Issue No. 336 October 13 - 20, 2006
No
336 October 13 - 20, 2006 Registered
at the Post Office as a Newspaper Tel:
686 4807 Fax: 686 0257 e-mail:
tnt@i
The My African Dream talent contest was a dream come true for Maun
schoolboy Terrence Kgwarae who won the
junior section at the finals in Gaborone last weekend. Hip-Hop addict Terrence,
a pupil at Tsodilo CJSS, is pictured here with his excited mother, Lalu (2nd
from left), and wellwishers soon after being declared the winner. Picture: Onkabetse Tsaro
TWO HORROR MURDERS
By
Golang Raditsela
A Maun
woman was found lying in a pool of blood along a Kubung ward road, and a man
had his throat slit in a shebeen at Etsha 6 in two murders that have shocked
Ngamiland. In another
incident, a man attempted to take his own life in Mabudutsa ward, Maun.
Neighbours managed to save his life by cutting a rope that was around his neck. In the
Seronga area, an elderly man is reported to have been killed by an elephant
while looking for stray cattle. According
to CID Officer-in-charge, Stale Phuthego, the woman was found by a neighbour
early on Wednesday.
The police
were alerted and found the woman with multiple wounds lying in a pool of blood
by the roadside. She was rushed to hospital where she died the same day. Phuthego
said that when the police arrived at the scene the woman was in a “very
critical” condition and she could not walk or talk.
Phuthego
said that the wounds on the woman’s body suggested that she was stabbed with a
sharp object or objects. Her name has
been withheld until her next of kin have been notified. No arrest has been
made.
Gumare
police are investigating a case in which a 27 year old Etsha 6 man’s throat was
slit by a drinking friend during a fight at a shebeen in Etsha on October 1. According
to the Officer Commanding Police District No 5, Philip Makoba, the incident
happened following an argument between the accused, Kachire Juta, and a friend
allegedly over traditional beer. The victim
was named as Kebaemetse July, and he died when trying to stop a fight between
Juta and another man. Juta did not heed his friend’s advice but instead killed
him.
The Gumare
police station commander, Nkwebi Chilisa, confirmed that July was killed with a
sharp instrument, suspected to be a knife. He was rushed to the local hospital
and certified dead on arrival. Juta was arrested and remanded in custody. July
was buried last weekend. Juta has been charged with murder and appeared before
Maun magistrate Nsikelelo Moyo on Tuesday.
He has
been remanded in custody and will appear for mention on October 18. The
Mabudutsa attempted suicide is believed to have been the result of the man
becoming depressed following the death of both his father and his brother, who
was looking after him.
SADC drivers’ licences ‘invalid’
Drivers’ licences issued by countries within the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) are invalid in Botswana if the holder has stayed
here for more than 90 days. Police mounted road blocks in Maun this week stopping motorists
carrying SADC licences.
They were asked how long they had been living in Botswana and
told that they needed Botswana licences
within 90 days of arrival. The
foreign-issued licences were confiscated and fines of P300 levied on angry
motorists who said they were not aware of the ruling.
Motorists
said they had gone through numerous road blocks during Independence weekend,
the anti-crime campaign and road safety blitzes without being asked for
Botswana licences.
A
spokesman for the Department of Road Safety and Transport said that licences
were valid for six months but the police claim this has been changed to 90
days. No public announcement has been
made. “I am
being hit economically as I cannot afford to employ a driver with a Botswana
licence while I wait for a letter,” said one businessman. “There has
been no publicity given to this ruling, so how is the motoring public supposed
to know about such legislation?”
The
Botswana Police public relations unit in Gaborone said this week the police
were merely carrying out instructions laid down by the Department of Road
Safety and Transport The senior
programme manager for Transport at SADC heaadquarters, Mmapolao Mokoena, said
that the issue of licences was to be discussed and finalised at the SADC
Ministers meeting next month. “The problem is that although adopted, not
all countries have changed their road traffic legislation to facilitate the use
of SADC licences,” she said. “When adopted, member states were not given any
time frame in which to have their own legislation amended.
In the
interview with The Ngami Times, the Maun District Traffic
Officer, Superintendent Alfred Magudu, explained that according to the traffic
laws, foreign licences are accepted for visitors who stay for a period not
exceeding 90 days from the date of arrival. For
residents who hold national driving licences issued outside Botswana, the law
requires them to be changed within the period of 90 days, or else the licences
are invalid and therefore should not be used. These,
Magudu said, applies even to SADC licence holders as it was in an agreement
between SADC and the Botswana government.
In renewing
licences, the agreement states that the licence holder must produce a document
showing their stay in countries where their licences were issued for 185 consecutive
days.
Mogae support for children’s park
fundraising
16-year-old Sohum Mehta
who thought out the concept of the park.
President
Festus Mogae will next Wednesday and Thursday be in Maun for the Maun’s
Children’s Park fundraising dinner and to see the start of construction. The Indian
High Commissioner, Vishnu N Hate, will also be present at the event as is
former Maun schoolboy Sohum Mehta, the 16-year-old son of A to Z Mica Build
company president, Subhash Mehta, and who thought out the concept of the park.
Subhash
Mehta says the estimated cost of the project is about P500 000. In an interview
with The Ngami Times, Mehta said tickets for the event at Maun
Lodge are being sold at P1 000 for the top table at which the president will be
seated and P500 for other tables. On Thursday, October 19, President Mogae will
lay the first brick at the park site, in Sedie ward, to officially start
construction. The park is to be built along the Shorobe road in Sedie and is
situated on land next to the big tent of the Village Church. Mehta said the
money raised during the fundraising event will be doubled by A to Z Mica
Build. Mehta has called on the people
of Maun to help by donating towards construction as more funds are still needed
to build the park and for its long term sustainability. The park is expected to be completed by
mid-2007.
Dreaded anthrax revisits Chobe
By Bright
Kholi
KASANE - An outbreak of the dreaded anthrax disease
has been reported inside Chobe National Park. This outbreak is the second in a
space of a year.
The disease is
said to have so far claimed some hundreds of animals inside the park –
particularly elephants, buffaloes and other small game. The outbreak follows
one last year which forced the Department of Wildlife and National Park to
close certain sections of the world-famous park.
This week,
Wildlife department officials in Kasane were locked in a series of meetings to
discuss, it is believed, the recent outbreak. In an interview this week, Dr
Cyril Taolo, from the Department of wildlife and National Parks headquarters,
confirmed anthrax has been reported in the park. He could not go into any
details as he was awaiting a comprehensive report from the district Wildlife
office. Information reaching this newspaper is that the disease is concentrated
between Ihaha and Ngoma border gate. People have been urged to stay away from
carcasses of animals.
Anthrax
symptoms include skin infections that develop into an ulcer and at times
swelling of lymph glands, breathing problems, vomiting and ultimately death if
not treated.
Diamonds are
Botswana’s best friends
NEW
YORK – President Festus
Mogae has reaffirmed that diamonds are Botswana’s best friends. The
precious gems have turned the country into a middle income nation from being
one of the world’s least developed nations.
He told a
“diamonds for development” function hosted by the Council of Foreign Relations
in New York this week that in the four decades since Botswana’s independence,
the country had achieved much in both economic growth and social progress.
“That this is so is in large part due to our prudent reinvestment of the
revenues we receive from the export of diamonds,” Mogae said.
“Between
1966 and 2005 real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at an average of more than
7% per annum. As a result, per capita income rose from about US$80 to over
US$4000. “What is
even more pleasing to us is that our macro-economic growth has been accompanied
by equally impressive progress to our human development indices.”
Due to
diamond revenues, Botswana has been able to “roll out public education (and)
today over 80% of our people are literate. About 90% of our youth are receiving
at least 10 years of basic education while tens of thousands arte presently
studying at tertiary institutions.”
Mogae said
that diamond revenues had allowed Botswana to provide clean water and “near
universal access to free health care, with the vast majority of citizens now
within 15km of a public health facility.” He added
there was still much to do and many challenges to face.
One of the
challenges is HIV/AIDS, and Botswana was fortunate in having the public
resources to confront the scourge through orphan care and free provision of
anti-retroviral therapy. “Another continuing challenge is the need to provide
productive opportunities for our less advantaged citizens, many of whom are
trapped in poverty and dependent on state handouts. This is especially true for
those living in our remote rural areas,” Mogae said.
Mauled boy ‘was always helpful’
By Lets Open
BODIBENG – The dramatic story of how a youth mauled by
his dogs staggered a kilometre to the family kraal has been told here. The boy, 16 year old Matholwane Mombadi, had tried to flush out a
squirrel that had climbed a tree to get away from the dogs when he fell.
Family members said it appeared he had kicked out at the attacking dogs
but had failed, falling to the ground. Mombadi was mauled by the animals but
found the strength to stagger back to the kraal with multiple wounds.
He was discovered by an uncle, who helped rush him to hospital in Maun.
He died enroute. The family said that they found it difficult to believe the boy’s dogs
had killed him as he and the dogs were always hunting together and they
had an “understanding.”
The boy was a popular person around the community, and was said to have
been of great help to the elderly and the bereaved. “He was a careful young man
who was popular,” one relative added. The funeral was
attended by dozens of people who came to Bodibeng from Ghanzi, Maun and other
villages.
EDITORIAL
A vision we must support
One of the pillars of
Vision 2016 is an educated nation but as school principals and head teachers
have been pointing out at prize giving ceremonies across the nation, this is
proving to be a difficult task.
One such case is
reported in this newspaper this week – a school in Maun says that students stay
away from classes, there are drop outs and some get pregnant, and this places
the vision of an educated nation very much in jeopardy if such behaviour
spreads.
Kids will be kids –
well, that’s how the saying goes but when it is your own kid not bothering to
attend classes just because he or she is lazy or doesn’t know why they have to
attend school, it becomes a mountain to climb for parents.
Unfortunately, as can
be seen on our streets during school days, parents don’t appear to care that
their children are loitering or lounging on street corners.
Parents need to be
educated themselves, not necessarily in the conventional sense but educated in
the sense of supporting their children. After all, as the parent grows older,
he or she will be looking for a breadwinner from among the children and if
there is none forthcoming, so our standards collapse.
We have ten years to
realise a vision – can we do it?
THE MAUN SHUFFLE
Travelling the
back roads of Botswana is more than an education these days.
When you do so,
you stumble across some of the sights and sounds that made Botswana famous down
the years – like the great cattle drives that formed a generation of men and
women of all colours and creeds. A Canadian
friend has sent us photographs of the drovers driving the cattle towards the
gate – a long, slow and arduous process which many oldtimers remember with
nostalgia.
In their day,
of course, there were no tarred roads, simply bush tracks filled with hungry
lions and other predators. It was a time of grabbing a meal in the saddle and
it was a way of life when challenged by a raging torrent (yes, we still have
those in arid Botswana) across which you had to take hundreds of head of cattle.
But fortunately
the era is still with us, and probably will be for years to come until our
farmers can afford the giant trucks that hurtle along the roads of other
countries with their cargo of bellowing cattle headed for the abattoirs.
**
It is evident
these past few days that many people are not boarding taxis to or from their
jobs or to go shopping. The reason is
simple: They feel that the hike in taxi fares has come at a very bad time, and
with the cost of living going up and up despite the statistics that show
inflation is marginally lower than in previous months, people are scrabbling
for money.
Shuffle knows
of families who spend money on taxi fares only for the benefit of their
children to attend school while the bread winner(s) walk to work – in some
instances, a long distance.
The Department
of Transport raised the combi taxi fare by 50 thebe – not much one would think
but two 50 thebes a day equals One Pula. Multiply that by five pula per week
and suddenly you have a healthy figure that you have to somehow find each month
in order to get to work or school in relative comfort.
Salaries and
wages in areas outside Gaborone are low and the government hasn’t made the
situation any easier by the paltry annual increases it has given public servants,
who after all pay the same amount of money for taxi fares and food.
The result of
all this is that the country is slipping further and further into debt on a
personal level. People like to have new clothing, new shoes, new furniture,
decent haircuts. They like to go to shows and/or the pubs – all that costs
money and when you haven’t go it, then trouble looms with a capital T.
It seems that
the cost of most items is increasing – postage costs more both locally and
externally, beer varies in price from pub to pub, bread can’t make up its mind
whether it is under P2.50 or over P3.00, fuel costs more (even though the oil
price is lower than previously), there are surcharges levied by shopkeepers on
foreign magazines and newspapers (an old Maun ploy), prices of vegetables have
gone through the roof, even dog food is more expensive.
The Central
Statistics Office does a sterling job month after month in keeping people
informed of the cost of living, but in real terms it is what’s in one’s pocket
that counts!
**
There’s nothing
quite like spending a night on one of our world-famous pans watching the full
moon come up and groups of elephants drinking at the waterhole. This happened
to Shuffle and friends on Saturday when the full moon rose, only to be spoiled
a little later by cloud.
The giant
animals drank their fill and then wandered off into the night, only to return
about 4am. By that time most of the campers were asleep in their tents.
Apart from the
elephants, a highlight of the night was trying to keep the tents from blowing
away! A strong wind
whipped across the pan, resulting in a wrestling match between man, the tents
and the wind. Fortunately there were a large number of heavy rocks in the
vicinity and with these we managed to anchor the tents. However, one tent
looked set to sail all the way back to Maun until one of the campers had the
brainwave of tying it to a land
cruiser!
It would have
had to be a very strong wind to lift that vehicle! The name of the
pan is a closely guard secret. It is one of those remote places that has
somehow escaped the tourist trail – and thank goodness, too, for not only is
there a waterhole (natural, by the way) but many fossils can be seen all over
the area. No, Shuffle will
not be able to tell you where it is.
Kalahari village to
host World AIDS Day
TSABONG – This remote Kalahari village is to host
this year’s World AIDS Day commemoration. The December 1
event has the theme of “Stop AIDS, keep the promise.”
World AIDS
commemorations are global efforts to support, strengthen and connect campaigns
that hold governments and stakeholders accountable for their promises on AIDS
and HIV.
The government
has recognised HIV and AIDS as a health and development problem and has come up
with a multi-sectoral approach to respond to the epidemic and mitigate its
impact.
Any persons
wanting to support or participate in the Botswana commemorations can contact
the district commissioner or the
District AIDS Co-Ordinator at Tsabong (tel 6540454/6540292 or 6540247.
The ODMP Process
By Tigele
Mokobi
The
Okavango Delta Management Plan (ODMP) is designed to adopt a process which
amalgamates planning concepts applied in the current planning systems of
government with those adopted through the implementation of the Ecosystems
Approach and the Ramsar Planning guidelines. In this context, the ODMP works
towards integrating the principle of the Ecosystem Approach with the
socio-economic, biophysical and institutional realities on the ground, while
the adaptive nature of the plan requires that it integrates resource management
through communication, networking and information exchange.
The key
principles of the Ecosystems Approach, which are integration/coordination and
participatory planning, while central elements to the ODMP processes have proven
to be very difficult areas to put in practice. There has been no template that
can be fully applied to derive intended objectives as the processes develop,
evolve and mature over time. The process, thus calls for flexible, dynamic and
adaptive elements at all stages of planning including the implementation phase.
The
adaptive elements of the ODMP manifest themselves through various forms which
include: modeling or simulations, pilot activities; communication and
collaboration through dialogue, feedback, networking and sharing experiences
with stakeholders, other programmes and international partners; institutional
restructuring; participatory planning; incorporation of local or traditional
knowledge systems; database creation and management; monitoring and evaluation
tools; resource profiling and mapping; and the ‘hot spot’ (burning issues)
approach. All of which contribute to identify key areas, which require
management interventions.
The key
principle of the ODMP is, “the creation and strengthening of ownership’ of the
plan, both in the planning phase as well as in the subsequent implementation.
This has been the over-ridding factor for all activities and models adopted in
the ODMP planning process. It dictates the need for responsible management and
insists on accountability for actions at all levels of management.
Through the
application of the Ecosystem Approach, the need to consult and allow for wider
participation in planning at local, regional and international levels is
observed. The ODMP is therefore
premised on dynamic principles which will allow for continuous learning of
lessons and experiences and the sharing of these with stakeholders.
IUCN president visits
The President
of the World Conservation Union, former South African Cabinet minister Valli
Moosa, is visiting Botswana until October 15. While in Botswana, Moosa will be
briefed on the Okavango Delta Management Plan Project in Maun on Saturday
(October 14).
He will then
leave for Seronga where he will tour the Okavango Community Trust operations
and Okavango Polers Trust before leaving for a tour of the delta. He will spend
a night at Vumbura before flying back to Maun and Johannesburg.
Mobile clinics take to the roads
Ngamiland,
Chobe and Ghanzi are among four districts in Botswana which will benefit from
mobile health services to be provided by the African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS
Partnerships (ACHAP).
Four
mobile clinics were handed to the Ministry of Local Government for the three
districts and also the Serowe/Palapye area. Acting managing director Leonard
Manthe handed over the vehicles to the Minister of Local Government, Margaret
Nasha.
The
isolated populations are in hard to reach areas due to the physical terrain or
long distances from existing health service delivery facilities, such as
hospitals and clinics.
The focus
is to provide services for prevention, counselling and testing including
post-test services, treatment and care, and creation of awareness in
communities through tailored messages for identified population segments. The
new vehicles are fully equipped to provide services in addition to routine
health care services, ACHAP said.
It is
hoped to provide further vehicles for other parts of the country.
Dreaming of a
career is made easier!
By Basadi Morokotso
The Career Dreams Centre in Maun is at it again. The school is well-known for its reputation of producing
professional graduates and is now aiming at giving back to the community by
enrolling students for a mere song.
Seven students taking a certificate in Hospitality and Tourism,
which started in August, will not have to pay even a single thebe to obtain
their certificates at the end of the course. Students praised Kenneth Karanja, the director, for the gesture,
saying he had “given them light at the end of the tunnel.” They all said they
believed they would find jobs in the tourism and hospitality industry as they
were aware graduates were being sought by the industry in general.
Boitshwarelo Baganaletso, a student, said she had stayed home for
some time after completing formal school and encouraged jobless youth not to
lose hope but “to keep on praying that people like Karanja may come their way.”
Gopolang Dodo says she is on the brink of achieving her dream of
operating her own lodge. “Being at Careers has opened many doors and I feel I’ve come to
the right place at the right time,” she added.
Thomas
Gaboitsiwe called on the youth to stop undermining local colleges and
institutions and start paving the way for themselves to do well by enrolling
for courses.
Polers a success story of a community initiative
By Bright
Kholi
Okavango Polers
Trust in Seronga is one typical example of a successful community tourism
initiative that has stood the test of time without any direct funding from
government like other community trusts in the region. However the trust cries
foul that although it has performed exceptionally well over the years, it pays
all the tax as required by the government yet there are no services in the
area. Speaking in an interview with The Ngami Times this week,
the manager of OPT, Chris Hodder, said the Trust has been doing Community Based
Natural Resource Management without any quotas from government, unlike other
trusts.
He said the
Trust was formed in 1995 by a group of polers whose main core business was
poling. It later received funding from the African Development Foundation which
was used to build Mbiroba camp. The camp
consists of five comfortable chalets, camping space, a large restaurant,
rondavels and a bar.
Hodder says
however that since 2000, the trust had been in serious financial difficulties
that threatened to close its activities. In 2005 it restructured the board and management team.
“The trust has
managed to get its self out of P500 000 debt without the assistance of any
outside funding. This amazing feat must be unique in Botswana showing the
strength of the people of this remote area,” Hodder said.
The Trust
currently benefits more than 150 families. He also said the Trust is currently
doing extensive marketing, and has been able to be fully booked in most cases. Hodder said
they attended the tourism indaba in Durban and will also be sending material to
the World Travel Market in London, England, as a way of marketing their
business.
He said this
was achieved even though they face problems such as difficulty of access to
Seronga due to the poor state of the road from Shakawe, a lack of electricity
in the area and “the clear lack of interest” the government seems to have for
the eastern side for the Delta. “With such high taxes of 10% on all our income,
the Trust still manages to pay its VAT return but what does it get back in
return? No roads, no electricity and no doctors on this entire side of the
river,” he said.
The Trust has
also started working with children at risk, like offering support and free
accommodation for Bana ba Naga. He said in
December they intend hosting a weeklong activity with Bana Ba Letsatsi, of Maun, for which they will provide mokoro
training as well as environmental training for youths at risk.
Family buries man
found in field
A man
whose remains were found scattered in a field at Sexaxa cattle post near
Matlapana has been buried in Maun by his family and friends. He has
been identified as 26-year-old China Baakile, of Majwaneng. The police
traced his place of birth through an Omang identity card found in a pair of
trousers discovered at the scene.
Baakile is
said to have been working at a dry cleaners shop on Tsheko Tsheko Road in Maun
and had been living with a friend, Phillip Madabe, at New Town, in Maun. During his
disappearance, his friends believed he had been visiting his home village.
A woman discovered the remains while she was on her way to cut
thatching grass. She came across a pair of trousers, a T-shirt and shoes as
well as the body parts. Police were called and they found a jacket and a piece of wire
hanging from a tree branch about 30 metres from where most of the remains were
found.
It was assumed he
may have taken his own live but this has not been confirmed. There is supposition that the body could
have been attacked by scavengers but this also is under investigation.
Police pleased with
public’s response
The Botswana Police say that the co-operation and support of
the public during the recent Independence celebration had made the anniversary
a success. “This was a very busy time that required police to step up
law enforcement initiatives in order to ensure that all the various activities
undertaken went on smoothly,” said Edwin J Batshu, the commissioner of Police.
He added that some operations, particularly those
surrounding security of dignitaries, had inconvenienced members of the public
but the police wished to thank people for understanding and co-operation. “Very
few incidents were reported countrywide,” Batshu added.
In the week September 25 to October 2 – which included the
Independence anniversary – ten people died in road traffic accidents and 888
motorists were charged for overspeeding. Twenty-four motorists were arrested
for using hand-held mobile telephones.
There were two murders, 32 rapes, 49 armed robberies and
eight vehicles stolen during the week, a police report said. The police report for the week-ending October 8 reports that
nine people died on the roads in 258 separate traffic accidents, bringing the
total killed on the roads this year so far to 319. This is four less than in
the comparable period last year. There were also six murder cases and 31 rapes,
which brings the total number of reported rapes so far this year to 1 024 as
against 1 038 in the same period last year.
Thirty-nine armed robbery cases were reported, and cash
totalling to over P23 000 was taken along with cheques for P880 and property
valued at over P52 000.
Heavy rain soaks parts of region
The first of the summer rains has started falling over
Ngamiland, with Maun having so far had about 30mm. Heavy rain fell in the northern Okavango delta, sufficient
to dampen down bush fires that had raged across parts of the delta over the
past few weeks. Lightning and thunder
accompanied the rain over Maun, while high winds have also swept over the town.
Weather forecasters do not predict rain at present but with
tropical storms in central Africa and forming over the south Atlantic Ocean,
the possibility exists that there may be more storms on the horizon.
New TV service ‘on
air by year’s end’
The new BEStv service is planning to be on the air by the
end of this year. The managing director of pay television station Black Earth
Entertainment Satellite Andrew Jones, says a difficulty in finding local
business partners is one of the problems the company is facing. BEStv is to have five channels initially, including a jobs
channel to help work seekers.
According to a report in the government newspaper, daily
News, the station has been issued with a licence by the National Broadcasting
Board.The company says it has employed professionals involved in the
establishment of rival pay station MultiChoice and similar channels in New
Zealand and Britain. It adds that the cost to subscribers would be about P100 per
month.
DCEC official on
corruption charge
GABORONE – An official of the Directorate of Corruption and
Economic Crime (DCEC) has appeared in court in connection with doing a corrupt
act. Mpho Mpaesele, 31, an assistant supplies officer, appeared
before magistrate Takuru Charumbira charged with one count of corruption in
respect of an official transaction.
Following an investigation by the DCEC, it was established
that Mpaesele had in March this year received an amount of P500 as a bribe from
a representative of the Mollasses company to guarantee that the company would
secure future purchases from the DCEC.
She was not represented and a not guilty plea was
taken. The case has been set for mention on November 3. Lesly Senwelo,
of the DCEC, represented the State.
Zebras achieve the
unthinkable
Now what do we do...?The
Egyptian team can’t believe they haven’t scored against the Zebras! And below
The coach Hassan Aly Shehata is just as confused Photo:
Bose Sethupa
GABORONE - They brought all their star players but they just
couldn’t overcome the Zebras! The stars of Egypt’s Pharaohs team ply their trade for Egypt
and Africa’s best clubs - Al Ahly, Zamalek and Ismaili - and those who are
based in Europe also strengthened the team which earlier beat Burundi 4-1.
The excellent players - Ahmed “Mido” Hosmam Hussein, Mohamed
M Abo Traika, Amr Hassam Zaky Mansour, Mohammed Abdalla Zidan, and Wael Gomaa
Kamel - were some of the Egyptians
stars who failed to crack the whip on the Zebras which comprised locally- based
players apart from Jomo Moatlhaping who
plays in South Africa.
The much-underrated Zebras did the unthinkable by holding
the African champions to a 0-0 draw at the National Stadium on Saturday in
Gaborone. The Zebras went into the game as underdogs and with morale
very low especially after a string of defeats home and away, the most
humiliating being the 4-0 defeat from Mauritania a month ago. The coach, Colwyn Rowe, who was under intense pressure to
get results, celebrated this draw as if he had qualified for the World Cup!
As soon as the
referee, South African Daniel Bennett, blew the whistle Rowe ran across the
pitch to hug the hero of the day,
goalkeeper Modiri Marumo and all the other players before disappearing
into the tunnel to the change rooms. The Zebras played with purpose, defended very well and took
some shoots when ever they had possession. The encounter showed left many
people asking for more.
The star-studded Egyptian side started the game well, going
forward in numbers trying to get an early goal. They did put the Zebras under
immense pressure in the first 15 minutes, taking shots from all corners and
forcing the Zebras to have everyone defending. Marumo saved a couple of dangerous shots and headers from
Egyptian forwards.
It took the Zebras about 15minutes to cross the centre line
into their opponent’s territory and Keoagetse ‘Barnes” Radipotsane took a shot
which did not threaten Mohomed Abou Moncef, the Egyptian goalkeeper.
Zebras got another chance in the 19th minute when Khumo
“Shoes” Motlhabane delivered a superb cross to Michael Mogaladi but his header
went over the post. These two chances raised hopes of the few Zebras fans who
had come to the stadium believing Botswana could get a positive result from the
encounter.
The visitors, who looked very dangerous when going forward,
nearly got a goal in the 25th minute but the shot from Mohamed M. Abo Traika
went over the bar. They continued to pile pressure before the break but their
efforts were parried away by Marumo.
After the break the African champions looked destined for
greater things with their strikers Amad Moteab, Mohamed Zidan and the hotheaded
Ahmed “Mido” Hosmam Hussein, who plays for English Premier Division side
Tottenham Hotspur, launching an onslaught but they could not score even though
they did beat the Zebras defence but Marumo was there to keep the ball away
from the goal line.
The Zebras also created a few opportunities but their top
marksman Jomo Moatlhaping did not link that well with substitute striker
Onalethata Thekiso. With all the frustration because of being tightly marked,
the highly temperamental Mido nearly got into trouble for provoking defender
Ernest Amos but the referee merely warned him.
The new blood in the Botswana team (Dirang Moloi and
Onalethata Thekiso) played very well and people wondered why they had not been
called up for previous encounters. Moloi displayed good skills and distributed
good passes which led to many fans believing that he will fill the void left by
the sensational Masego Nchingane. When the referee blew the whistle the stadium
erupted into song and dance, the coach celebrated more than anyone running
around the field and even forgot to shake the hand of Egyptian coach Hassan Aly
Shehata but he did come back, still running.
Now with a point in the bag, hopes are high that the Zebras may for the
first time qualify for AFCON 2008 to be held in Ghana. The next assignment is
against Burundi.
Cosmos Top 8 kicks off
The Cosmos Top 8 Cup soccer competition is due to kick off
over the weekend with the top 8 teams from the 2005/6 season battling it out
for this piece of silverware. The event, which is being sponsored to the tune of P17 000
by the Cosmos Group, will be a booster to the teams in the region. The recent A
to Z Mica Build event was sponsored to the tune of P20 000, which shows the
appreciation to the community by these two companies in trying to support local
football.The games will all be played at Maun sports complex.
Sankoyo kick off their campaign against CTO. Sankoyo have
been playing good football since the appointment of Zambian Davies Chibemba who
is rated by many as one of the best coaches in the league. The second game of
the day will be a clash between BMC and troubled Maun Terrors. BMC will come
into this game with their morale high after winning their league game 7-2
against Zungu on Saturday, while Terrors lost 2-0 to Makgabisa in a league
match - the second loss in a row to Makgabisa.
On Sunday, North West United meets Maun Tigers who have so
far won two of their last games against the Elephants.
Vol 8 No 335 October 6 - 13, 2006 
