You are encouraged to visit our new Flood Data page. Anyone with reliable 'rain gauge' data for anywhere in Ngamiland is encouraged to send it as either a text or spreadsheet file to tnt@info.bw - your theories on the flood are also welcome and will be published. If anyone has flood/rain data from the catchment area in Angola, this would be most helpful.

ISSUE 304, March 3 – 10, 2006

The camel, known  “ the ships of the desert” gave these  youngsters from Kealeboga Pre-school nursery and day care centre in Boseja, Maun, a wonderful opportunity to see the animals at the Camel Safaris farm near Maun. The camels were brought to Maun from the Kalahari desert for tourism purposes.

Tourism Air Fuel Crisis
By Khonani Ontebetse

The tourism industry faces a major crisis as the supply of aviation fuel (avgas) dries up. Senior aviation company sources in Maun said this week: “We face a catastrophe. The effect on the local industry and local economy will be dreadful if things don’t change quickly.”

The industry was alerted this week when a meeting to discuss the matter took place at the airport. Another meeting of air charter companies was held on Wednesday with a further emergency meeting on Thursday. “We have all had extremely good bookings for the season and we will be shot in the knee if the fuel problem persists,” said a pilot.

Avgas, which comes from a refinery in Durban, South Africa, is used to power 42 aircraft such as Cessna 206s based at Maun that ferry tourists to luxury bush camps inaccessible by road in the Okavango delta and the Moremi Game Reserve.

Major tourism-related businesses and suppliers in Maun are bound to be affected and there are fears that some employees may lose their jobs because of an inability to ferry tourists and supplies into the delta. Game flights will be carried out by aircraft using Jet-A fuel, which is not affected.

It is claimed that the avgas shortage is “a worldwide problem” and is affecting airports throughout the southern Africa region. This has been confirmed by the BP Botswana’s Aviation Business manager, Goabaone Mokabiri.

“BP is experiencing supply interruptions to all airports in Botswana due to technical problems with the supplying refinery in Durban,” she said, and appealed to all aviation customers to abide by emergency rules to minimise the impact.
BP is limiting each customer to 50% of normal requirements and is also not refueling private aircraft not involved in the tourism industry.

According to Mervyn Palmer, managing director of Air BP Spectrum Aviation based at Maun airport, air charter companies and other tourism related businesses in Maun have agreed to adhere to the rules.  “Agreements have been reached on how best to handle this situation so that the effects on our town are minimised,” she said.

The local operation will not be refueling light aircraft from Gaborone - “as this affects the whole of southern Africa, most countries have banned fuel sales to foreign aircraft based in other towns,” she said. Palmer told The Ngami Times that “the situation may last until mid-May” but her company was seeking supplies from elsewhere in a bid to alleviate the problem.

5 die as train hits taxi

FRANCISTOWN - Five people died instantly on Tuesday afternoon when a taxi driver attempted to cross a level crossing in the face of an oncoming train.

The accident, which took place next to the Central police station here, drew hundreds of people to the scene. Police said they were still investigating the incident.

It costs a lot more to live!

A rise in the cost of education is largely to blame for record inflation figures for January. Inflation jumped by more than 5% over December’s figure, the Central Statistics Office has revealed.

This is the biggest rise in inflation in more than three years and follows on a steady upward trend since May last year when it stood at 6%.

According to the statistics, the rural and urban village inflation rate recorded increases of 6.9 and 5.4 percentage points.  Maun is regarded as an urban village. The national cost of living index rose by 5.2% between December and January.

The figures show that education costs went up to 16.6%, food by 2%, transport and communication by 1.1%, and health and personal care by 1%.

The rise in the education index has been brought about by the Department of Education’s cost recovery exercise which involves public secondary school fees being introduced coupled with an average increase of 23% in school fees for private schools.

The rise in food costs is attributed to increases introduced by the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) that upped the prices of cattle from producers by 40% during December last year, while a 1.1% rise in the transport and communication group is due to an increase in the vehicles section index that moved from 243.4% to 253.9% in the same period.

Individual food and other items in Maun have increased dramatically over the past 10 years. During the December 2005-January 2006 period, maize meal (12.5kg) was P26.52 compared to P23.07 in November 1996, while sorghum meal doubled in price to P14.33. White bread flour increased from P12.19 for 5kg to P20.86, and beef brisket from P11 per kg to P13.59.

Tomatoes have gone up four times in price to P8.41 per kg compared to P2.83 in November 1996, onions P5.33 per kg (P2.70), red apples P9.80 per kg (P4.28), a 1kg tin of Nespray powdered milk from P22.60 to P51.75, margarine from P1.90 for 250g to P5.78, white sugar from P5.67 per 2.5kg bag to P12.53, tobacco (100g) from P2.60 to P22.35,  Rothmans king size cigarettes (20s) from P3.75 to P14.97), and  washing powder P10.44 for 500g compared to P5 paid 10 years ago..

Diarrhoea cause investigated
By Khonani Ontebetse

A considerable number of parents are taking their young children to Maun General Hospital for urgent treatment to combat diarrhoea. This is despite claims by the Department of Health that the situation nationwide is under control.

Maun Hospital’s chief medical officer Dr Philip Wangia, declined to comment saying he could only do so at the discretion of his seniors.

According to North West Public Health Specialist Dr John Makuka, the situation is “not yet pleasing.”  Makuka revealed that the first outbreak of diarrhoea in the North West District Council area was detected at Sehithwa in early January.
“The figure recorded was 1 127 cases in the region, with 43 deaths reported. There were many children admitted at Maun General Hospital this month,” he said.

He pointed out that from research and laboratory tests, the result was that the water samples from a reservoir and a stand pipe was contaminated with faecal coliforms - bacteria which is normally found in stools.

“In our efforts to see if the organism will grow, we have not isolated any offending micro organism to help us beat the bacteria,” he said. He said water contaminated with stools, careless handling of containers, and unboiled water could have also triggered the problem. The use of drugs to treat diarrhoea is secondary, adding that the disease needs a special manner of treatment and qualified staff to carry it out.

The best solution, he said, is rehydration through the restoration of fluids.
Asked if the same cause from their findings in the North West District could be inter-related to the outbreak in other parts of the country, Makuka admitted that there was a possibility of stool contamination in some reservoirs.

“When stools were found to be the main cause of this outbreak, measures were taken to clean up the water by the Water Unit,” he said. However, the recent rain could also be one of the factors which triggered the problem. Some of the contributing factors were that some parents brought their children too late to the hospital and at times, parents were given traditional herbs by unqualified people and by the time they sought medical help, the patients would have lost a lot of fluids. Makuka appealed to the public to adhere to the advice they would get from their staff which would be dispatched in an effort to raise community awareness.

Meanwhile the NWDC Chairman, John Benn raised concerns at a full council meeting this week about the outbreak.Benn said the outbreak was throughout the entire district with more emphasis at Sehithwa and Maun. Benn told councillors that water samples have been taken to laboratories and results were awaited.

The world is reading your newspaper!

The Ngami Times electronic online edition is continuing to be popular with readers around the world.

After a slow start in December 2005 when 9 930 hits were recorded, the newspaper’s impact became more noticeable in January, when 18 707 hits were recorded. The number of people who entered the ngamitimes.com website then jumped to 24 921 in February.

An average of 31 visits a day in February has been recorded, with the figure on some days more than 50.

The highest number of hits was on February 16, when 2 120 hits were made on the site. On February 20, a further 1 868 hits were recorded. The main story on the front page of that particular week’s edition was the misery brought about by the rain.

Congratulatory messages on the website’s content are being received from all over the world with people in New Zealand, the United States, Netherlands, Germany, Britain and Asia taking an interest in Maun and The Ngami Times.

Many messages are from people who have visited or previously lived in Maun.
There have also been advertising enquiries from various countries and these are being followed up by the Advertising department.

The website, which went operational late last year, can be accessed directly from the leading Yahoo! and Google search engines of the world wide web (www) in addition to others to which it is linked, such as Inktomi Slurp, AskJeeves, MSNBot, psbot, wikipedia.org, and worldpress.org.

Expats targeted by night robbers

Two leading Indian businessmen and their families have been attacked in their home in Riverside ward, Maun, by a gang of five men who are believed to have earlier in the day gone to the house on the pretext of looking for part-time work.
The house is protected by a wall and an electrified fence as well as dogs.

According to eye-witnesses, the men smashed down part of the wall in a night attack with a vehicle and entered the house. The occupants retaliated but the robbers – all of whom were masked and were carrying various weapons including guns – demanded money and other property. One of the men carrying a gun threatened to shoot a businessman.

They grabbed a 911 neighbourhood watch radio and escaped with the house occupants throwing objects at them. It is understood that one man was arrested this week and police are hunting the others. The attack on the Indians is the latest in a series against members of the community, including citizens and expatriates. 

Last week, an Italian woman, her twin children, and staff at the house where she was staying were tied up and their mouths taped closed. The occupants were severely traumatised and had to receive medical attention.

It is understood that one of the attackers was carrying a 911 radio receiver. The house is owned by a safari operator who is understood to have arrived home an hour or so after the attack and found the victims.

There is now concern in the safari community that members are being targeted as there have been numerous attacks on offices and homes over the past 12 months. “It would appear that these attacks are following a pattern and therefore they are being planned,” said one operator.

Cattlemen accuse BMC of unfair business practice

The powerful Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) has been accused of unfair business practice and is being challenged by the Botswana Cattle Producers Association.

This was said to a Namibian government agricultural delegation that met with cattle producers and other stakeholders in Maun at the weekend. Philip Brown Wright, the chairperson of the Hainaveld Farmers’ Association, acting on behalf of Ngamiland farmers, said that persistent drought and farming in a foot and mouth declared area made it difficult for farmers to make a living out of farming.

Coupled to this was the BMC monopoly over the beef industry “that has affected competitive pricing of beef and beef related products such that the farmer loses even after trekking his cattle to the BMC.” Cattle producers had formed their association “to engage the BMC on fair business modalities.

“It is not only the World Trade Organisation that is exploiting the poor nations - even in Botswana, farmers are being subjected to unfair beef pricing structures to such an extent that even after trekking cattle to the BMC abattoir, the indigenous farmer can still not settle his overheads expenses,” said Wright.

Earlier, he briefed the Namibian delegation on the situation regarding cattle farming in Ngamiland, and in particularl on the devastating outbreak of cattle lung disease in the 1990s that resulted kin 350 000 head of cattle being slaughtered.

Herds of Brahman, Beef Master, Charolais, Simmental, Jersey, Sussex and Tswana cattle are now being built up for beef production. There was now a strong disease control support mechanism to ensure that farmers are protected from foot and mouth, anthrax, cattle lung disease and black leg disease, with the government supplying  and administering vaccines free of charge.

All set for the Maun infrastructure development
By Bright Kholi

The North West District Council has awarded the construction tender to a Chinese company for the Maun development project which will cost over P78-million. The contract has been awarded to China Jiangsung International for a period of 24 months.

The project will include the construction of a new bus/taxi rank at Mabudutsa ward, the tarring of the Disaneng-Boseja road, which passes by the new district hospital, traffic lights,  and the erection of 20km of street lights.

NWDC chairman John Benn told a full council meeting this week that the project will start with phase 1 costing over P45-million, adding that a project addendum has been submitted to the responsible ministry to augment the difference. NWDC secretary Paulos Nkoni told The Ngami Times that the tarring of the Disaneng road would get first priority.

 “We want to make sure that the road gets finished well before the completion of the new hospital,” he said. The hospital is now scheduled to be completed in October next year. He said street and traffic lights will also be installed during phase 1.

According to Nkoni, while the actual Mabudutsa relocation process takes longer than anticipated, it “would only be logical” to start off with those projects which need to be done urgently.

Mohembo bridge assessment to start

An environmental impact assessment is to be made of the proposed site for the proposed bridge over the Okavango River at Mohembo.

The consulting engineers and planners, CPP Botswana (Pty) Ltd, said in advertisements published in Gaborone newspapers that the bridge would be a kilometre in length.

Mohembo has been served by pontoons for many years, bringing complaints from residents and transport operators of long delays to travel from one bank to the other.The consultants says that positive impacts of a bridge would include easy transportation of goods and services, increased traffic volumes, reduced travelling time, promotion of socio-economic development particularly in villages on the east bank of the river, and a potential to increase tourism opportunities.

Increased employment during and after the construction was also a positive point and an opportunity “for the construction of the Kaukwi to Seronga roads which is in a deplorable state.” On the negative side, there would be noise, water pollution and air pollution during construction, the clearance of vegetation for over 1km, and the possible loss of medical plants on the river banks, loss of farmlands and residential properties, potential spread of HIV/AIDS and other diseases, and road transport safety.

Meetings are to take place with the general public and stakeholders at Shakawe kgotla on March 15 (9am), Mohembo East kgotla on March 16 (9am), Mohembo West kgotla on March 16 (2pm) and at Seronga kgotla on March 17 (11am).

Editorial Comment
Sad waste of money

There must have been many who shook their heads in bewilderment when reading about how vital medical equipment, some very important in the fight to overcome the HIV/AIDS scourge, is allowed to stand idle at Maun General Hospital.

The Ministry of Health doesn’t seem to be doing much about it, the Medical Officer of Health has his hands tied, and the donors are wringing their hands in frustration at what amounts to gross negligence.

Looking ahead, if this is the manner in which expensive, state-of-the-art equipment is also likely to be handled at the new Maun District Hospital, once it eventually reaches completion, then we are in trouble.

It is time that the Ministry ensures that operators of the equipment know how to install it, how to operate it, are well-trained in order to do so, and take some pride in what they are doing. If this is not done, it will amount to a sad waste of money both from the taxpayer and the donor nations.

The Maun Shuffle

This is a story about a fly – you know, the old common-or-garden fly that somehow mutates into a “stable fly” when exposed to the cattle kraals of this land.

The pesky fly has been irritating thousands of people and animals during this rainy season and in particular irritating veterinary officers who have had to reply to inane questions about why there are so many and how do they move from one part of the district to the other!

To answer the first question, said one prominent veterinary official, it has been raining quite heavily and therefore the flies have multiplied by the thousand. To answer the second, flies are, well, natural fliers (not that they hold Frequent Flier cards) and therefore are quite capable of moving with relative ease from one side of the country to the other, or from your knee to your nose, or to the kitchen table whenever there is, or is not, food about . . .

Woe betide the stable fly that decides to hitch a ride to the quarantine stations at places like Makalamabedi. They will be clouted with an insecticide product that is actually called “Clout” and will therefore never see the inside of an abattoir at Francistown or Lobatse (hurrah! for that).

But, if you want to feel sick, you can see them hovering over and on the “fresh” meat at a tree butchery right in the middle of Maun if you go to a plot of land next door to the Tawana Land Board’s offices (Shuffle was once in Madagascar and swept his hand over the meat on display at an open air market – something like 20 million flies took off! Ate chicken for the rest of the stay, obviously before bird flu was even thought of!).

Years ago, a newspaper ran a competition for the largest number of flies that one could kill, and store, as proof of success. Maybe this publication should try it – the first prize is a bottle of “Clout”!

We can invite the people who ask veterinary officers these inane questions whether they would participate. Wonder how many of those we can clout?

The only time these stable flies are actually stable is when they have been whacked with a rolled up copy of a newspaper (of course, not The Ngami Times) or a fly swatter! That will stop them falling into Shuffle’s odd glass of beer . . .

**

Maun doesn’t only have the prettiest girls but also the brightest young man in the country.

Recently, this little desert outpost has produced a Miss Botswana and a Nokia Face of Africa winner, and now in our midst is the country’s top student!

Obviously the desert air does wonders for the offspring of this town.

Well done to Paul Rambacal, who attended Matshwane Primary and then Tsodilo Secondary before moving on to Mater Spei College in Francistown for his final years of education.

We look forward to hearing more about him as he goes through university and, who knows, he could become a mathematical genius if, as his father told us last week, he could “solve problems at the age of three!”

Move over, Einstein!

**

A question was asked the other day about how cosmopolitan Maun really is.

The town is regarded as having so many nationalities we can form our own United Nations!

Shuffle et al mulled over the question and came up with the following countries:

Scotland, Ireland, England, Wales, Australia, South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, United States, Canada, Switzerland, Argentine, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland., Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Congo, Kenya, Italy, Spain, Tanzania, China, Mozambique, Cuba, Austria, Nigeria, Angola, Malawi, Greece, Cyprus, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ghana, Mauritius., Sierra Leone, Iran, Guinea, Cameroon, Lesotho, Sudan, Bangladesh, Russia, and Philippines.

That’s 51 so far, and if anyone has other countries to add, please advise Shuffle.

**

Here’s a message to the thieves who regularly target the Etsha 6 Co-Op.  There have been about 15 robberies over the past 12 months, not only at Etsha but also at branches in Sepopa and other panhandle areas.

Malcolm Thomas, the general manager, is pleading with the robbers “to choose someone else and give us as break!”

**

Out of sight, out of mind. That seems to be the motto of a business in Maun that has published a list of organisations which helped it in staging a soccer match featuring the national Zebras side against a Maun Select .This newspaper, which did much of the pre-publicity for the game and which co-operated with free advertising and many free column centimetres 14380 centimeters of copy and picture of editorial space throughout the build up, has been ignored in the “thank you” list, published in another newspaper. Even the promised after-match advertising has gone in the other direction.

Oh well!

Running a car on LPG - it's a gas!

One of the only two vehicles which runs on LPG gas (cooking gas) which drives on Maun’s streets. Fitted at the back is the gas tank
By Jan Possemiers

Autogas (LPG or cooking gas) is being used worldwide by over nine million vehicles, two of which drive on Maun’s streets – and as far as I know, they are the only ones in the country. Running a vehicle on gas brings its advantages – fuel savings, for instance 10% for personal use and 18% for business use.

The petrol conversion performs exactly the same as running on petrol, whereas diesel delivers 25 to 30% more power with the additional autogas and diesel consumption has dropped from 13 litres to 8 litres per 100km and 48 litres of autogas will last about 1 000km.

The dual-fuel car has done 14 000km. The engine oil looks still as clean as the day it went in and will do so for at least another 20 000km. Spark plugs will last for at least 60 000km.

This is all because the LPG does not contain ANY additives to foul up anything inside the engine. There is no unburnt fuel to run off the cylinder wall and mix with the oil. It burns much cleaner than petrol. After 1 000km running on autogas, I could feel and hear the difference. The engine runs smoother, especially on idle.

By far the most difficult item to fit is the gas tank. It will cost loading space, no matter where you put it. Some vehicles are easy, other are not and you don’t want to do away with the conventional petrol tank for the simple reason that should you run out of gas you an carry on with petrol.

Filling up with petrol invariably leaves a good splash on the garage forecourt and on the car’s paint but not so with autogas. The tank can only be filled to 80% capacity and not more (to allow for expansion). The whole system is sealed and closed, and the tank and contents are protected by excess flow valves and should a leak occur, the engine will cut out and all valves will close.

The tank is much stronger than an ordinary fuel tank and will withstand impacts of more than 3 tonnes! In the event of an accident or fire, the most likely thing to survive intact is the gas tank, still with gas in it!

It is also impossible to siphon off, completely eliminating petrol theft. Filling a tank anywhere in Botswana has proven to be a mission and a half. When I travel I carry a small handpump along to decant from small gas cylinders into the tank.

It’s quite as spectacle as well as curious onlookers flock to watch the refilling. Laughing also invariably stops when the fuel line is pulled off the carburettor and the engine carries on running!

Prospective autogas filling stations are already dotted around the country even though they don’t know it, and with a bit of persuasion they could invest in autogas filling equipment. Following the recent discovery of gas in Botswana, it will only be a matter of time before we can turn it into liquid and product of our own fuel.

It is not so much the savings that prompted me to convert (it will take about 18 to 24 months to recover the installation costs) but the difference I know I make to our environment. It gives me satisfaction to know that my car produces up to 90% less toxic emissions than when running on petrol, doing its tiny little bit to combat climate change and the general air quality around us.

Autogas has many advantages over petrol as fuel, more so since worldwide awareness about pollution has increased dramatically. According to an estimate from Ford Motor Company, over a 20 000km driving cycle an LPG vehicle should  emit around one tonne less carbon dioxide into the air than a comparable petrol powered vehicle. Since carbon dioxide has been identified as a major contributor to global warming, this is a significant saving to the environment.

LPG as a vehicle fuel has been around for quite a while (since 1912 to be exact) but not until the last decade have major improvements on the system made it a viable prospect. The global Autogas Industry Network published in 2004 says that “Ford, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, Toyota, Nissan, Daihatsu, Vauxhall, Proton, Volvo, Renault, Peugeot, Opel and Fiat have introduced vehicles and new engines specifically engineered to run on clear, efficient autogas.

Some models also support dual fuel systems which allow drivers to effortless switch from autogas to petrol, almost doubling driving range. Several vehicle manufacturers are also beginning to produce autogas dedicated vehicles.

Seven die in road accidents

GABORONE – Police headquarters says that seven people have died in 257 road accidents between February 12 and 19, bringing to 44 the number of those killed so far this year.

Police are continuing to clamp down on motorists making calls from handheld mobile telephones while driving, with 37 people having been arrested. Twenty-one people were also charged for drinking and driving while under the influence of alcohol out of 316 who were asked to take a breathalyser test.

Three murder cases were reported, with one suspect committing suicide while there have also been 34 armed robbery cases during the period in which cash amounting to P6 000 and property valued at P33 000 was stolen.  Three of the robberies involved hand guns, 21 knives and the rest a variety of weapons.

So far there have been 196 armed robberies this year compared to 188 for the same period last year. Forty-one rape cases were recorded, with the arrest of 20 suspects.

'Crisis' denied at top secondary school
By Onkabetse Tsaro

Claims by Maun Senior Secondary School students that they have “been starved” at lunch-times because of a lack of cash to buy food have been dismissed out of hand by the school authorities. The students say they have not had an explanation about it, fuelling concerns among them that the school is faced with “a financial crisis.”

Some students said since the controversial educational double shift system started this year, it has been either they had lunch or not, or they have been “sent home early so we could eat at our homes.”   However, the school matron, who declined to reveal her name, described the allegations as “outrageous” that the school had not been providing lunch to students since the double shift commenced.

She did not deny, however, that lunch had been late on some days because meat supplies had not arrived, prompting students to go home without first having their meal when they could have stayed.

There have also been allegations that the school is in debt, something which headmaster Galesengwe Mohube has vehemently denied it, saying the allegations were without foundation - “since we are approaching the financial year, financial constraint is something common in every government school.”

He denied a shortage in the supply of meat. “Yes, we placed a tender advertisement in the press but that does not necessarily mean that we are doing that as part of financial recovery,” he said.

Lion issue, water problem for villagers
By Lets Open

PHUDUHUDU – Lions have been terrorising Basarwa settlements near Gweta, it has been confirmed by the Department of Wildlife.

Phuduhudu is situated between the Makgadikgadi Pans and the Nxai National Park on the Maun-Nata roads. Villagers have told how lions from the two parks have been entering livestock areas and killing off cows and their calves, goats, sheep and horses.  In some cases, domestic dogs have also been attacked. “We are losing livestock in large numbers but are not allowed to shoot lions inside the parks,” a villager said.

There are also complaints about the “low compensation” being paid for livestock that  had been killed. “We are also angry that developments are taking place inside the parks but without our input which means that the government regards the animals as more important than us,” said another villager.

The Wildlife department’s co-ordinator in Maun, Sibangani Mosojane, said that the shooting of lions inside the parks was not allowed. “We are aware of lion attacks in the Phuduhudu area and currently the government is installing boreholes for Basarwa livestock to be relocated to the BLDC Farms near Makalamabedi.  The choice remains with the Basarwa to move their castle to the farms as soon as the water becomes available as Phuduhudu is a settlement with limited infrastructure.

“There are no schools at the settlement and children need to go to school.” He said any relocation would be voluntary as there were no plans for forced relocation of people.

Motor road show labelled a success

Potential customer James Evans of PR Motors with Naledi Motors Sales Manager Saeed Pretorius

By Khonani Ontebetse

The success of a road show held by Naledi Motors in Maun recently may mean that the company will open a showroom in the town.

Sales Manager Saeed Pretorius said the event was aimed at bringing the business to the people instead of the people bringing business to the company. There were many road tests and customers were competing to have a test of the products.

Pretorius described the event as successful, adding that the response was very positive. He confirmed that three vehicles which were on show at Maun Lodge had potential buyers, which, according to him, showed that Maun really needs their business.

“I’m quite happy with the response and the feedback I got from promising customers in Maun” he said. “Our cars are 2006 Mercedes Benz and Mitsubishi models which change every three years,” he said.

Prominent local businessman John Wellio thanked Naledi Motors for choosing Maun for the road show and urged the company to do more business with local residents. “It is good for people to test things which they had only heard about and never got a chance to test them, and obviously people are going to come back for more,” he said.

Botswana misses 'Face' final

The Nokia “Face of Africa” finals are to take place at Sun City in South Africa, dashing the hopes of the finals being held in the Okavango and Chobe areas.

However, Botswana is to host the so-called “boot camp” from where the 10 top challengers will be chosen for the Sun City event. Maun’s Kaone Kario won last year’s “Face of Africa” competition.

Poor roads continue to haunt district
By Bright Kholi

The North West District (NWD) has more problems with roads than in any other part of the country and there is no fuel to allow roads to be graded. This was evident from comments made by different councillors at a full NWD Council meeting this week. Some councillors described gravel roads as having turned into small streams while tarred roads in the district had more potholes than anywhere else.

NWDC chairman John Benn said the grading of 200km of roads, including 77km of Maun’s internal roads, had been delayed due to the Council running out of fuel. Benn said recent heavy rains and frequent equipment breakdowns also played a major part in the delay.

He told councillors that tenders for gravelling portions of the Nokaneng-Qangwa and Qangwa-Xaxa roads had been awarded, adding that construction was in progress. On central government roads, Benn said that while casual labourers were engaged to work on the Etsha 6 access road by filling potholes, the road needed reconstruction.

He said the Department of Roads plan is to seal the Sehithwa-Tsau road, which is marred by potholes, will be undertaken in the next financial year, pending the availability of funds. He said a permanent unit has been assigned to “patch” roads.

“Like the Etsha access road, the Tsau access road has reached its terminal design life. It is totally bad. We are planning to reconstruct it in-house but persistent breakdowns of machinery hamper our work,” Benn said.

Councillor Gospel Mokotedi said that many roads in Maun have long been ignored and as a result had turned into streams, adding that villages such as Sehithwa, Toteng and Tsau have no internal roads at all.

Councillor Mbathera Ngundura charged that there was a situation in the council whereby funds where being “misused” and wondered why all the roads in Maun were sub-standard.“Who inspects these roads which last for less than three months? If this is not looked into, we will appear to be misusing public funds,” he said.

Ngundura brushed aside comments made that there was no suitable material to make high standard roads. “The right material is there. We can get it from other places or even from Tsodilo,” he said. Other councillors charged that if the NWDC  concentrates on cheap materials and tenderers in the short run, the same will prove to be very expensive in the long run as projects will need to be maintained after only a very short period of time.

Children in the Wilderness Botswana has hosted its first follow-up programme session in Maun. The pilot session got off to a bright start with the participation of children – selected by the North West District Council’s social and community development unit - who had been at Jacana Camp in December last year.2005 The bi-monthly follow-up visits are an integral element of Children in the Wilderness Botswana’s expanding goals: building on the learning experience of the initial camp session; providing mentoring and support through regular contact; and allowing evaluation of the impact of the programme, officials said. Each follow-up visit has a theme, the first one being “Who Am I?” James Dodington, representative of the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps in the United States, attended the first follow-up as a guest mentor. He said it was informative “and more importantly it gave the children the opportunity to see each other again; to reminisce about their favourite times at camp; and to work with their mentors again. This provides an excellent support structure and continuity of the mentor/child interaction.” Angela Morgan, the Executive Director of Children in the Wilderness Botswana, thanked local sponsors Ngamiland Adventure Safaris, Wilderness Safaris, Lesedi Motors and Air Botswana.

Rains brought disaster, says NWDC

The North West District Council’s chairman John Benn says torrential rains have left some people homeless in the district.

Addressing a full council meeting this week, Benn said the most affected areas were Chanoga and Maun, where 68 and 78 households respectively were damaged. About 78 households have been assisted with tents for a period of three months.“The disaster committee is continuously receiving reports from those in need and assistance is provided,” he said.

Meanwhile damage caused by rain have also been reported in other areas. Councillor Lefetogile Nxowe, of Qangwa, said there was a disaster in his area where houses fell and that a number of cases of people dying as a result of sleeping in houses which collapsed had also been reported. He said roads were badly affected, adding that vehicles spent days stuck between Nokaneng and Qangwa.

SOCIETY IN ACTION

Man at work... DJ Christos giving revellers a taste of his new house album at Trekkers Nite Club.

That way Sir...! Modibedi of Botswana Life Insurance directing JS Wellio where The Big Tree is after the insurance week launch

Journo at work.... Ngami Times reporter Khonani Ontebetse (left) pictured in action interviewing Naledi Motors Sales Manager Saeed Pretorius

Fish Sizzler... well known comedian Eliajah aka Legwaila preparing a fish braai at The Big Tree

SPORTS

Game of war... Cubs striker Kenneth Katjizu (20)   moving away from the scene after fouling Tigers defender Seelilo Casalis, Helping him is Boikaego Mokadi.
By Cobrie Kgaodi

The second round of the Nhabe regional league kicked off over the weekend with Maun Tigers taking over the leadership of the log after getting two wins from their encounters with Zungu and Cubs.

Tigers mauled league rookies Zungu 8-0 and went on to beat Cubs 6-1 on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

Tigers and Terrors both have 37 points but the goal difference gave Tigers the advantage over Terrors. Makgabisa is third with 34 points.

The match between Tigers and Cubs had nothing much to offer to the spectators at the beginning as strikers from both teams failed put their sides upfront in the 3rd and 4th minutes of the game.

It was not long before Welcome Patrick corrected his side’s mistakes when he finished a cross by Tshepo Simon who sent a nice pass from the right flank. Tigers, who piled on more pressure, were rewarded two corner kicks in the 23rd and 24th  minutes but could not utilise them as they were both cleared by the Cubs defence.

Patrick scored the second goal for his side after slicing through Cubs defenders who thought he was offside in the 29th, followed immediately by Simon’s goal in the 31st minute, a ball many thought was scored from an offside spot. Patrick came back to increase the lead to 4-0 from a powerful shot in the 51st minute. Cubs’ combination of Phorano and Odirile cost their side as the latter failed three times to reduce the score margin much to the disappointment of the crowd. Simon and Patrick scored the 5th and 6th goals for the side.

Cubs got a solo goal through Phorano from an indirect kick that completely beat Tigers goalkeeper.

Terrors win but go down
By Cobrie Kgaodi.

Maun Terrors who finished first at the end of the first round of the Nhabe regional league were on  Saturday  brought down to earth despite winning their encounter with Maun United in the second round league.

They may have won, but Maun Tigers had two games over the weekend, both of which they won convincingly to lead the pack.

United, who started the game at a slow pace, exposed Terrors defence as they equalised each time Terrors took the lead.

Terrors scored first from a penalty spot through Business David after Chuku pulled down Poster Tshwaolesele inside the box in the 14th minute of the game. Dimbo later sliced through the United defence to score the second the second goal for Terrors in the 34th minute. Tembwe scored the first goal for United just before half time.

After the first half, Business scored the third goal after a pass by Dimbo. Tembwe capitalised on Terrors poor defending to make it 3-2 in the 60th minute.

United managed to steal an equaliser through Keoagile Mosupiemang after a corner kick in the 72nd minute.

However, their joy was short lived when Business again scored the fourth goal for Terrors, and almost immediately he made an excellent volley that gave Terrors a 5-3 lead, completely silencing United’s fans.

Super 14 rugby matches

Matches to be played in the international Super 14 rugby competition between teams from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand this weekend are:

Friday (March 3): Chiefs v Reds (Hamilton); Brumbies v Cats (Canberra).

Saturday (March 4): Waratahs v Sharks (Sydney); Crusaders v Blues (Christchurch); Stormers v Highlanders (Cape Town); Cheetahs v Hurricanes (Bloemfontein).

EDITION 303 Vol.7 FEB 24 -  MARCH 3, 2006

Key Medical Equipment Lying Idle
By Khonani Ontebetse

Equipment vital in the fight to beat HIV/AIDS in Ngamiland – which has the country’s highest incidence of the disease - is lying unused at Maun General Hospital because it was incorrectly installed. Nothing has worked since late last year, and nothing has been done about it.

The specialised equipment is only one of several key pieces gathering dust – one is a body scanner and another is equipment used in the dental department. Patients invariably have to be sent to Gweta Primary Hospital for the latter two procedures.   

Investigations by The Ngami Times revealed that the CD4 counter, which was provided by the African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships (ACHAP), is not being used four months after it was acquired.

The machine – known as a flow cytometer - was supplied to the hospital by ACHAP in an effort to assist the government and the private sector to develop programmes designed to combat HIV/AIDS. It is used to measure the number of blood cells in the body in order to see how a patient is responding to treatment for HIV/AIDS and also when doctors should start treatment. ”It is an incredibly sensitive and expensive piece of equipment,” was the comment of one senior health worker. “Anyone who has an immune problem is compromised by the non-use of equipment that while it is specifically for HIV,  can also be used for other similar tasks.”

The problem was confirmed by Leonard Manthe, senior programme officer of ACHAP, who said “a lack of commitment” on the part of those tasked with ensuring that the equipment was properly installed had contributed to the problem.

“Firstly, the cables which were used were not the appropriate ones because they were not fitting well,” Manthe said, adding that ACHAP had been discussing the matter with the Ministry of Health.

The Chief Medical Officer at Maun General Hospital, Dr Phillip Wangia, confirmed the problem but said he couldn’t comment further as the “situation is being dealt with at a higher level of management.”  At the time of going to press, the Ministry had not responded to a set of questions sent to it by this newspaper three weeks ago

The questions were:

· What is the MoH doing to help in dealing with the problem of patients who need their CD4 count to be undertaken at government medical centres?

· Does the Ministry have any measures in place that can be used in the meantime by patients?

· Does the government only give one set of equipment  for each medical centre?

Wet days bring misery as houses flooded

Storm clouds gather over Maun – a familiar scene over the past three weeks as thunderstorms batter the district, bringing the highest rainfall for many years (Picture: Onkabetse Tsaro)

Maun recorded one of its wettest days of the year  on Monday and Tuesday when heavy rain swept over the town and district.

Several houses were flooded as storm water drains were unable to cope with the deluge. On Monday, the Botswana Meteorological Services recorded 33mm while at Boro Prison 64mm fell with 33.4mm more at the Met office and 30mm at the BMC on Tuesday.

Residents in the Matlapaneng and Disaneng areas reported falls of more than 55mm for the 24 hours from 8am on Monday.

The rain brought misery to householders in the Thito area, with water rushing through their homes due to overflowing storm water drains. Drainage canals in nearby streets were also flowing but in some, refuse  had piled up, stopping the water and resulting in streets becoming dangerous.

A resident said he had asked the Department of Water Affairs on January 27 to clear the drains but engineers only responded on Monday when piping was dropped off, with residents around the Mogobe store facing Tsheko Tsheko Road being told to “put these in place”.

There was also heavy rain during the week at Gumare (56.4mm), Shakawe (53.5mm), Sepopa (33mm) and Kang (30.8mm), with steady rain at Nxaraga, Kuke Corner and Etsha 6.

The Okavango delta also had heavy rain, with some camps being isolated. The water volumes entering the Okavango River at Mohembo has shown a slight increase and this is expected to become stronger as the days go on.

An unusual “wedding car” took a young Maun couple on a quick honeymoon last week – they flew in a Cessna 206 to Stanley’s Camp in the Okavango delta soon after marrying at the District Commissioner’s Office in Maun. David Sautereau and his wife, Melissa (nee Reed), were given the flight and accommodation as a present by friends and the A&K safari company. They flew off in a Mack Air plane that had earlier been bedecked with ribbons, balloons and the traditional tin cans tied to the tail, and the cabin filled with confetti and rose petals. “My wife and I would like to thank all our good friends in Maun for giving us such an awesome time that was most unexpected,” said David, who works at Services for Africa. His wife is with Wild Lifestyles, a Maun travel company.

Trial date for 'Golden Tooth' case postponed
 By Bright Kholi

The trial date in the case in which Metlha “Golden Tooth” Maphanyane, Mathews Matsaudi, Gosego Sebati, Polite Motswaiso and Thamani Masunga are alleged to have broken into and stole rifles, ammunition and a safe from the Wildlife and National Parks offices at Moremi Game Reserve has been postponed.

Maun magistrate Milidzani Beja postponed it from February 24 to June 19 and 20.
The new trial date was set after Charles Tlagae, of Chadwick Anderson and Partners, Maun, who is now representing Matsaudi, told the court he was not familiar with the case and therefore needed time to go through the documents.

Tlagae said that since the accused had the right to legal representation, it was only logical for him to go through all the records and be a better position to represent his client.

Maphanyane told the court he had acquired the services of a lawyer to represent him, adding that the trial date should be postponed so that his lawyer can manage to be in court. He also asked to be furnished with records of the case to clear up “some confusion.” He said no one collected him from prison for the previous mention, adding that he therefore was not aware of the trial date set then.

Postponing the trial date, Beja said that the accused persons should use their right to legal representation reasonably. She said the accused have been aware of the case and that they needed legal representation, adding that they could have long arranged that.

She also said that records of the case will be made available to both Maphanyane and Sebati before the next mention date, which will be March 21.

Slaughter cattle to keep moving despite flies

Livestock would continue to have free movement throughout the district even though there is a major infestation of flies.

This has been stated by the Principal Veterinary Officer for the North West of the Department of Animal Health and Production, Dr L Oarabile, in response to questions from The Ngami Times.

The flies are being found throughout Maun and surrounding district as a result of the heavy rains which are conducive to an increase in the fly population and it would not be advisable to quarantine all livestock.

He said that stable fly (lethobo) can be treated with pyrethroid such as the insecticide “Clout” , and that the department had also embarked on insecticidal spraying of kraal fences in the Sehitwa area in an effort to beat the infestation.

Oarabile said  “it was not surprising” that flies had been noted at Makalamabedi quarantine station as they are found throughout the district, but advised farmers who are sending animals to BMC for slaughtering purposes to treat cattle with the insecticide. “Veterinary officials have not observed any case of stable fly infestation on all cattle presented for inspection at entry kraals (at quarantine stations). Had we observed any, we would have advised farmers to buy Clout to treat their cattle,” he added.

In a bid to defeat the flies, farmers are being encouraged to move cattle from kraal to kraal  overnight.

Primary schools hit by equipment shortage

There is a major shortage of books, pens, pencils, desks, chairs and classrooms for primary schools. Letsholathebe Primary School principal, Obusitswe Tlhapi, confirmed a shortage which is put down to an increased number of pupils.

Tlhapi said there are now 1 100 students at his school instead of the 880 budgeted for – the 22 classrooms each have 40 pupils. He said help had been forthcoming from the North West District Council (NWDC), which was supplying the school with books and desks.

He explained that there was a general shortage of notebooks because when a student is transferred, the school does not ask for the books to be returned.

Newly-introduced subjects such as Environmental Science and Creative and Performance Art do not have reference books.

Tlhapi had also asked for the loan of furniture from sister schools such as Moremi and Komana primary schools. Ten classes are being taught under trees at the moment and the only way new classrooms can be built is if these were double-storey structures as space was at a premium.

The Principal Education Secretary, Kaporeingi Patropus, said it was “not true” that there was shortage of stationery and furniture in primary schools.

He said they have been delivering books to schools since January and that the delay is caused by suppliers. He was only aware that pens, pencils and A4 24 page notebooks have not arrived.

Patropus said they have books in their storeroom and were busy with deliveries.
The department is to tender for furniture after April. Schools affected by shortages include Shashe and Matsaudi, both of which have problems of classrooms and furniture.

Patropus said the problem that is faced by Letsholathebe is that they have absorbed a very high number of students and the school management needs to solve it.

He suggested that they should adopt the system of double shifts if they want all their students to use classrooms as the department cannot build more classrooms at the school.

Diarrhoea continues to be major problem
By Khonani Ontebetse

The government’s warning that diarrhoea is rampant in some parts of the country – particularly in the Gweta and Nata areas – seems to have fallen on deaf ears as families continue to stream into hospitals and clinics with seriously ill small children.

So far, 140 young children have died throughout the country out of 7 245 cases reported to health authorities. The highest infection rate is in the Serowe/Palapye areas, where 42 deaths have taken place, followed by Kweneng with 20 deaths.

The Department of Health says the situation “is under control” and also warns the public to boil all water in order to control the outbreak, brought about by excessive rain and flooding.

Maun General Hospital’s chief medical officer, Dr. Philip Wangia, said he couldn’t comment but did say that the situation “is under control”. Some babies from Nata, Zoroga, Gweta and Maun were in the past six weeks admitted at the hospital for medical attention. There had been several deaths.

According to hospital staff in Maun and Gweta, the total number of infected children aged below 5 years admitted daily at Maun General and Gweta Hospital come mostly from Nata, Tsokatshaa and Zoroga villages has not reduced.

Any visitor to Maun General can see mothers with their youngsters crammed in beds in children’s wards which seems to be unable to cope. “Six babies were been admitted at our clinic,” said a nurse at Gweta. According to officials of Tutume Health Team, there were 32 reported cases of diarrhoea this week. However, officials were adamant that some patients were able to fight off the disease and some were recovering.

The disease now affects all age groups, the officials confirmed.

In the same week that a young woman is admitted to hospital after allegedly being raped and left tied up in horrifying fashion, three young men who have been appearing on rape charges in another case are released on bail by our courts.

Rape is in most countries regarded as a capital offence.  In Botswana, rape convictions carry very heavy sentences – often, the death sentence. Yet, magistrates continue to hand down decisions that ensure the liberty of alleged perpetrators.

Obviously, women’s rights organisations protest vigorously but justice seems to turn a blind eye to their arguments, claiming that the courts cannot deprive a person of his or her liberty until found guilty as charged. This goes for murder, attempted murder, threat to murder, armed robbery, rape and all the other crimes that have troubled our community these past few years.

It is perhaps no wonder therefore that criminals are having the last laugh.

Enough's Enough!

Rain is always very welcome, but now that we have had a large amount, maybe it is time for the taps to be turned off!

We know we ran an Editorial the other week saying, in effect, that the rain should continue, but now that we are well and truly soaked, maybe we can ask for a little relief!

After all, we don’t think the idea is to make people suffer as a result of houses falling down, roads inundated and our lives disrupted

- The Maun Shuffle -

The disturbing news that foreign governments are taking an interest in our crime situation in Ngamiland (and more particularly, Maun) should make the government sit up and take notice.

Our police force is trying to do a good job in curbing crime, and in association with the splendid 911 Neighbourhood Watch organisation, there is a definite indication that criminals are being apprehended.

But it is hard work and often the thieves win hands-down because of a lack of manpower on the part of the authorities.

Shuffle enjoyed the suggestion from the floor at a crime prevention meeting last week that police, troops and the Special Services Group (SSG) should be engaged in a swoop through every yard in the town one night. If nothing else, that should clear out our illegals and our criminals!

Of course, in a democratic country, this is not quite the way to act as people do have rights (well, some rights) but nevertheless, the suggestion may be worth following up.

Shuffle liked the style of Philip Makoba, the Officer Commanding Police District 5, who made no bones about it when he said that Maun needed to be made much safer than ever before insofar as tourists were concerned (of course, he also meant the local population) and urged that the community should stand together.  Hear, hear!

Too often in Maun we are bedevilled by people who go their separate ways – colour-wise.

There is a definite need for better interaction between the local population and expatriates. It is certainly much improved than, say, five years ago, but the divide remains and this was brought home by speakers at the crime prevention meeting.

One said that 911 was known and admired by the local community but was also perceived to be for “them” (ie the expats) and by implication therefore it was a racial them-and-us situation.

A good suggestion made was that a 911 radio should be provided to residents in particular areas of the town so that neighbours can be alerted at any given time when emergencies arise.Whether this would work in a moot point as Shuffle is sure that criminals may try to take advantage.

Right now, about 600 people are roused from their beds when the radio crackles into life but can you imagine what thousands of people going out on to the streets to beat the criminals can do? It will stop crime.

**

Everyone Shuffle knows likes to have a good time, but when people start to walk rough-shod over personal liberties, many get upset.

And so it is happening right now as Botswana and Britain decide to limit bar hours in the former and smoking in the latter, where incidentally, bar hours are unlimited.

Shuffle is at a loss to see what it has to do with anyone else if someone wishes to take a drink during the day or have a smoke in a public place.

The medical fraternity is of the opinion that smoking causes cancer etc and that smoke from cigarettes is harmful to those around you if you are a smoker. This has been prattled about for years and is even written on to cigarettes packets.

The political fraternity is jumping on the bandwagon in both countries.

They are so keen to fall over themselves in limiting your rights that one of these days those who cherish liberty, and know how to look after themselves whether they drink or smoke, will be following in the footsteps of the Muslims of this world by demonstrating against the erosion of civil rights.

We do not live in a perfect world.

Huge numbers of people smoke (be it cigarette, cigars or the weed), huge numbers of people take a drink of alcohol (be it beer, wine or spirits), and huge numbers of people don’t actually care what people do with their bodies.

Shuffle recalls that a newspaper he was once employed by decided to hold a referendum among staff about whether or not to ban smoking in its cavernous building.  Shuffle was one of those who led the pro-smoking lobby (Shuffle does not smoke, incidentally) on the grounds that the habit didn’t affect him so why take away a civil liberty of others who did.

The medical doctor who was employed by the newspaper smoked – and drank. He is a good guy and as far as Shuffle knows, is still enjoying himself smoking and drinking.  There are many other doctors known to Shuffle in many countries who also smoke and drink, and they’re alive and walking this earth!

The funniest public sign Shuffle has seen is on the beachfront of the English town of Bournemouth. It reads: “This is a non-smoking beach for 500 metres”. Presumably after 501 metres you can light up and smoke to your heart’s content!

Now, can someone tell me how one can limit smoking on a breezy southern coast of Britain facing France, where the French don’t care a toss about who smokes or who doesn’t?

The British have now voted (let’s say, their MPs) to ban smoking in pubs and clubs and wherever else. That’s a nonsense and if those ladies and gentlemen manage to get back to parliament in a future general election, then they will be very lucky because the British working man in general doesn’t like his habits to be interfered with by nosey MPs.

In Botswana, politicians are going to be hurt the most when the pub hours law comes into effect in April.  Their pubs will be affected, their profits will be affected, their employees will be out of jobs, and their constituents will be unhappy.

There is still time for a re-think and still time to tell their bank managers not to worry.

**

Now that we have got over those heavy subjects, how about some light relief from that admirable little book “Funny Ho Ho and Funny Fantastic”?

·           Before the verdict was rendered this morning, Miss Mexico told interviewers that if the court freed her, she would become a nut.

·           Baby show – Best Baby under Six Months; Best Baby under Twelve Months; Best Baby under Two Years; Best Baby under Three Years. Rules for exhibitors: all exhibits become the property of the Committee as soon as staged, and will be sold for the benefit of the Hospital at the termination of the exhibition.

·           Jack’s Laundry – Leave your clothes here, ladies, and spend the afternoon having a good time.

·           Breaks both legs turning over in bed – headline

·           Mrs Raymond Hackett and Miss Evelyn Fothergill gave a surprise pink and white shower for Mrs Mahlon Owens on the Eaton lawn, attended by 33 people. One of the features of the programme was a Caesarean operation which proved amusing – story in US newspaper.

Forest reserves opened up for tourism ventures

KASANE - Six protected forest reserves in the Chobe district are to be de-gazetted to relieve the over-utilisation of resources inside the Chobe National Park and along the Chobe riverfront.

The current under-utilisation of the reserves, as well as alleged illegal tourism operations, have exerted pressure on existing tourism operations and paved the way for eco-tourism activities in the reserves.

The Senior Technical Officer, Lesika Basalumi, in the Ministry of Environmental Wildlife and Tourism, said here that the under-utilisation and allegations of illegal operations prompted the plan to utilise prime sites for conducting tourism related business in the forest reserves.

Communities in the area had perceived the forests to be “a white elephant as they were not benefiting them,” said Basalumi.

He said there is no restriction on access to the forest reserves but there was a need to update the Forestry Act in accordance with the national eco-tourism strategy. There is a need to develop appropriate plans that combines conservation and development in forest to become economic viable to compensate surrounding communities.

Basalumi said there were several methods of forest management, and eco-tourism was one that suited the sites due to natural and cultural resources as well as the enthusiasm of local communities to take part in tourism ventures.

This would enhance citizen expansion into the eco-tourism industry and which will offer a new product that will lessen pressure in the Chobe National Park and create more jobs

He said areas identified are at present largely under utilised because they are not commercially zoned.

It will also be an opportunity for “tourist adventurers” to explore nature and cultural sites which would lead to further diversification of Botswana tourism that is very dependent on wildlife, he said.

Tourism activities would also have a positive impact in the socio-economic status of villages such as Pandamatenga, Kachikau, Mabele, Kavimba and Satau by creating jobs in those areas - such as guiding and culture exploration related activities. He said the plan would also allow village and township expansion as tourism activities and development have been concentrated on the Chobe riverfront, with fears being raised that these could lead to land degradation.

The Chobe district is the only area that has forest reserves.

'Kgotla expo' brings tourism, culture to city people
By Bright Kholi

The District Wildlife Coordinator, Ngamiland, Sibangani Mosojane says that lodges operating inside Moremi Game Reserve will be allowed to remain open despite the high water level that has left the roads and tracks in the park inundated.

In a letter written to lodge operators, HATAB, and mobile operators, Mosojane said that the department felt it is necessary to take steps aimed at minimising the damage to roads and tracks.

The conditions laid out include the closure of the reserve to all self-drive tourists until the situation normalises. The restriction of access by registered local mobile operators to those groups with bookings, who will be allowed access only with standard 4x4 vehicles and no heavy vehicle, may cause unnecessary damage to the roads and tracks.

Lodge operators in the reserve may continue to fly in clients, adding that the use of game drive vehicles should be limited and the alternative use of boat trips encouraged.

All mobile and lodge operators should inform guide staff to avoid extended driving on roads and tracks in the floodplain areas. He also cautioned that the three major routes in the reserve remain closed.

The routes are the Dombo hippo pools to the T-junction on the Maqwe–Xakanaxa road, all inundated roads and tracks on both the Khwai east and Khwai west floodplains and all routes in the 4th bridge area and on the Xini floodplains.

Mobile operators are urged to make use of the old HATAB 14 site. Meanwhile, the pole bridges at 3rd bridge, 4th bridge and at Khwai remain closed.

Water Affairs claims victory over Salvinia
By Bright Kholi

The Department of Water Affairs (DWA) says it has successfully managed to clear salvinia weed that was threatening to kill pools and lagoons in the Ditshipi areas. In an interview with The Ngami Times this week, DWA station coordinator in Maun Jonas Ramosalagadi said the project was successful.

He said that they introduced salvinia weevils into the pools that were infested with the dangerous weed early in 2005, and by August the same year the weed had been cleared. According to Ramosalagadi, salvinia weevils are the biological control of the salvinia weed. The weevils feed on the leaves of the weed thereby killing the plant instantly. He said that the department had constructed a bund in the area to stop water flowing further down stream, as that would have spread the weed. “The bund was opened early this year as we were convinced that the weed had been successfully eradicated,” he said. Residents of Ditshipi have been complaining about what they claimed was DWA’s “deliberate move to kill the river” as they no longer had water in their river. At various meetings addressed in the village, residents condemned the construction of the bund, saying it starved them as they had no way to fish. They had also called on the department to consider applying the traditional methods of controlling the weed.

Pay up time at Maun Educational Park

It is now official. Anyone wishing to visit Maun Educational Park from April 1 will have to pay at the gate. This will also apply to other educational parks around the country.

The decision comes after the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism decided to put into use the 3rd Schedule of the Educational Game Reserve Regulations. This includes the Maun educational park, which according to the department will start charging people as of April 1.

The charges as per the schedule indicate that individuals aged 8 and over will be charged P10 per day, and groups comprising of less than 30 persons will be charged P75 while those with 30 to 50 persons will be charged P100 per day.

Picnic sites will be charged at a rate of P5.00 per individual aged over 18 years and P2.50 for persons over 8 but below 18. Educational groups will be charged P50.00 for a group of 30 persons or less and P75.00 for groups of a maximum of 50 persons per day.

Camping fees for individuals will be charged at P10 per night for persons over 18 years and P5.00 for those over 8 years and under 18. Educational groups will be charged P120.00 for a group of 30 or less per night, while groups of more than 30 to a maximum of fifty will be charged P150 per night. The visitors centre facility can be hired out at P75.00.

Fixing a broken window fixes our crime problem

Maun should take a leaf out of New York City’s “broken window” anti-crime campaign that helped the American city go a long way towards getting rid of criminal elements that once virtually ruled it.

This is the suggestion from people who attended a recent crime prevention meeting arranged by the 911 neighbourhood watch committee with the Botswana Police. The “broken window” concept came into being when the Mayor of New York decided that his city needed to look spic and span – something that Maun certainly lacks and which can be tackled more aggressively and energetically than right now.

The underlying message at the conference was that people should take a pride in their town, and whenever one sees someone littering, urinating in public, stealing and so on, they should be apprehended or at the very least reported to the police. “In this way, the fight against crime begins,” was one comment from the floor.

Philip Makoba, the Officer Commanding Police District 5, was in full agreement with the sentiments. “The big question is how can we police ourselves?” he asked. “Things that are stolen end up in the community, a community that does not realise the items have been stolen. A community that does not understand the term ‘neighbourhood watch’, which is of such importance in the fight against crime.

“I believe the community should become closer to neighbourhood groups, such as the 911 neighbourhood watch committee operating in Maun and other similar ones on a smaller scale in other parts of the village. “If we see someone with a laptop and trying to sell it on the streets, it destroys tourism because that theft could escalate into something bigger.”

Makoba said that criminals were now employing more sophisticated methods of gaining entry into buildings, such as oxy-acetylene torches to cut through tin roofs, lying and waiting for residents to return to their homes and then overpowering them, using explosives to blow open safes and keeping a watch on people who leave their motor vehicles unlocked or with parcels in full view of passersby.

“It is no longer safe to leave money in safes,” he commented, adding that there had been a surge in conmen operating in Maun, an increase in fraud, and an increasing usage of false cheques – such as those stolen from the Revenue Officer  recently.

Makoba is of the opinion that closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras would go a long way to eliminating crime in business houses but to introduce these on Maun streets would be a prohibitive cost. Instead he suggests that people should indelibly mark their property for easy identification if stolen, and not leave their homes unoccupied, particularly over weekends and holiday periods. There is a particular worry about the safety of tourists.

Maun is regarded as the tourism capital of Botswana and as such is a Mecca for the international tourist keen to see the beauty of the Okavango delta and marvel at the ancient Stone Age paintings in the Tsodilo Hills.

Parents' pride in a bright young Man!
By Onkabetse Tsaro

When a student excels in any examinations, it is always the teachers who are credited with the success, but for 2005 Botswana General Certificate of Education (BGCSE) top student Paul Rambacal, his father, Elmer, pats himself on the back.

Paul, who lives in Maun, who completed his BGCSE at Mater Spei College, Francistown, obtained seven grade A+ and two As, to beat all other students countrywide. His father told The Ngami Times that he had played a major role in moulding Paul to what he is today.

“When he was three years old, he was able to solve any mathematical formula that I gave him. I would give him some numbers to add on his own, and then secretly plant a video camera in his room to see how he was doing, and to my surprise, he used his fingers to add up the answer,” Rambacal senior said.  His life’s hard work had eventually borne fruit as Paul beat the entire country in last year’s exams.

Rambacal senior said he was not surprised at all by his son’s excellence. “As Roman Catholics, we have our standards of education and all my kids have gone through that phase of schooling. We provide special training for children to prepare them for their studies, so it was not a surprise but I was humbled when my son passed his examinations. He has also been top of his classes from Matshwane Primary School to Tsodilo Junior Secondary and now at Mater Spei,” Rambacal snr said.

Paul’s mother, Mel, is equally proud of Paul’s excellent work.  Rambacal says their son was brought up in a Christian environment and was involved in church activities, which kept him focused spiritually and emotionally. While his father was a pastor in the church, Paul would also hold lessons with his peers and other younger kids and teach them about the church. He urged parents provide a good environment for their children to study without any distractions if they are to expect good results from them. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Paul says he was under a tremendous pressure from the school to pass.

“The school was expecting nothing less from me as I was always doing well there. This placed pressure on me to do well in my final examinations. I studied harder so that I do not disappoint my school and my parents,” he said.

Now he is making application to study at foreign universities. “These people have to have protection and that’s where the whole community can become involved,” he added.

Best of the Best  - Paul Rambacal

SPORTS

Gaojenkabo Bahenyi of Sankuyo dribbles past Kenneth  Katjizeu of CUBS F.C last Saturday. Sankuyo won 2 - 1.

Maun Terrors humiliate 'amateur' Khwai

Maun Terrors have defied the odds and finished at the top of the Log in the just-ended first round of the Nhabe Regional League with 34 points, followed by the league’s “super giants”, Makgabisa, in second spot.

Terrors were on the rampage on Saturday when they thrashed the Gunners of Khwai 12-0, in a game that reduced the Gunners to amateurs.

Terrors scored their first goal in the eighth minute through Shakes Pelontle Dimbo, with the second coming from Boenyane Business David, who in all scored three goals. In the 28th minute, Fredrick Motokwa registered the 3rd goal with a powerful shot from outside the box to beat the Gunners keeper, and a few minutes from the break, fast running Shaka Dimbo outran his marker and laid the ball in the path of David who was in a perfect position to make it 4-0.

Terrors left-winger Mogomotsi Kotomwa registered the 5th just after the break and Gunners’ defender Noah Jacob increased the score margin for Terrors when he made an own goal after he tried to clear a ball from striker Shaka Dimbo and instead beat his own goalkeeper.

A few minutes later, David notched his hat-trick, making it 7-0. Dimbo registered the 8th with a simple dribble past the goalkeeper, and then Mogomotsi made it 9-0.

Boenyane scored the 10th goal in the 78th minute followed immediately by Gaongalelwe Dipateletso who scored the 11th after coming in as a substitute. The final goal for Terrors came in the 87th minute through Opelo Mokate who made it 12-0.

Makgabisa march past Cubs

Makgabisa crushed Cubs 4-2 in a game played over the weekend. Makgabisa’s win gave them three points but could only finish the first round of the regional league on position two of the log.

The first goal for Makgabisa came in through Dunga Seemeko in the 12th minute of the second half after a beautiful cross by Masilo Trompies.  It was a marvellous game to watch, as Makgabisa outclassed the lowly Cubs who had a better game towards the end of the 2nd half.

The game was officiated by Zambian Davis Chibemba after there was confusion with the referees who had been told that the game will be played at the Wildlife Institute ground as the stadium was being used by schools for athletics.

Seemeka was back again, this time with a scorcher from the box that left the Cubs keeper stranded.

The goal brought confusion into the Cubs camp as the strike force of Kenneth Katjizeu and Ogaufi Bathusi was firing blanks as well as poor distribution of balls from the midfield.   In the 30th minute, a beautiful move by Rex and Mambush resulted in a goal.

Seven minutes before the break, a small band of supporters witnessed the goal of the match from Cubs midfielder Madome Serumola who beat Makgabisa’s goalie with a 45 metre drive, giving him no chance at all.

Makgabisanaga banged in the 4th goal from a penalty spot by Spider Kanyeto, after Cubs handled the ball in the box. That didn’t go down well as they were against referee’s decision, but the much-respected Chibemba managed to control the game.

Vol 302, February 17 - 24, 2006

The man who guides the Zebras was with his players who received a tumultuous welcome at Maun airport last weekend when the national soccer side arrived to play a charity match at the local sports complex.  Jelusic Veselin was greeted enthusiastically by these female supporters as his team shook hands with everyone in sight! See sports section for more

Rain Misery For Many
By Onkabetse Tsaro and Lets Open

Many people are homeless after weeks of incessant rain washed away homes or caused extensive damage to property.

There have been at least three deaths reported in Ngamiland while the weather has disrupted communication links, water supplies, and made roads impassable in some districts. The world-renowned Moremi Game Reserve near Maun is closed to the public.

At Xhaxha, two boys died when the hut in which they were sheltering collapsed on to them during as heavy night rainfall. The boys, both unidentified, were buried at Nokaneng this week and a relative, Shishiman Baakanyi, described the storm that killed the boys as “the worst I have ever seen.” A man also died when he drowned in a fast-flowing stream, and is to be buried at Xhaxha.

In Maun, as in other villages in northern Botswana, the more than 295mm of rain recorded this year – originally welcomed as breaking a crippling drought - has now brought misery to many.

The local Disaster Relief Committee says no information about property damage or assistance being given to affected people can be provided as “the President (Festus Mogae) has not seen the report.”

An owner of one damaged house at Mabudutsa said: “My house has fallen down and I have nowhere to sleep. I am not even allowed to rebuild as I have to move to Matshwane. The rain has caught up with me and I am expected to sleep in the open. Our council is not doing any thing to help us.” Mabudutsa residents are being relocated to Matshwane as part of a redevelopment of their ward.

Complaints have also been raised by motorists about the state of roads – since the rains started, it has become difficult to drive, roads are water-logged, and there are potholes all over, some from before the weather conditions set in.

Is help coming?

“Not anytime soon” was the message from an official at the District Development Office. claiming that “assessments are still being carried out” and adding “I cannot provide you with more information on the topic as we have to get authorisation and the assessment is still on progress.

Donkeys have the last laugh on our streets
By Bright Kholi

Donkeys and other livestock that roam the streets of Maun causing traffic disruptions can be removed if the District Com