pump and pipe network in both lift and pump stations, and the electrical motors, is showing signs of depreciation.

President Festus Mogae will tomorrow (Saturday) lead a national event to mark  the Vision 10th anniversary and to launch Vision 2016 awareness month in Sehithwa. This will be the first time that the launch of an awareness month has been held outside of Gaborone. Vision 2016 is Botswana’s blueprint for achievements and development to be realised in the next 10 years after the first half a century of the country’s independence.

The aim at Sehitwa is to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the implementation of the Vision, as well as to raise awareness under the theme “10 years into Vision 2016, Turning Challenges into opportunities”. The pillars of the vision are that by the year 2016 Botswana are: An educated and informed nation; a prosperous, productive and innovative nation; a compassionate, just and caring nation; a safe and secure nation; an open, democratic and accountable nation; a moral and tolerant nation; and, a united and proud nation.  

The 20 year Vision’s pillars are tripartite responsibility - government, the public sector and the private sector President Mogae is likely to elaborate tomorrow on the strides that the government has made towards achieving the goal and it is also expected he will highlight the HIV/AIDS pandemic as one of the major challenges towards the achievement of the Vision. The anniversary and the launch will be a platform for the government, private sector, non governmental organisations and the nation to look at the progress that has been made. Spectators will see the arrival of President Mogae by donkey cart at the Sehitwa kgotla celebration. The programme for the day features a one kilometre walk from the Sehithwa –Tsau junction to the main kgotla. Other activities include horse racing, choral music, and football. Some of the events are being sponsored by private companies. Companies involved include Orange (a beauty contest), Mascom Wireless (horse racing), Botswana Life (choral music), Barclays Bank of Botswana, A to Z Mica Build, and others.  Tonight (Friday) there will be a beauty contest at Ngami CJSS and a BDF band will be playing as well.

By Doreen Segwabe

Revellers who thronged Trekkers night club last Friday had the shock of their lives after someone sprayed something that smelled dreadful into the building. Many people were nauseous and rushed for the door. It is believed that the culprit, claimed by many patrons to be a teacher, unleashed the gas from a spray gun, causing a lot of panic as the foul smell spread through the club.  The suspect, a man, had apparently sprayed the gas at another patron. Some of those who were inside the club fainted with some vomiting as the smell was very strong.

 A group of Botswana Defence Force Soldiers and the Police were called in to help the situation, and try to find the suspect. The man who was the target of the sprayer said there had been a misunderstanding between the two of them and he volunteered to go with law enforcement officers to show them where the man stayed in the Chobe area of Maun. Maun police station commander Superintendent Moitaly Thokweng says he is not aware of the incident but would follow it up while investigating further.

The scene at the existing Kazungula ferry as trucks and commuters queue up to cross the Zambezi River

HARARE – The construction of a bridge over the Zambezi River at Kazungula is a step nearer reality. Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia have signed an agreement to construct the bridge at Kazungula, which borders the three countries. It will cross the river to facilitate the free movement of cargo and people.  Presidents Robert Mugabe, Botswana President Festus Mogae and Zambia’s President Levy Mwanawasa signed the Memorandum of Understanding at State House, Harare, following a meeting of ministers and officials from the three neighbouring countries. It was agreed to construct the Kazungula bridge over the shortest possible route and put up the necessary border control facilities. For this purpose, the three Southern African Development Community (SADC) states will adopt a one-stop border control facility once the legal and administrative framework has been developed for such a system. In the agreement, the three acknowledge that the location of the bridge may traverse the boundaries of their respective territories at Kazungula and agreed that this would not affect the construction of the bridge. “In the event that the bridge is located, wholly or a greater part of it, in the territory of any one of the parties (three countries), the parties agree that notwithstanding this fact the bridge shall remain jointly owned by the parties. “Any parties which may have any outstanding issues concerning their common boundary agree to continue consultations on the demarcation and delimitation of their common boundary at Kazungula, in an effort to reach a final and binding settlement,” reads part of the memorandum.

The three will explore and agree on suitable financing of the bridge, which will be constructed on the basis of competitive bidding in accordance with the procurement and tendering procedures agreed to. “The parties will make equal contributions towards all the costs of the design and construction of the bridge and the border control facilities,” the agreement added, and a technical steering committee will be established to co-ordinate the project. The permanent secretaries or their authorised representatives in the Ministries of Works and Transport in Botswana, Works and Supply in Zambia and Transport and Communications in Zimbabwe will be the co-ordinators of the committee. A preamble of the agreement states that the three countries in coming up with the project took cognisance of the need to promote trade in goods and services for their mutual benefit and the SADC region. President Mogae said the preamble of the agreement summed up the objective behind constructing the bridge while President Mwanawasa said now that the deal had been signed it must be implemented.

SA immigration strike?

Travellers to and from South Africa into Botswana and other countries may face bottlenecks at border posts and airports as South African immigration personnel strike  over salaries. The South African Department of Home Affairs has submitted a proposal to the country’s Public Servants Association in a bid to stave off the action.Airlines have called on the South African government to urgently communicate the status of the planned strike as airlines need to cancel international flights to prevent their passengers from being impacted by the pending action.

Horrifying rapes of young girls

By Delphin Koma

Twenty-one children under the age of 16 years have been raped in Maun this year. This has been disclosed by Women against Rape counsellor Mpho Mahopolo, who said young children continue to be victims of abuse, in particular rape. “We have 21 cases of children under-16 years being raped since the beginning of this year”, she said, adding that in most cases the perpetrators were family members or people known to the children.

Most rapes took place during the day after the children return from school or have been sent to tuck shops. She said children are helped by counselling, together with their parents, and given homeopathy medication treatment to help relieve stress and negativity so as to help them talk about the incident and deal with the situation positively. Mahopolo encouraged parents to report cases of rape for their children as soon as possible to get assistance. Guidance and counselling teacher for Moremi Primary School, Keratwe Molapisi, said children at her school suffered from negligence from parents and relatives, and advised parents to be friends of their children as well so that children can be open to them about their problems. “Parents must lay the foundation on which we as teachers can build,” she added. Molapisi said children who are not given enough love at home go out on the streets to form gangs so as to feel they belong somewhere. Mahopolo also emphasised that counselling is the best remedy after a child is abused in order to stop the development of strange behaviour such as turning into drug addicts and alcoholics.”

EDITORIAL

The epic journey

Take your hats off to some brave men and a lone woman who braved the elements to either run or canoe down the length of the Okavango River from Shakawe to Maun.The group arrived on Sunday, elated at having completed the epic children’s charity challenge but also very sore indeed. 

Although the official distance on the map is about 420km, with twists and turns on the road and through the swamps, one can take it that they completed more than 500km in their week of exertion.

It is immaterial who “won” – the athlete came in first followed by the canoeists – at the finish line at Okavango River Lodge, cheered on by many. And so they should have cheered – it was an epic journey that will forever live in the record books and show that it is possible to produce superhuman efforts in this day and age. Doff your caps to all of them!

Get a move on!

It is a pity that the contractors on the Disaneng road have had to get a rocket from the chairman of the North West District Council, John Benn, over their lack of progress.

One would have thought the contractors would have got down to the task with a will, particularly as they have only two years in which to complete the job, which includes a lot of other work as well.

THE MAUN SHUFFLE

Anyone see the Mars phenomenon over the weekend?  No? Well, you are not the only ones. Shuffle also looked in vain for Mars to rise in the sky like our moon, and just as large, or so the message read.

Nothing of the sort happened, as far as Shuffle understands. The change in our weather patterns may well be caused by the “near-miss” of Mars with the Earth. Recently we have experienced hot-cold-hot-cold conditions – unusual for this part of the world. We even had thunder and lightning the other night.

And we are not the only ones – friends in Europe have been roasting in soaring temperatures and freezing in sub-zero temps, with howling winds and lots of rain (what’s new, it’s England!) and the hurricane season was again started early in the Gulf of Mexico, bringing fears of another Hurricane Katrina episode of a year ago.

**

It is always warming to the heart to receive praise.  And when it comes from afar, it seems to be so much exciting!

Shuffle has been perusing the Guest Page on our electronic edition’s website (ngamitimes.com) and found some most interesting statements sent in from all over the world.

Did you know that The Ngami Times is read in 44 countries such as Saint Vincent and The Grenadines (a group of islands in the Caribbean), Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Poland, United Arab Emirates, Bahamas, Belgium, New Zealand, Vietnam, China, United States, Malaysia, South Africa, Britain, Sweden, France, Germany and many others?

According to a performance list provided by our webmaster, the most hits on our website are from Botswana followed, in this order, by the United States, South Africa, Britain, Australia, Canada, Kenya, Ireland, Norway, Germany, Malaysia and those lucky people with direct satellite feeds.

It says a lot for the fame of Maun (not The Ngami Times) and Botswana that the message is getting out there loud and clear.

Shepherd Morris, for instance, writes to us from Malaysia that it is “good to see the paper live. Out here in Malaysia I get the updates from my home town. Keep it up.” Thanks Shepherd. You live in a wonderful part of the world.

Gaeroline R Masheto writes from the Big Apple – that’s New York City of course – how it is “great and a refreshing feeling to be reading news from my home. You guys are doing as great job keeping us informed about the Tourist City of Botswana . . . “

That gives us a good feeling, too, that someone in bustling far-off New York City – where you could lose Maun on a street corner – thinks so highly of our town.

Claire in New Zealand gives us a great accolade by calling us “a great online newspaper with good journalism, a wide variety of topics and potential. Good luck from New Zealand.” Thanks, Claire, for those kind words – our staff are chuffed about the good journalism bit. We try our best (of course there are the odd mistakes as found in any newspaper) but we will keep on trying to improve.

Down the road in South Africa, Aquino Manchesta writes from Bloemfontein: “It’s good to communicate and hear news from the world. Keep it up”, while Amantle Montsho, our Maun Olympian living right now in France, tells us “I want to tell you I am very happy to read our newspaper here in France. Keep it up. You are doing a great job.”

Thank you all for your kind words and your encouragement.

 **

It is fascinating to read that Botswana has formally invited the England soccer squad to use our country as their base for the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament in South Africa – of course, that depends on England actually getting through to the final stages!

A delegation from the England Football Association has been in Gaborone (and nowhere else) to have a look at what facilities there are on offer, not only for the players but also for the legion of supporters who are likely to make the long trip to southern Africa along with tens of thousands of supporters of other countries playing in the big event.

The tourism side will be looming very large on the horizon of most supporters with nothing to do between games, and hopefully that’s where places like Maun, Chobe and the Okavango delta will score heavily.

What will they find in four years time?  Quite a lot, Shuffle thinks.

New hotels in Gaborone, Maun and Kasane are on the cards, improved telecommunication links, a renovated airport is slated to be ready for Maun by 2009, new hospitals at which to nurse those sore heads or broken bones, new roads and other infrastructure, and hopefully a people who will smile and cheer whenever foreigners put their hands in their pockets to fork out foreign exchange and not make these people feel like lepers, as is the case right now. As we have said before, let’s start working on it now. A special Ministerial team should be set up as a matter of urgency to catch this goose that will be laying golden eggs!

Increasing number of poor bothers Council

By Bright Kholi

The number of people classified as destitute in North West District keeps on increasing day in and out according to NWD Council chairman John Benn. Benn told a full Council meeting last week that as of June 30 this year, the district had registered 2 978 permanent destitutes and 24 “temporary” destitutes, an increase of 0.6% from the 2 960 registered at the end of March. He said the number of temporary destitutes increased from 17 to 24 over the same period, marking an increase of 29%. Statistics in the number of needy students also shows an increase from 1 778 in the last quarter to 1 785 in the quarter ending June 2006. “These increases may look quite insignificant to some people but in real terms their impact is very substantial as this in real terms will contribute to the depletion of our already strained budgets,” he told councillors. Benn said society at large should not pride itself by the number of destitute persons registered in their wards.  “It is very unfortunate that some Batswana see destitution as an opportunity rather than a programme meant to help the disadvantaged,” Benn added.

Sentenced for stealing dustbin

A 19 year old Disaneng man has been sentenced to six months imprisonment for stealing a dustbin from a private home. According to evidence brought before the customary court in Maun, Mothusi Friday is alleged to have entered the property of Chris Botha with intension to steal. Friday was warned by Chief Labane Meno that he has committed “a silly offence” which Botswana law stipulates carries a term of imprisonment for a period ranging from one year to 3 years. Friday asked the court to be lenient, saying he was a 3rd year student at Maun Technical College and was due to complete his course this year as well as looking after his elderly mother, a minor child, and livestock.

Meno sentenced him to six months imprisonment without option of a fine. He has the right to appeal. A Kubung ward man, 23 year old Gobotswang Kudumane, was sentenced by the customary court for unlawful possession of dagga. Evidence was that 0.9 grammes of dagga was found in his possession by police during a search this year. Kudumane asked for leniency, saying he would soon be starting school. He was sentenced to P150 fine and warned that a further offence would earn him a P1 000 fine or a year in prison.

Garage owner on tourist group board

Chobe Holdings, the listed company that owns Chobe Game Lodge and the Desert and Delta Safaris lodges, as well as Namibian and Zambian tourism properties, has appointed  Keloitsang “Killer” Ledimo, owner of the Engen Filling Station in Maun, to its Board of Directors. The full Board is now Sir Ketumile Masire (Chairman), Jonathan Gibson (Managing Director), DA Nganunu, AD Chilisa, AM Whitehouse, K Ledimo, BD Flatt, and P van Riet Lowe.

And the band kept on playing...

Leapotswe Primary School band has finally brought happiness to the faces of many of its students by making it to the top 14 in the My African Dream (M.A.D) semi-finals held in Gaborone. The band was competing against 500 participants from Maun, Francistown, Gaborone and other towns. They played instruments, keyboard, and guitar. Levy Ikuwa, a Standard Four pupil,  told The Ngami Times he was “so thrilled” they made it to the top 14 even though they did not qualify for the finals. He said for him it was a great challenge and a good experience.

Thirst for education leaves Etsha 6 gasping . . .

Chief Reporter BRIGHT KHOLI visits the village to find sixteen classes are taught under the trees, and the school has reached maximum capacity.The writing is on the wall. The Panhandle village of Etsha 6 needs another primary school as a matter of urgency. Having visited the school on several occasions over the past three years I again went to see the problems facing the school.

In 2004 when I visited Etsha Primary for a prize giving ceremony, the situation was bad with eight classes taught outdoors. The Ngami Times then ran a story headlined “Infrastructure shortages hit Panhandle school”. In that article the acting Head Teacher at the time was quoted as saying a shortage of classrooms and other basic equipment in the school hampered the effectiveness of the school. He mentioned then that the school had reached the ceiling of 22 classrooms, which meant that no more classrooms could be built in the school. In an interview with NWDC secretary, Paulos Nkoni, in those days, it was agreed that the situation at Etsha needed attention and Nkoni said the situation would be assessed. However   when I recently  called in again I saw children being taught outside on cold winter mornings. This time around they had also run out of trees for shade, which meant some classes were being taught entirely in the open. Each time I saw the children shivering in the mornings in their outside classes, it reminded me of my school days when we would be taught under a tree.

Those days, even though there were classroom shortages, in cases of severe weather conditions we would be mixed inside a classroom with children from another class. However this logic looked impossible at Etsha because of the huge number of classes that are taught outside. The population of Etsha 6 and the catchment areas around it necessitated two or even three primary schools, local people say. This week, the North West District Council (NWDC) chairman John Benn told a full council meeting that the number of pupils in the district far exceeds the number of carrying capacity of some schools. “So far the district has a total of 27 960 registered pupils against 779 classrooms, with the most affected areas being Maun and Etsha 6,” Benn said. He confirmed that at Etsha 6, although the school had reached its full capacity of 22 classrooms there are 16 classes that are being taught outside. “The majority of the pupils at the school come from settlements around the village and some travel 5km every morning to school,” he said. Benn said the Council was in contact with relevant stakeholders on possible funding of a new school to relieve the pressure on Etsha 6 school, as well as another in Maun to relieve Tawana Primary school.

District’s councillors complain about cellphone links

By Golang Raditsela

North West District Council councillors have taken the unprecedented step of complaining about the service offered by leading cellphone provider, Mascom Wireless.

They described the company’s service as “poor” during debate in the council meeting last week. This follows on three days and weekends during which Mascom coverage was not available in Maun. They said unavailability of coverage during that time was “a very big inconvenience” because it caused a massive communication break down. This situation had forced some to change to a rival provider. Boitumelo Mothibamele, a Relationship manager at Mascom Gaborone, agreed with the allegations levelled against the company, saying their office was been aware of the situation. She however said she was upset by their service being described as “poor”, while they are aiming at being the top service providers in Botswana. She said Mascom Wireless depended on the Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) for the supply of equipment and said in some cases when the coverage was down, it became difficult for them to handle it due to the fact that they are not the property owners. Mascom is now working on solutions to curb the situation. Mothibamele emphasised that Mascom is working on having its own equipment and once this happened, “there will be no one to point an accusing finger at” in case of any problem that might be encountered. She said there is no timeframe for the implementation because planning is still in process. NWDC councillors expressed their concerns about a contract signed with Mascom for a cellphone service, adding that “what has been agreed upon is not what is happening”. Their airtime is not put through on time, sometimes it is less than the agreed amount, and that cellphone replacement is not as easy, as agreed.  In responding, Thelma Mokgosi, branch manager in Maun, said their office has been aware of it and explained that the problem arose from wrong information acquired from forms their office received from the NWDC. In some instances, Mokgosi said  councillors change numbers and does not update the information in the forms, which them means the airtime will be loaded in old numbers.

Corporal punishment remains for pupils

GABORONE – Botswana will continue to impose corporal punishment on children in school. This is what Education minister Jacob Nkate told parliament this week in reply to a question about whether the country had taken heed of the United Nations convention on the rights of the Child, which urges member states of the world body to abolish corporal punishment. Nkate said  member states had the right to take reservation of some of the articles of the Convention if they deemed them to be in conflict with the culture and tradition of their societies, the government newspaper “daily News” reported.

The view in Botswana is that corporal punishment was not physical violence or abuses alluded to in Article 19 of the Convention. He is quoted as saying: “Our reading of the local scenario is that corporal punishment is preferred by both parents and students to other sanctions such as detention, manual work, suspension, and expulsion which take away a child’s meaningful learning time and sometimes their dignity .” Botswana introduced a strict framework in which corporal punishment was administered.

Aviation body fights HIV/AIDS through sports

District Officer for Ngami, Lesang Kgomoetsile

Performance Management System Coordinator at  DCA, Oganne Maroba

Seako Ranko, of Tebelopele

 By Bright Kholi

The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) has resorted to fighting HIV and AIDS through sports activities. DCA employees from all over the country were in Maun last weekend to launch the campaign centred on how sport is an alternative in fighting the scourge.

The event was an inter-airport HIV and AIDS awareness campaign and integrated sports activities. Events included voluntary testing by Tebelopele, integrated sports activities and health talks. The Performance Management System Coordinator at DCA, Oganne Maroba, described the theme as “appropriate in the sense that a person infected with HIV can, through maintaining a healthy lifestyle through  combination of excise and healthy diet, have a healthy mind and brighter future.”Maroba said the Ministry of Works and Transport had come up with a policy on HIV/AIDS and an implementation plan. “The policy articulates the aims, objectives and the principles governing the ministry’s response to HIV/AIDS,” he said. “Our ministry is highly labour intensive and has a large number of mobile workforce deployed in the construction and transport industries. The sector is obviously more vulnerable and affected by HIV/AIDS,” he said.

The aviation sector has highly technical, specialised and skilled manpower that is difficult to replace. The District Officer for Ngami, Lesang Kgomoetsile, commended DCA for engulfing HIV/AIDS at the workplace program in its annual plan, describing the DCA as “a gate point of international communities and there needs a healthy manpower that can handle the demands of all airport users.”Kgomoetsile said “lack of social interaction contributes to loneliness and where people do not interact, they fail to share important information . . . Sports keep you healthy in mind and body.” Seako Ranko, of Tebelopele, also took the opportunity to brief the DCA employees on the importance of knowing ones status.

Public servants can test for virus

September is HIV/AIDS testing month for the public service.

The directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM), the National Aids Co-Ordinating agency (NACA), the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Local Government in collaboration with key stakeholders are providing the opportunity for testing during the month. The launch of the programme is on Saturday (September 2) in front of the Parliament building in Gaborone, when the speaker will be Public Administration and Presidential Affairs minister P Skelemani. Testing is to be done in the grounds of parliament and other testing centres are at hospitals, clinics, Tebelelopele, BOCAIP and BOFWA.

Students protest over unaccredited ‘private’ school

By Golang Raditsela

A business school operating on the premises of Maun Brigades has come under fire from its students. The Ngami Times has confirmed that the school is not registered with the Botswana Training Authority (BOTA). Students had been told that as the school was on Brigade land, it was a “government institute”. They now say they realise this is not the case and want their money back, said a student, Romeo Mothubi, this week. The students claimed they became concerned as they were not allowed access to Brigade services, such as food and stationery, and also complained their teachers “are not qualified” Some teachers were also said to be taking up to four subjects. They also said what made them even more suspicious was that one of their classmates was a Standard 4 dropout, and she was doing a Diploma course.  When they were admitted, the students maintained that they were not asked to produce any document showing their qualifications but were only required to pay P100 for enrolment as of May 10, when the school started operations.

Their holidays were also abnormal as they could attend lessons only four times a month -  and all those days were public holidays. The students asked about registration of the school, but the management “became very aggressive,” they said. They wanted the management to talk to them or else they would not attend classes, as one of them said “if there is no proof of registration from BOTA, we are not going back to classes. No proof, no school and our money should be paid back. If there is no money, then the law must take its course.” The first time they saw the school’s co-ordinator – who was not named by the students but whose identity is known to The Ngami Times - was when they decided not to attend classes. Attempts to obtain comment from officials at the Brigade was unsuccessful but Mhitshane Reetsang, BOTA’s Marketing Promotions Manager at BOTA, confirmed this week the institution was not accredited. She said “such problems are familiar to our office and therefore has become a big concern,” adding that in cases where students have already paid money to an unaccredited institute, their office cannot assist as “we have been appealing to people about the situation but people continue with it. “People should call our office and confirm accreditations before they enroll”, she said.

CTO causes delays for other departments

By Golang Raditsela

The Central Transport Organisation (CTO) should be blamed for some failures of other departments to attend to the public‘s needs. This is a suggestion that has come from some North West District councillors when meeting in Maun recently. The councillors had heard that some departments, such as Veterinary Services, reported their service was “significantly affected” by a lack of transport while all their vehicles have been taken to CTO for repair. It is said that repairs can take up to two years. This obviously means service delivery is delayed and productivity is brought down for other departments.  In giving explanations to the problem, the workshop manager at CTO, Moagi Mmolawa, said the main cause was a lack of vehicle parts.  He maintained that suppliers of parts in Maun did not number many, leading them to order parts in Francistown, which calls for extra time before repairs can be completed. CTO has however contracted private garages to repair vehicles in a time scale but often the garages take longer than expected.

In some cases, when a vehicle is maintained at a private garage, some more damage is being discovered, meaning costs also rise. In such a situation, a report has to be made to CTO by letter and authorisation obtained from Gaborone. “This process takes time”, Mmolawa said. Other causes for vehicles being off the roads were the high rate of accidents - 53 per month – and CTO also has only have three panel beaters in Maun. Some vehicles are taken to Francistown for panel beating. Mmolawa said there are 259 vehicles to be maintained, in which 109 are in the workshop, and 150 are contracted out privately. He emphasised that CTO no longer stocks major components because if vehicles are properly used, such parts are not easily damaged. Moreover, there are many car models and they regularly change. District Commissioner Bernadette Malala emphasised that CTO has limited money to buy parts, and again they need to get authority from Gaborone to make any purchase. In some cases authorisation is not granted, and there is therefore no way such a part can be bought. Mmolawa said he is intending to have a meeting with all relevant stakeholders to sort the problem out.

The Okavango Delta Management Plan – An Integrated Approach towards Conservation and Development

By Tigele Mokobi

Botswana’s long-term vision for the achievement of kagisano or social harmony, “Vision 2016: towards prosperity for all” was published in 1997. The publication of this document followed exhaustive consultations with the people from all strata of society and the resultant national vision is now the blue print for planning processes in Botswana.

Issues of environment, natural resource development and utilisation, population growth, poverty reduction and sustainable growth feature prominently in the prosperity and productivity pillar of the vision. The national vision recognises the complex and fragile nature of the Okavango Delta ecosystem and identified the urgent need of the Okavango Delta Environmental Master Plan.

To this end, the Government of Botswana initiated the development of the wetlands inventory and subsequent drafting of the National Wetlands Policy and Strategy. In April 1997, Botswana ratified the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance and listed the Okavango Delta as a Ramsar site.

The provisions of the national vision and the Wetlands Policy packaged with obligations under the Ramsar Convention and other multi-lateral environmental agreements such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Shared Water Courses and the Permanent Okavango River Basin Commission (OKACOM) are all instruments that ultimately led to the design in 2001 of the Okavango Delta Management Plan (ODMP).

The long term objective of the ODMP is to “develop a comprehensive, integrated management plan for the conservation and sustainable use of the Okavango Delta and surrounding areas”. 

The project was designed under the main principle of strengthening ownership through accountability and active participation of all stakeholders both during the development and in the subsequent implementation of the plan. 

This process entailed adopting the integrated planning process to resource management which requires that all sectors collaborate at all planning and implementation stages of the plan. The use of the Ecosystem Approach on the other hand allows for a comprehensive management of the Delta in a manner which devolves responsibility to the lowest levels of society within the acceptable ecological limits, economic context and using a broad information base.  

The planning process further focuses on the enhancement of capacity within the institutions and communities residing in the Delta area and maintains sensitivity to livelihood issues such as poverty reduction, gender equity and the management and prevention of HIV and AIDS.

Further still, the trans-boundary nature of the Okavango aquatic ecosystem accords the Government the opportunity to associate with international stakeholders through the fullfilment of obligations outlined in the relevant multi-lateral agreements and other regional protocols ratified by Botswana.

The project was formally established in April 2002 following the endorsement of the project document by the Government of Botswana, IUCN the World Conservation Union, Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and the German Development Service (DED).  The project is managed by the Department of Environmental Affairs in the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism and it is coordinated by the ODMP Project Secretariat in Maun. 

The ODMP project has four critical milestones, namely the Inception Report, Framework Plan, Draft Management Plan and Final Management Plan. The projects planning phase is scheduled to be completed by October 2006, while the implementation will be carried over a cycle period of six years which will coincide with the normal district and national government development plans.

NIIT opens centre in Maun

Ravi Srinivasan, General Manager of NIIT Receiving the TEC Institutional Accreditation Certificate from Dr. Patrick Molutsi, Executive Secretary ,TEC

NIIT which is Botswana’s leading IT and Business training school has decided to open a centre in Maun. Ravi Srinivasan the General Manager of NIIT states that “ Maun is the tourist capital of the country and hence is very rapidly becoming a major commercial hub. There is a serious shortage of training facilities in Maun and we find students coming to our Francistown centre. By opening the centre in Maun we shall be rendering a service to the local community by providing quality education at their doorstep.”

The first NIIT centre was opened in Gaborone in 1997 and since then over 6,500 Batswana have been trained in various IT courses. NIIT has globally trained over 3.5 million students in over 35 countries in the last 25 years.  The courseware, methodology and approach to training is a result of enormous amount of study conducted by the NIIT research team. NIIT provides curriculum on the latest technology. NIIT is primarily focused on IT and Business skills training and provides Certificate and Diploma courses that further lead to international University degrees. All NIIT programs are BOTA accredited and are also registered with the Tertiary Education Council (TEC).

NIIT has courses suitable for all levels starting from Basic Computing courses for the lay person up to Advanced courses for IT professionals. The hands on training that they get from NIIT makes NIIT graduates extremely “employable”. NIIT graduates are employed in various organisations in Government and in the private sector.

Onks Times Beat

Aint going nowhere!

Onks knows how it feels to be given a taste of something that you have been longing for and how sad it is to be taken away while your taste buds were getting to work. I say sorry to everyone who called asking where I was? Whether I have ran out of topics? Onks did not run away or out of topics. In the past I have been saying how grateful I am that people are appreciating my column to an extent that others propose I should come up with a talk show based on the topics I have been writing on. How encouraging but it seems that despite all the praise, it has also turned out I have more enemies that friends!

One Saturday night I went out just to return home early after a drunken youth (name in possession) harassed me at a pub saying he is annoyed due to what I wrote, topic “What do you think of your sexual behaviour” He claimed the topic was directed to him. I knew the guy from our school days and I thought he was just messing around, but when he started pushing me around and swearing at me, I realised how serious he was. I tried to cool him down to understand that I am not being personal and that I am not attacking anyone when coming up with a topic. These are only my personal views. The second incident happened when I attended a farewell party I had been invited to by a DJ friend of mine. Barely an hour later, I was accused again for being personal on “Just Break Up”. The guy said he was in the same situation and my topic was becoming the basis of his girlfriend breaking up with him. Some days later the guy apologised.

Last month saw Onks, amongst the thousands that attended the Nokia Face of Africa at Sun City in South Africa. The event was world class as Kaone Kario rightfully said.  I had an opportunity of talking to some of the girls before and after the event, Keamogetswe was over the moon - “It is great to be here and modeling is an experience” she said before the event.

Another contestant, Melody, got angry at me for not recognising her - “we met at Kasane at the boot camp. I’m cross with you, how can you say you don’t know my name” she said, I was so embarrassed. At the after-party hosted for Venantia Otto, the winner, I managed to have a quick word with her and she said she was going to do Africa “proud.” The interesting part was when we had a picture taken of ourselves and in which she held me by the waist.  I tried to do the same only for her bodyguard to say “Don’t touch her”. The guy was jealous anyway. One thing that I can share with you is that South African celebrities like partying. Otto’s party cost about US$12 000 (about P70 000) was attended by a who’s who of South African television and the entertainment industry and I got in the mix with them - including Lebo Mathosa, Lungile, of O’Boma fame, Noni, the Face of Africa presenter, Kea and Kaone were some of the celebrities and we became inseparable.Onks would also like to commend the support shown by our elders in attending the event at Sun City. I was humbled to meet up with our most interactive Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, former military man Kitso Mokaila, who was in turn delighted to see me at Sun City, introducing me took his entourage saying “He is Onks from The Ngami Times”. It was overwhelming.  Till next time.

Happy faces... Prime Stocks were crowned the champions of this year’s Apache relay at BMC Sports Club in Maun last weekend. The  participants were awarded vouchers for their individual skills.   Photo:Bose Sethupa

Three top players have been overlooked for the Botswana Zebras soccer team taking on Mauritania this weekend because of a dispute over match fees. Dipsy Selolwane and Mogogi Gabonamong, both of Cape Town Santos, and Kagiso Tshelametsi, of City Pillars, have been dropped from the side for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations Group B game. It was  announced on Wednesday. Group B is made up of Botswana, Burundi, Egypt and Mauritania. The official reason for the non-selection  from the BFA is that Selolwane and Gabonamong have “indefinitely retired from national team activities” while Tshelametsi says he wants to “consolidate his position at his new club and therefore wants to be excused from this game.” However, the BFA also says that Selolwane and Gabonamong have been told their appearance fees cannot be afforded at the moment but the BFA will explore ways of how the national team’s incentives can be improved. The players selected for the trip are: Modiri Marumo, Bolokang Kelekgethese, Mompati Thuma, Seabo Gabanakgosi, Ernest Amos, Khumo Motlhabane.

Ndiyapo Letsholathebe, Alex Matshameko, Tshepo Motlhabankwe, Michael Mogaladi, Donald Thobega, Joel Mogorosi. Moemedi Moatlhaping, Tshepiso Molwantwa, Nelson Gabolwelwe, Bolelang Malepa, Emmanuel Kaelo, and Pontsho Moloi. Mauritania is an unknown quantity as far as Botswana soccer is concerned. The Mauritanians are known to have beaten Zimbabwe some years ago but whether their football has improved dramatically since then is not known. It is expected however that they will test the Zebras line-up, already smarting under a 1-0 defeat by Zambia two weeks ago in the COSAFA Castle Cup semi-final in Lusaka. * Mauritania is a country in the north-west of Africa and is formed mainly by the Sahara Desert. Its borders with neighbouring states such as Senegal and Algeria are closed and the only way into the country is by air from Morocco, The Gambia or Las Palmas, in the Canary Islands. Slavery was officially abolished in 1980 although slavery is believed to continue in remote areas. The population numbers about 2 million, of which 70% are rural. The capital is Nouakchott, where Sunday’s game will be played. Mauritania gained self-government in 1957 and independence from France in 1960.

A to Z Mica sponsoring Independence soccer  

Hardware company A to Z Mica will sponsor the 2006 Independence soccer tournament to the tune of P20 000. 14 teams in the Nhabe Regional League will participate in this event. A to Z Mica president Subhash Mehta, who have put up P100 000 for continued sponsorship until 2010. The total prize money for the participating teams is P10 000 every year, with P10 000 for BFA administration purposes such as payment of referees, electricity, and security at Maun stadium. This year’s tournament kicks off with preliminary rounds on Saturday (September 2) at 2 pm. A full programme of entertainment is promised for the games this year, as well as chilled soft drinks and beer on sale at the stadium at a subsidised price of P2.50 each. Entrance to the stadium is free for the qualifying games, while entrance for the quarter-final games will be P5 each.

The participating teams will each get t-shirts from A to Z that will be used during the game. Subhash said all profits from the sale of drinks will be doubled and donated towards the planned Maun children’s park. Sohum Mehta, who is Subhash Mehta’s son, came with the idea to build the park, the P400 000 goal project has so far raised P60 000, which includes  P40 000 raised from the game that Zebras played against Maun All Stars last year. Last year’s defending champions, CTO, is expected to carry on where they have left off last season, with the losing finalists North West United who are in a build up phase after losing a number of key players. This year’s tournament will be interesting, as both Maun’s power houses will be taking part. Relegation debutants Maun Terrors and Makgabisanaga will be on standby as the two top teams, while Maun Tigers will start their campaign when they take on Gunners of Khwai on Sunday. The winners of this year’s tournament will receive a cash prize of P3000 and floating trophy, runners up will walk away with P2000-00, 3rd position will be P1000-00 and P700-00 for 4th place. The last four teams in the top eight will each get P500 and the teams that lose in the preliminary rounds will get P300 each for participation.        

Other weekend fixtures: 

Saturday: Zungu v Moeti 2pm; Gaegolelwe v Sankoyo 4pm

Sunday: Gunners vs Maun Tigers 2pm; Fuji Vs CTO 4pm

All the games will be played at Maun Sports Complex.