Edition 410 May 2 - 9, 2008.

ANGER OVER BAR HOURS .

Huge resentment to the new liquor laws is becoming obvious.

Nightclub and liquor restaurant owners are up in arms protesting against the new trading hours which have already seen numerous bars, night clubs and liquor restaurants having to lay-off staff.

Nightclub owners have already filed an application with the High Court in Lobatse to have the legislation amended.

No such similar action has been taken by liquor restaurants, so named because they sell food as well as liquor and are now governed by stringent new trading hours. The Liquor Traders' Association has also not taken any action.

In Maun, liquor restaurant owners have been bluntly told by the police and North West District Council officials that if they don't toe the line, they will be fined or their licences revoked.

A meeting of interested parties was held in the town on Tuesday but the media were asked not to publicise the proceedings.

Licensed premises were visited last week by Council officials who handed owners copies of the Government Gazette in which the new legislation was published.

The law, which came into effect on April 1, appears to be particularly hard on liquor restaurants catering for tourists.

Some licensees have already intimated they may have to curtail operations unless the government recognises that Maun is “the tourist hub of Botswana ” and in particular give liquor restaurants a special dispensation to sell liquor throughout the day, particularly to bona fide tourists or people waiting for flights.

In central Maun, liquor restaurants can open bars on their premises at 12pm and close at 2.30pm and then only sell to people taking a meal. They then cannot legally sell liquor before 6.30pm – which is widely regarded by owners and customers as an infringement on the rights of individuals to have a glass of wine or other liquor while having an evening meal or after-work drink before going to their homes.

Safari lodges and camps are also affected by the change. Top government officials are known to be shareholders in some of those establishments and many senior civil servants and various councillors in all districts are known to also have interests in bars.

There is also anger over the fact that public bars – from where the bulk of Botswana 's alcoholism problems stem - have longer hours in which to sell liquor.

“This is not likely to help the government stamp out alcoholism. In fact, it will most probably increase consumption because there will be binge drinking on a grand scale and shebeens will prosper,” said one licensee.

According to the new law, bar liquor licence premises can only open during certain hours of the day. Hours in these establishments are from 2pm to 10pm Mondays to Thursdays, 12 noon to 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and 3pm to 10pm on Sundays and public holidays. Liquor Restaurants can do so from 12.30pm to 2.30pm and 6.30pm to 10.30pm.

An owner in Maun disclosed that some establishments had already projected losses in excess of P5 000 a month.

“We may as well not open our doors until 12.30pm during the week, which means that we will lose hours of business and therefore profit. We would also be obliged to lay off staff as we wouldn't be able to afford to employ them. I sincerely hope this law is not aimed at closing down businesses and creating unemployment.

“We are going backwards. This is a move to force abstinence on a population that has clearly shown it is not interested in such measures,” a restaurant owner said.

Many people interviewed by The Ngami Times predicted a political backlash, particularly with a general election scheduled for next year and that the legislation had not been sufficiently thought through - “the current ruling party may well find itself out of office over this issue” was one comment.

Court hears of night robber was shot

By Golang Raditsela

A State witness in a robbery in which a Maun family of five was attacked and assaulted so badly there was blood everywhere in their home told the court how he shot a man who entered his yard and came running straight towards him.

Free Braidthway, a local businessman, recalled the events of December 16, 2006, as if it had happened yesterday. He said he was sleeping at around 2am when he heard his dogs barking.

“I went out and heard a female voice screaming ‘no money, no money' and got to realise there was trouble at my neighbour's yard,” he said.

Braidthway went back into his house, got his gun and fired in the air to try and scare the attackers and defend his neighbour.

Immediately after that, Braidthway said he saw a man jumping over the security wall into his yard - “I tried to stop him but he told me that I was wasting his time and that he was coming for me. I could see that indeed that man was coming”, Braidthway continued. He added that his dog tried to bite the man but he carried on, leaving Braidthway with only one alternative of defending himself. He said he shot at the man's leg and then called the police.

Braidthway told the court that the man he shot was not among the accused persons - Katorora Hange and Vehupa Johannes. Another State witness who is a police scenes of crime officer, Hanse Serumula, 33, told the court he attended the scene at Braidthway's neighbours. He said he entered the house and inspected it with the help of the house occupants.

The main door, which was made of glass, was smashed and items in the sitting room were scattered all over. He saw blood stains on the floor, walls, and in the toilet and kitchen. Serumula said the occupants told him the blood was theirs as they had been assaulted by the attackers.

He added that he saw more blood from the verandah to the security wall, which none of the complainants indicated was theirs.

“I took a swab of blood, handed it to another officer to seal it and forward it to the forensic lab and I proceeded with following the blood drops,” he said. Serumula said that 500 meters away he came across Johannes sitting under a tree with a very big wound on the foot. He could not walk. Johannes was taken as a suspect and was ordered to have a blood sample taken for comparison with the swab. Three months later, Serumula said he received an affidavit which indicated a match between the blood stains and the swab.

He also said he saw a man who was shot by Braidthway and later leant that it was Kabelo Moaneng.

The trial will continue on May 15.

Prosecutors delay cases – magistrate

By Keagisitswe Dioka

Maun senior magistrate Rebecca Motsamai says prosecutors are delaying cases.

She said this in open court last week after many cases were postponed due to non- attendance by witnesses and accused persons.

Motsamai stressed that the courts were unable to continue with cases because prosecutors are not willing to do so - it was a surprise to her when this happened as prosecutors did not subpoena witnesses in time.

Prosecutors were always putting the blame on police officers, accusing them of not producing witnesses or accused to court in time “yet they know that they also late in arranging for this.”

She said claims that cases were being delayed due to there being no magistrate available can be dismissed as even when they are present and ready for the trial, witnesses are not available.

Prosecutors who were in court said they told the police well in time to bring accused persons to court and claimed that delays were caused by the police.

They said they can subpoena witnesses to come for a trial in time but to their surprise they would be told by the police that witnesses were not yet found.

The principal prosecutor at the Maun office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, Pascal Mhandu, revealed to The Ngami Times that sometimes cases are being delayed by police officers as they do not bring the witnesses in time.

He said sometimes the cases are being delayed as prosecutors might have told the police too late to produce witnesses.

Mhandu also said cases might be delayed due to difficulties such as witnesses not being available or a court not in session.

Armed robbery at BPC outlet

By Thato Entaile Dithupe

Shotgun-wielding robbers recently robbed a Botswana Power Corporation depot in Boseja.

The depot, at the Rainbow West Filling Station, was attacked by three men according to the station commander for Maun Police, Robson Maleka.

A security guard was standing in the concourse front of the filling station when he saw three men wearing long black coats, blue jeans and black balaclavas walking in to the depot.

They walked straight to the cashier, threatened her and ordered her at gunpoint to open the safe. Fortunately the safe was empty but they managed to get P1 700 from the till and P600 in goods from the shelves.

The robbers also took airtime scratch cards worth P400 and cashier's orange handbag which contained her LG cell phone and Omang her identity card. The cashier and security guard were not unhurt.

Investigations are continuing and no one has been arrested.

Man in court with goods stolen at Gweta

By Golang Raditsela

A Moeti man, Christopher Sakaiyo, has appeared before magistrate Rebecca Motsamai after he was found in possession of goods which were suspected to have been stolen.

The 29-year-old was found by police on patrol near the Spyros business on February 2, 2006, in possession of two Nokia cellphones and 35 boxes of Peter Stuyvesant cigarettes.

Sakaiyo was questioned on how he came to acquire the goods but failed to account for them. He was then warned and cautioned for the offence.

The police conducted investigations as to establish where the goods might have been taken or stolen and the results showed that the goods were allegedly stolen from No.1 General Trading Wholesalers and Hardware, Gweta.

Even though he agreed with the facts of the offence, Sakaiyo claimed he had no idea that he possessed stolen property. He said he was given the goods by an individual who asked him to sell them.

He however did not dispute that the goods were stolen. He also pleaded guilty to the charge. Sakaiyo was convicted as charged and was ordered to be fingerprinted on a request from the prosecutor, Isaac Mamadi, of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions. This was done in order to check if the accused was a first offender.

His remand warrant was extended until May 6 when he again appears before the court.

EDITORIAL

The lesson has not been heeded

The government is riding a wild tiger over the question of alcohol.

The implementation of the new Liquor Act, which came into effect on April 1, has trampled on many toes – not least the restaurant industry catering for tourists, business people and others.

The owners of liquor restaurants (not the traditional street-fronted bar liquor establishments) are naturally up in arms over the massive effect in sales and employment the new hours of sale will have on their businesses.

From Maun to Kasane to Gaborone there is outrage over how the government is “killing off the business” by regulating hours of sale in bona fide restaurants in key tourist areas, most particularly in the late afternoon when many people join friends and colleagues for a drink before going to their homes. Tourists, too, are bemused by Botswana 's return to old-time liquor sales hours and wonder whether the progressive country they are visiting is actually progressive.

We do not believe that the Mother Grundys who forced through this Act knew what they were doing or did not consider the consequences of their actions.

What they have done is put at risk many businesses and brought misery to many families as breadwinners have, or will be, made redundant as profits fall due to customers no longer entering their premises.

Discipline may be one of the new government's goals but this is not the way to go about it as worldwide statistics show that alcoholism increases in such circumstances, and more so if liquor is driven underground. The partial or complete prohibition of liquor, as witnessed in the United States six decades ago, should surely have been a lesson in what not to do.

Awards for top BDF members

Special Correspondent

GABORONE - Members of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) have been awarded with medals, trophies and national colours for hard work and commitment.

The awards were presented by President Ian Khama.

The Duty Code Order (DCO) and the Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) were the top two awards presented to individuals.

Brigadier Johannes Hengari and Brigadier Bosetswe Mogamise were awarded the DCO while Hengari was also the recipient of the The Commander's Commissioned Unit of the Year award, which is presented to the unit that wins the most competitions in different disciplines.

Hengari is commander of the 17 Armour Brigade which won most awards in this year's BDF competitions. A total of 34 officers were presented with the DSM, awarded to commissioned officers who have completed not less than 20 years of continuous service.

These included Brigadier David Setshedi and Lt. Colonel Mogorosi Baatweng, the director, protocol and public affairs.

Second Lieutenant Samuel Kedisang is this year's Bull Dog Recipient, which is presented to the best overall student out of a total of 17 for airmanship.

A total of 477 officers were presented with the Long Service Order (LSO) and Khama also recognised the role some BDF members are playing in Botswana sport. The President presented Lance Corporal Ramohube with the Sportsman of the Year prize and other awards in this category included the Sports Code Player of the Year Recognition, the BDF National Athletic colours and the National Administration Colour recipients.

Vendors, caterers now in government buildings

By Special Correspondent

GABORONE - Only citizen produced decorations, landscaping and arts and crafts in public offices can be used in future.

The Permanent Secretary to the President, Eric Molale, has issued such an instruction to government ministries and departments - including parastatals, local authorities and wholly-owned Government companies. He has also said that preference be given to youth and women individuals and groups. The ministries of Trade and Industry and Youth, Sports and Culture, as well as Labour and Home Affairs, have been tasked with monitoring progress on this Directive. In this respect they are to report on its implementation on a quarterly basis. Another directive also says that small-scale caters and vendors are allowed in public buildings and offices. Reasonable space in the foyers and reception areas of various public buildings and offices is necessary so as to allow small-scale caterers and vendors to sell their goods. There will be no charge levied for the space occupied by the caterers and vendors.

Guidelines are to be drawn up within ministries for the implementation of the directive in order to ensure that transparent rules are first put into place as to how to select its commercial beneficiaries, as well as to determine the specific locations and otherwise prescribe the manner in which such businesses shall be carried out.

Ridge's father charged for permit offence

The father of Maun West MP Ronald Ridge has been fined P500 for employing a non- citizen without a work permit.

According to information from the police, a Zimbabwean national, Amisi Namaro, was employed by Ronald Eric Ridge , 67, from April 4 to 9 as a carpenter.

Ridge admitted to having employed Namaro, adding that it was only a “piece job.”

Namaro told police that he had asked about the work permit when he was first approached by Ridge and he was told that a “piece job” for three days does not need a work permit.

Stolen votes and Chinese bullets

Rejoice Ngenya, a Zimbabwean living in Kampala , wrote this article for the Ugandan newspaper “New Vision”.

President Thabo Mbeki and his infamous colleague Robert Mugabe are marooned on an isolated political island, under siege by diplomatic brickbats and flotsam.

Their old bodies are quivering and shivering in the cold winds of backlash from Mbeki's unpopular proclamation that Zimbabwe is not a crisis situation.

While Mbeki ponders thoughtfully on the next move to restore a badly mutilated credibility, Mugabe conspires with China to fend off a deluge of inevitable popular electoral discontent with Chinese AK-47s, bullets and Israeli water cannons.The recent Zimbabwe independence celebrations was nothing more than a display of military force, a sure sign that the civilian centre can no longer hold at Mugabe's ZANU-PF camp. He is doing want he knows best, defending his political space with stolen ballots and Chinese bullets.

In addition, Mugabe says “ZANU-PF brought democracy to Zimbabwe ” and roasted British prime minister Gordon Brown for attempting to buy Britain 's way back to State House via “MDC puppets”.

Harare residents were chided for voting for MDC whose agenda Mugabe claims is only one - giving Zimbabwe back to its former colonial power, wherefore he vowed the opposition would never ever assume political control of the country as long as he is alive.

Herein lies the contradiction. Mugabe's narrow perception of democracy is one of a commodity that can be bought, sold and exchanged on the political marketplace. It is a preserve only for ZANU-PF, and therefore anyone who encroaches onto this context must be a sell-out.

We progressive Zimbabweans would now like to expose this gigantic act of archaic self-delusion. Since 1980, Zimbabwe has been, in Mugabe's own words, religiously holding elections every five years. He won each one of them until last month, pumping in millions in US dollars of state resources in campaigns, materials, publicity, vote buying -all in the name of “democracy”.

In the process - that is from 1985 - thousands of innocent citizens have died in defence of this “democracy”, mostly at the hands of Mugabe's own repressive machinery. Mugabe was not even part of a rebellion within the Zimbabwe African People's Union‚ (ZAPU) in 1963 that formed ZANU.

In 1965, Ian Smith rebelled against Britain by the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) and later pro- claimed that Africans (like Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo) would not rule Rhodesia , as Zimbabwe was then known, in a thousand years.

Mugabe then enters the fray long after by deposing the Reverend Sithole in a “prison room” coup before taking over the reins from Smith's Rhodesian Front on April 18, 1980. All the British did, at Lancaster House and through Lord Soames, was to facilitate a democratic process that entirely benefited Mugabe, even though they were not the best of friends. So Mugabe and his apparently-educated cronies should know by now that even if one does not like an election observer, one can still win that election.

The second revelation one can make is about the trinity of evil that is colluding to deprive Zimbabweans of true liberty. ZANU-PF, the Judiciary and the Zimbabwe Election Commission are a diabolical axis of vampires whose agenda is to perpetuate fascist dictatorship.

So if Mugabe is such a democrat, why are his institutions of governance so frightened by political competition? Since the early 70s, Mugabe has been at the helm of his party. Does this mean no-one, in these 35 years, has ever been good enough to beat him in an internal leadership contest?

Perhaps history will one day expose the myth, but there have been questions raised about the “assassination” of firebrand barrister Herbert Chitepo and the motor vehicle ‘accident' of military genius Josiah Tongogara, who many believe were ideally positioned to replace Mugabe long before he felt completely indispensable.

The last revelation on Mugabe is about his humaneness or lack of it - the 1980s Matabeleland genocide was clear testimony that Mugabe does not have a conscience that an average human being possesses. He dismissed the Matabeleland carnage merely as a moment of madness! Scores of villagers have been tortured and displaced by rogue elements rampaging in Rural Areas in post-election retribution for voting for the MDC.

Therefore, stealing and cheating in an election would hardly appear as an “event” in Mugabe's political dictionary. While the world is screaming at him, he has sealed his ears and is now preparing to die in public office.

(Article amended in some sections)

Zim civil society speaking out

Special Correspondent

GABORONE - A group of Zimbabwean civic society officials who were in Botswana last week called on SADC to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe so that that country's president, President Robert Mugabe, can “feel the pain and let go of his stranglehold on power.”

Different speakers from Zimbabwean civic society felt that Mugabe would not let go unless SADC and the rest of Africa imposed sanctions on him.

Addressing a media briefing, speakers gave the media a clear picture of what is currently happening in Zimbabwe since the Zimbabwe elections on March 29.

By the time of going to press, the Zimbabwe electoral office has been avoiding publicising results of the Presidential elections. Mugabe ordered a recount on the parliamentary results as he felt they were full of irregularities – but the recount found most of those results were correct as they had been at the initial count.

“We came here with bleeding hearts. We are coming here as part of the frontline human rights defenders in Zimbabwe ,” said Gordon Moyo, from the Bulawayo Agenda Organization.

Moyo called for the immediate relieve of South Africa 's Thabo Mbeki as Zimbabwe 's mediator because according to him (Moyo) he (Mbeki) is not helpful. For her part, Gladys Kudzaishe Hlatywayo revealed that opposition supporters are being harassed by the armed forces in Zimbabwe .

Brilliant Dube, representing the Zimbabwe National Students Union, said students were being victimised and are finding it difficult to learn freely. She said because of the poor economy, students are made to pay exorbitant school fees.

“The government should know that we are citizens first before becoming students and we should be accorded our rights to freedom of expression,” she said. Other speakers included Tafadzwa Mugabe, from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Stanely Kwenda, of the “Financial Gazette” newspaper, and Elijah Chiwota, of MISA-Zimbabwe Chapter.

Five in court for possessing dagga

By Keagisitswe Dioka

Four residents of Matomo ward and of Kgosing have appeared before Maun senior magistrate Rebecca Motsamai for unlawful possession of dagga.

The accused are Sylvia Grey, 23, James Grey, 26, Michael Grey, 46, David Muzawazi, 24 and Sevy Grey, 40.

According to the charge sheet, on July 10, 2007 at Matomo ward, Sylvia Grey was not licensed or authorised in any manner to deal in dagga. The amount found by police was weighing 52.7 grams.

On another count, on July 10 2007 all the accused persons unlawfully possessed dagga weighing 3804.6 grams, also at Matomo.All the accused pleaded not guilty to the offence of unlawful possession of dagga.

The prosecutor, Reuben Sebetela, of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, told the court that investigations were complete and that the State would call 6 witnesses. He said he did not oppose bail and requested for the trial date to be set.

The accused were represented by Wanano Lumbile, of Charles Tlagae Attorneys.

They will appear for mention on June 9 to set a trial date.

HATAB urges quick decision on Air Botswana

The KASANE - The Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana (HATAB) is anxiously waiting for the impasse surrounding Air Botswana to be settled.

This was revealed at the HATAB open season conference held over the weekend in Kasane.

In an interview with The Ngami Times , HATAB board member Peter Brandon said with the new contract management, the hope was that new routes would be introduced as this would facilitate the smooth movement of tourists within Botswana and the region.

Brandon said there are routes that have been suggested by the Botswana Tourism Board and which would be very useful for the industry in the future.

Among suggested routes are new destinations such as the Tuli Block and the resuscitation of some routes which had been cut as well as regional routes.

Brandon described the conference as having been “very positive and successful” as many problems were resolved.

He noted that the conference gave people an opportunity to interact informally and talk over issues, adding that the idea is to bring people on board and have long lasting relations with both government departments and the community. As a way of involving the community, Brandon said they have a new event on their agenda - an amateur golf competition which was held on a community golf course.

Brandon said that the conference was a very good way to start off the season, adding that the industry is gratified by the fact that the mood in government offices seem to have changed.

“Every body seems keen to do his or her own jobs and we hope this will be for the best,” he said.

TV channels change again

MultiChoice is to again change its television channel numbering – this time after complaints from customers.

The satellite TV company says the new numbering and grouping of channels from May 1 will enhance customer satisfaction “and make our premium content easier to use.”

Movies and general entertainment are to be merged into one category with channels number still starting at 100. M-Net stays at 101 but will now be followed by MM1, MM2 and M-Net Stars on numbers 103, 104 and 105, respectively. Also being changed are groupings – for instance, sport starts with channel 200, children's programmes on 300s and news and commerce on 400s.

BBC world will be on channel 400, CNN on 401 and SkyNews on 402.

Man in court for abducting ex-girlfriend

The man who allegedly held his former girlfriend hostage until the police rescued her has appeared before Maun magistrate Rebecca Motsamai.

Keitumetse Mokando had earlier pleaded guilty.

According to evidence led by the prosecuting officer from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, Nkaelang Lekgoa, the accused went to Marshall Kgotlaekae's place and found him sleeping with the woman, identified in court as Gotlhaloganyamang Moetse, on April 6. When he arrived, Mokando knocked at the window loudly, kicked the door several times and forced it open.

He then fought with Kgotlaekae after which he took Moetse at gunpoint to his parents' place about 2km away.

He was also threatening to stab her with a knife.

He took her to a tent and stayed there until police rescued her. Lekgoa added that the accused had no right to confine the complainant. Mokando denied having forcefully taken away his ex-girlfriend. He claimed there was consensus that she go with him and alleged she had also suggested they go to her home.

He refused because he wanted them to be where their parents were, adding that the tent was used as a sleeping place as there was only one house in the compound.

Mokando also denied police found him in the tent as he claimed he was sitting with the parents outside while Moetse was in the tent.

When the magistrate asked him his intentions in taking the woman, Moetse said he wanted to discuss with her their problems in the presence of his parents.

Due to the reasons Moetse gave, Lekgoa asked for the matter go to trial, claiming that the accused was denying some of the facts.

The magistrate returned a plea of “not guilty” but said she was unable to set the trial date.

The accused will appear for mention on June 9 to set a trial date set.

University library serving researchers and the public.

If anyone wants to know anything about the Okavango delta, then the most important port of call is the Harry Oppenheimer Okavango Research Centre (HOORC) library, a branch of the University of Botswana's Library Services.It offers researchers and stakeholders involved in studying and planning for the delta with a wide range of materials about ecology, land use planning, conservation of plants and animals, hydrology and socio-economic issues as well as information about similar work in other countries and regions.At the heart of HOORC Library's print holdings is the collection of pioneering Okavango Delta researcher Pete Smith, who worked in various environmental capacities for the Bechuanaland and subsequently, Botswana governments in Ngamiland between 1958 and his death in 1999.His interests embraced not only ecological, hydrological, geographical and botanical areas, but also sociology, linguistics, history and anthropology. The collection of journals, books and reports reflects his wide-ranging interests and provides valuable historical context for Okavango Delta research.The library has a core collection of multi-disciplinary print journals, books, dissertations, newspapers and videos.Government and consultants' reports of research and public policy work related to the Okavango River Basin are being acquired and catalogued to support the Okavango Delta Management Plan. The library's weblog, Flow, provides current information about these acquisitions and other information resources to the Okavango community. Catalogue access to the Peter Smith Collection and to other HOORC Library resources is available through the Internet-based University of Botswana Library portal.

The library is open to the public for browsing and reference from Monday to Friday, 8am to 1pm and 2pm to 4.30pm. It is located at Sexaxa on the Shorobe road, approximately 20km from Maun.

Leo Club's commemoration walk

Members of Maun's Leo Club, an off-shoot of Maun Lions club, are to hold a walk this Saturday (May 3) to commemorate international Leo Awareness month.

The walk will take place from the Spar Safari supermarket in the New Mall area to Spar Delta in the Old Mall ext.Leo clubs are made up of a group of young people who raise money for needy charities and helping others by giving up their time.

The clubs, which are worldwide, encourages young people to gain confidence and experience.

The local club is sponsored by the Lions Club, the world's largest service organisation with 1.3-million members in 196 countries.

Assistant Ministers now excluded

GABORONE – President Ian Khama has decided that Assistant Ministers in his government will no longer be attending full cabinet meetings.

He told this to cabinet ministers and local authorities at a recent meeting at Boipuso Hall in Gaborone . Khama said that the Assistant Ministers would be travelling throughout the country to check on development projects and as “problem solvers” when approached.

The agenda for the meeting also included development projects, concerns over the slow implementation of projects, corruption, and botho

Horse race was a thriller

Pic by Charlton Kefenyang

By Keagisitswe Dioka

Jockey Selopile Poonyane did what was expected by spectators at the Chanoga horse race over the weekend - taking first position riding Bushman, a Tswana bred horse.

He received a cash prize of P205 and was followed home by Viscop, ridden by Vetjituavi Moinjo.

Third place went to Afro, from Tsibogolamatebele, owned by Gosegomang Motswakhumo.There were three groups challenging for the finals. In group A, Diboys took first place, Press second and Old Buck third, while in group B, Bolus won followed by Viscop and Stress.

Bushman won group C ahead of Afro and Saebok.

The racing was organised and sponsored by horse owners, drawing entries from Mawana, Chanoga, Shashe, Tsibogolamatebele, Tsutsubega and Kgangtshang.

Meanwhile, the participants were impressed by the competition.

Vatuve Oscar Kamununu told The Ngami Times in an interview that they were impressed by what they are doing as they also want to participate in other areas.

He said the main aim is to train horses and qualify for events anywhere in Botswana .

The Maun Shuffle

There are a lot of people jumping up and down in Maun and other parts of Botswana right now – all because of a reminder from a local resident that syringa trees are an invasive species that is banned in this country.

Government nurseries are hopping mad as they have been instructed by the Department of Forestry and Range Resources to get rid of invasive plants as these are considered undesirable.

“We don't allow raising or planting of any flora species which is known to be invasive (and) we are particularly sensitive about such species in the RAMSAR site because of its vulnerability,” says the department.

The Okavango Delta is a RAMSAR site and as such anything that affects its delicate biodiversity is frowned upon.

Interestingly, there are a number of what is known as “invasive terrestrial plants.”

These include fresh guavas, which cannot be brought in to the delta by either visitors or safari operators as it is “a vigorous invader of riverine systems from seed” and the planting of fruit and vegetables is expressly forbidden.

Also, only grasses from northern Botswana can be used for lawns – in years gone by, the old LM grass (now politically correctly known as “ Mozambique grass”) held supreme.

The list of invasive plants includes the candelabra tree, rubber tree, bamboo, tomato, cassava, pumpkin, paw-paw, guava, banana, syringe, jacaranda and Port Jackson willow.

**

It is odd, is it not, how pet crazy the British are?

For generations dogs and cats, budgies and mice have featured on the list of animals beloved of the people. Now suddenly, Shuffle hears, they have a new fad – making a pet out of hedgehogs.

The prickly little animals have become a firm favourite, it seems, but Shuffle wonders what pet lovers would make of an item on a menu offered to Shuffle in a Chinese restaurant in Beijing ? One of the dishes to be served was “sautéed hedgehog.”

Shuffle politely declined to partake, opting instead for Peking Duck, which of course is the all-time world favourite of Chinese foods.

We all know that dogs and cats as well as other animals form part of the diet in some East Asia areas but there was a definite drawing the line on “sautéed hedgehog”!

“Each to his own” is Shuffle's motto.

**

Now for some special thoughts and other things

* Oscar Wilde confessed that he had never played outdoor games, except once. He played dominoes outside a French café!

* A good definition of a foreigner is someone who does not understand cricket.

* Take one hour to talk to an elderly person.

* Alfred Nobel invented dynamite. His father invented plywood.

* The first sport to have a world championship was billiards, in 1873.

* Ants stretch when they wake up in the mornings, and ants make up 15% of the weight of all living creatures on earth.

* Approximately 17% of all humans are left-handed.

* He has his faults. Being wrong is isn't one of them.

(From Home & Local newsletter, England ).

Clampdown on speed, reckless driving

GABORONE – Drunken driving, speeding, recklessness and carelessness driving continue to top the list of major causes of road fatalities.

The weekly police report says that during the week ending April 20, there were 283 road accidents in which four people died and 18 suffered serious injuries.

One man died when crossing the Gaborone-Kanye road and a two year old child was killed when she was hit by a ventilation pipe of a toilet which had been demolished as a result of a car ploughing into it. The driver of the car that killed the man is likely to face a charge of causing death by driving under the influence of liquor while the motorist who hit the toilet faces charges of causing death by reckless driving and driving without a licence.

So far this year there have been 5 061 road accidents in which 135 people were killed throughout the country.

“In its continued effort's to counter irresponsible driving, the police conducted random breathalyser tests on about 78 motorists and found 15 who tested positive. These were charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.

A total of 842 motorists were caught for over-speeding and another 47 for using hand-held phones while driving,” the report said.

In other crime, there were 43 armed robberies – just over six a day – during the week to April 20. Five handguns and 21 knives were used in the robberies in which P171 000 cash and P65 000 worth of property was stolen.

So far, 682 armed robberies have taken place this year as against 555 for the corresponding period last year.

New chief installed

NOKANENG - A man who challenged the Tawana Tribal Authority over the chieftainship here was installed as Nokaneng's chief late this week.

Kebonyetsala Fish eventually appealed to the High Court and won his argument after the tribal authority refused to accept his victory in an election for the post.

He said this week: “I won the court battle but it is unfortunate as I had no will to go to court but for reasons of fair justice. Transparent democracy should exist and be practiced with respect, trust and ubuntu.”

He said that he had “no war with anyone” but that truth and reality are above all, most important.