Archie's World

'Crazy' suspect gets bail

2016-07-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

A 50 year old Palapye man who was shot by the police last week in Serorome ward for allegedly firing a pellet gun at the cops has denied the accusation and claims they are building their own defense. Self employed reportedly had a dramatic fire exchange with the police on the 06 July when they had gone to arrest him for threatening to kill his lover. The police claim Seanego acted like he was crazy hurling stones and shooting a pellet gun at them, but allowed him bail before he even had a chance to ask for it. Seanego said to have threatened his girlfriend saying: “I’ll kill you and throw you in Bonwakathako dam.” He is further accused of damaging the police Landcruiser and resisting arrest. Inspector Ditsapelo Emmanuel offered Seanego bail on condition that he does not make physical contact with the complainant nor interfere with witnesses. He further told Magistrate Gofaone Mosweu that they were still waiting for Seanego’s psychiatric report from Lobatse, which took the magistrate aback. She asked the Inspector why they took the accused for mental evaluation and he said because he had been shot on the head and was acting like he was insane. “They suspected he might be mentally disorganized,” stated Emmanuel. “You say he was acting insane and firing a pellet gun at the police; I can imagine a nasty scenario unfolding. What am I missing?” the magistrate asked. His head still wrapped in bandages, Seanego denied being nuts. “I’m normal. We just had a misunderstanding with my woman because she cheated on me but we are okay. We even met this morning and we did not fight. I will not utter any threats,” he stated and further accused police of denying him a chance to take medication. Though she said she had no problem with Seanego getting bail, Mosweu made a ruling for the complainant to state whether she would feel safe if he was set free. The case continues.

The President's Competitions so far

2014-07-18T02:16:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I checked out the ongoing President's day competitions and captured some moment. First it was the Drama and comedy at Westwood School, then the fashion show at Boipuso hall and lastly the multi-church sermon still at Boipuso hall. Let the photos tell you more.

Red Cross donate as Ramaphatle celebrates village status and new chief

2014-07-18T01:38:00.000-07:00

Botswana Red Cross volunteers are here in Ramaphatle to donate second hand clothes they collected from Gaborone West Phase 4 residents to the poor. The villagers, however have two more reasons to celebrate; Ramaphatle was recently declared a village and for the first time in the history of the settlement, they will have their own chief, one of their own. “This is the beginning,” says Kgosi Letlole Thobega of Mmankgodi. He is giving a welcome speech at the village’s kgotla. “The government now recognizes Ramaphatle as a village and that means we will have developments. Red Cross is part of development and we should have it here to show that indeed we have grown. Let’s clap and be happy.” Applause! Apart from the road side liquor restaurant that sells delicious chicken pieces, many people don’t know much about this settlement which has just been declared a village. It lies between Mmankgodi and Thamaga villages. Leaning on his walking stick to support his sizeable frame, Thobega continues; “Ramaphatle is a stream that feeds Metsimotlhabe river and it is the ploughing fields and cattle posts of Bahurutshe. “I’m now taking these fields and turning them into a village. The surveyors are coming soon to demarcate them into plots. Look at how lucky you are. Clap hands for yourselves.” The villagers clap their hands for longer as he struggles to sit down. Before that he has introduced the village’s incoming headman, Elija Mmualebe Dibe who is still doing his last stint as a soldier. “I’m a child so do not be surprised if I come to scratch your grey heads,” he says to the elderly folks of the village. “Rains are falling in Ramaphatle,” says Social Worker Lorato Nkemelang. “From village status, new kgosi and now Red Cross has felt pity for our disadvantaged fellows. You know a tree by its fruits and this is how we know they love us. Of all the places with poor people, they have chosen us.” Red Cross Gaborone youth branch Chairperson Gosego Makgale takes the floor. “These young people are volunteers who meet every Tuesday to find ways in which they can help the less fortunate. We collected these clothes from Phase 4 in Gaborone and we got more than we had expected.” Thirteen big bags full of second hand clothes, shoes, toys and new blankets are offloaded from the trailer nearby to be given to the poor. By this time the kgotla has filled up with residents mostly children and the elderly who have braved the cold air to be here.

School of war: Shoshong Senior Secondary teachers down tools after four colleagues fight with students

2014-07-18T01:00:00.000-07:00

Terrified Shoshong Senior Secondary School teachers downed tools fearing the wrath of students who they claim have a hit list of teachers to beat up. Tension between the teachers and students exploded Monday after a student allegedly slapped a teacher in class and the teachers decided enough was enough. Apparently four teachers have already been beaten by the angry students. Since Monday the teachers have report for work every morning but headed straight for the multipurpose hall where they decided to stay until their grievances have been addressed. According to one teacher who preferred to remain anonymous they had written to the Regional Director for the central region requesting that he come and resolve their situation and were waiting for a response. “The school management seems to be happy with what’s going on here because nothing has been done about the situation. The culprits are still roaming in the school,” a teacher who preferred to be unknown to protect her job said. “We don’t feel safe at all in this school. Students here are very naughty and they skip school as well as insult teachers or beat them up but nothing is ever done about it. Recently a teacher was stabbed by a student in one such scuffle and his head bled profusely. “On Monday another teacher was slapped by a student and we decided to stay away from classes until the situation was resolved because we are afraid for our lives.” The students spend the day basking in the sun and on Wednesday some could be seen loitering in the streets during school hours. They, however, blame the teachers for their behavior. They claimed that the teachers are the ones who provoke them and also reported that the school management turned a blind eye to the situation in the school. The students who gathered around The Voice vehicle desperate to have their voices heard seemed to be competing to tell their stories of abuse. Late morning on Wednesday another group of students had gathered in front of the administration block with plackards bearing their concerns. We want education, which way should we take, rights to education, we won’t t leaders of tomorrow and how can we succeed without being taught were some of the messages they wanted to be seen by the public. Unfortunately the guard at the gate stopped them from walking out of the school into the village. The students claimed that some teachers generally don’t treat them with respect and want to instill their authority with fear. “They can just tell you that you are dirt poor and you are displaying manners you learnt from your home. We are human and we have feelings too. “One teacher insulted a student saying, ngwana yoo thogo tona o sira rraagwe (a big headed child obstructs his father) which means that the child is displaying his father’s behavior and these are the things that tick off the students. In a bid to resolve the situation, one student was suspended from school for 21 days and expelled from the student residence indefinitely after a meeting which was attended by his father and Kgosi Kgamane among others. Phenyo Motlasuping an alleged notorious form five student reportedly exchanged blows with a teacher when the teacher had snatched his cooper hat and accused him of jumping the queue for food. According to numerous reports, on the fateful day Motlasuping did not like it when the teacher refused to hand over his hat and approached the teacher to forcefully get it back and they ended up exchanging blows in a fight which one teacher allegedly captured on film. Students pulled Motlasuping from the fight while teachers held their colleague back, but somehow the angry teacher managed to break free and started landing more blows on the boy. The teacher then threw the student on a concrete paved trench before the fight was stopped again. With a bruised shoulder, Motlasuping is said to have found a sharp object and rushed for the teacher and graced his head in vengeance. Speaking to The Voice after his suspension, Motlasuping protested his punishment and said the teacher is the one who should have been suspended because the teacher started it. “He thought I was jumping the queue but I was getting a cup from a friend and besides, the school allows us to wear hats as long as we are outside of the dining hall. I won’t deny that last year I had a few misunderstandings, but when Mr. Moarabe approached me he was already angry even though I was trying to change. I even addressed him as sir. “He shouted his order at me to take off the hat even though many other students had theirs on and snatched it from my head. I politely begged him to return it because it was very cold. When another teacher came to listen to our argument he threw the hat to him and said I was trying to take the hat from him by force. “That man almost killed me. I think he wanted to crack my head against the pavement, but fortunately only my shoulder got injured. If you could see this guy’s head, you would not see any injury, but look at me,” he said taking off his torn school blazer and shirt to reveal scars on his left shoulder. Parents and villagers who were hearing about the troubled school’s woes for the first time when this reporter asked them for comment expressed their disappointment that nothing was reported to them. Lame Balemogeng’s nephew attends the school. She said; “We heard a student fought with a teacher and the teacher injured him and we wonder why the child’s parents are not called to the school to reprimand the child with the teachers. It’s not a good thing that a teacher should fight with a student. The school should call parents to for meetings regularly. Though her son did not beat a teacher, Nkhusi John said; “I don’t know why our children have to miss lessons for the transgressions of just four students and four teachers. They should just take action against the culprits and let our children go on learning. I also don’t understand why they want to keep us in the dark about this. The commander of Shoshong Police Station Superintendent was said to be on leave and when he answered his phone he said, “I’m in a meeting.” Kgosi Kgamane said he would not comment because he had not heard anything. In fact he was on his way to the school to be briefed. The headmaster was leaving the kgotla when this reporter arrived. Education Ministry Public Relations Officer Silas Sehularo said the Central District Regional Director was on his way to the school to investigate and calm the situation. “Only after investigating will he have an answer.

Archie in Groet Marico

2014-07-08T06:15:00.000-07:00

Help this woman

2014-03-25T03:15:00.000-07:00

The yard is big and there is a small mud hut with thatch turning into powder from years of weather beating. Just behind it is a dwarf mud house with iron roofing sheets and no door. On top of the roof there are rocks to keep the roof on the mud walls. The strongest structure is an unfinished pit latrine in the corner which keeps us rushing for our noses from time to time when a strong wind blows in our direction. By the twig fireplace is a pile of bricks that does seem enough even for one room. “I think I am the reason why the rain has not been falling. I have no choice but to pray that it doesn’t rain. Look, this is what I call a house. If it rains the water will simply dissolve these weak walls and we will get wet,” Maonyana Ramadi, 55 of Maseetsele ward in Moshupa says taking out her snuff box. She sits on the bench and inhales then sneezes. “I want someone to build me a strong house so I can live in dignity. I have no job except Ipelegeng which is not reliable because there are so many of us you can go for up to three months without a job.” An old man on nearby bench clears his throat impatiently and frequently looks at an empty mayonnaise bottle with only white foam remaining as she tells me; “I used to sell home brew but now the government doesn’t allow it. It used to help a great deal because at least we could buy food with the money.” As she speaks, a young lady in her early 20’s emerges from the hut. Her lips a swollen and she tries to conceal the wound as she utters greetings. “She was beaten up last night when she had gone drinking.” Ramadi offers an explanation as her daughter who seems embarrassed disappears into the short house. “I have four children but none of them are employed. They have either been schooled up to form two of form three. The one you just saw is the youngest. My first daughter has a baby and her siblings are also struggling to look after their children.” Ramadi tells me that she and her family moved here in 2006 from Tshwaane lands. “We thought life would be better here but as you can see we are barely surviving. In Tshwaane we used to live off the land but as time went on the land stopped yielding anything due to poor rains so we had to move. “My only source of income is Ipelegeng, but because we have to alternate it’s unreliable. My children are not allowed to work for Ipelegeng because only one person is allowed to work from a family. We’ve tried selling cigarettes and sweets but soon demands of this poor life caused us to spend the money for stock.” She reaches for her snuff box again and says; “My children don’t have a father. I just picked them up while I was going about.” She chuckles mischieviously. Some time ago when there were heavy rains Ramadi says her hut walls were dissolved in the flood water and she went to the social welfare office but there was no help coming her way, so she gave up. “I need a proper house in which I will feel safe. I can’t do this on my own. Where would I get the money to buy the material or to pay the builder? Every time the rain clouds gather I despair wondering where I’m going to run,” she says tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She goes on; “If there is anybody out there who can help me with a house and a stand pipe at least, I would be grateful. I’m tired of begging for water from the neighbours and I’m sure they are tired of me too. Even though sometimes I help them with the bill other times I simply can’t. “In the second year after settling here, we tried to build a house but we stopped because the money we used to make from selling ‘power brew’ stopped when the government outlawed home brew.” I follow her gaze to the pile of breaks which corroborate her claim.

18 Days to BOFEPUSU's Industrial Action in 2011

2014-03-13T04:46:00.000-07:00

Unholy matrimony

2014-03-12T05:03:00.000-07:00

Do you still remember MP Ngaka and his DC wife washing their laundry in public? The story featured in The Voice newspaper. I was there clicking away. Enjoy never seen pict

ures...

Boitekanelo College partner with COHSASA and University of Free State

2014-03-11T04:43:00.000-07:00

In a stride to improve health care standards and safety, Boitekanelo College launched the start of joint programmes with the Council for Health Service Accreditation for Southern Africa (COHSASA) and the University of the Free State at Cresta Lodge Gaborone early this week. The college also signed memoranda of understanding with the two partners. Welcoming guests to the ceremony, the college’s Managing Director and co-founder, Dr Tiro Mampane said that the college had not lost track of their vision to provide excellent standards through relevant training and support. “We have crafted our niche in the health industry and we have focused all our resources in ensuring the citizens of this country and the region receive quality health care. “Against this background that we have seen it fit to channel our limited resources in fostering the partnerships we are inaugurating today to enable our college to continue playing an important part as pre-eminent service providers in the field.” Mampane stated that their programmes and initiatives are relevant to the needs of the country and further said that the collaboration with COHSASA would add to the existing structures. “Together we can stand to win, for this requires a concerted effort,” he said and added; “In our drive to bring the best health training into the country, we have benchmarked with world class institutions and we are lucky to have found one in the region, University of The Free State. With its partnership we will be able to positively respond to the challenges of the country and the SADC region at large by initiating advanced training in Clinical Nursing disciplines.” When the first privately owned health college started, Dr Khumo Seipone said they were skeptical but now they are proud. She further said that the country was struggling with critical nurses and under five mortality rates therefore dialogue with Boitekanelo College is critical for the good of the country. Seipone revealed that the ministry had recently launched the National Health Standards which are meant to improve service delivery in all health facilities as well as to make the standards to be enacted so that all private and public health facilities comply. She said; “This is a true public private partnership that will go a long way in ensuring local capacity building that will lead to a sustainable system which will result in improved cost effectiveness of the programme.” COHSASA Chief Executive officer, Professor Stuart Whittaker commended Botswana saying even though it faces challenges the country was trying hard to address them. Cape Town based COHSASA is the only accreditation body for health care in Africa accredited by the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua). The not for profit organization assists health care facilities in developing countries to deliver quality care to their clients through sustained improvement using internationally recognized standards and based on patient safety principles and operational research. Whittaker further said; “We see Africa as our jewel.” University of Free State, School of Nursing representative, Professor Magda Mulder said she was impressed by Boitekanelo. “You strive for excellence,” she said and added; “You made an impression on me. We are previlleged to be associated with Boitekanelo. ” She further said that she was impressed that even before the memorandum of understanding was signed, the college had already developed a curriculum.

Inside DTCB

2014-03-06T01:34:00.000-08:00

Boitekanelo recognise employees

2014-02-20T03:17:00.000-08:00

Boitekanelo College held an award ceremony to recognize those who were instrumental in its growth at Phakalane Golf Estate last year. The home grown health training institution recognized those who stayed with them from the difficult and challenging humble beginnings and those who developed Self Study Reports that earned the college the Tertiary Education Council accreditation. The organizers of the college’s first graduation, which was a success, were also recognized as well as those who shared the Managing Director’s dream and helped turn it into its present status and earned themselves the Managing Director’s award. Looking back to where it all started, proud Managing Director, Dr T.S. Mampane said three months into their jobs as young doctors at Princess Marina Hospital him and his founding partnerDr G. Saleshando were already planning their exit. “We did a lot of planning since 2006 meeting every Sunday at church for a year planning. Though we didn’t know much about business planning we did everything ourselves and that is one aspect that helped us because we googled and learned a lot in the process. What we are doing now is part of the blue print we did in 2006,” said proud Mampane. With a tree as their first board room Dr Mampane said

the partners got to work visiting the Ministry of Education from first floor to the top floor to be informed by the government wanted and to satisfy the country’s demand. “Patient Management is a multi disciplinary approach and there was a need to train auxiliaries to help with the HIV cases at the time. There were a lot of HIV cases and intervention was needed,” he said. Though they wanted 40 students they were amazed with the response from 4 000 applications and ended up taking 60 students. To achieve some of the things needed to keep going the partners had to sell shares to raise capital. The Managing Director said they were even considering charging applicants P100 to raise funds but never did and Mookodi came to their rescue with a cheque for P20 000. He further said they then started recruiting staff which was not an easy task because some of them had big salaries but some where students, friends or his homeboys. “Since then we have grown with them and we now have more than 100 employees. I still hassle to convince some that we are here to stay,” he stated. Dr Saleshando who was sharing the podium with his partner added that some people seeing the success of the college suspect that they are a franchise or are fronting. “We met many universities and lo and behold, we found ourselves in-front of professors and had to look wise,” he added that to get affiliated with the best universities they had to go as far as Singapore, Mauritius and Cape Town. The college which Dr Saleshando said has 98 percent local staff is eager to introduce more programmes and learn from the best in the country and the regional sphere. He also thanked the staff saying; “Thank you for what you are doing. There will be challenges but we will grow together and build something worthy.” Boitekanelo College Principal, Mrs. I. Magetse said the story of the college was a true ‘sack cloth to Cashmere and revealed that they would introduce degree and other key programmes. “Come August next year we will introduce Barchelor of Nursing and Care. We will also introduce degree in Nutrition. We are working behind the scenes and benchmarking with the best not to copy but improve what we learn” The next Boitekanelo foot print will be in Phikwe and Magetse said they had had repeated queries as to when they would open up in the north of the country. The Principal further stated that though their campus is located in dusty Mmopane village and has a small building they were doing great things inside. She said; “As our students pledge to serve the public we pledge to produce human resources and we are growing with our partner and mentors whom we will never stop appreciating for helping us reach our goals.” Funny man Michael Morapedi aka Dignash was the MC and the Metrophones blew out sweet melodies and moved their audience to get off their seats and celebrate success with dance.

Botswana family open third Barcelos joint

2014-02-18T04:11:00.001-08:00

Rail Park Mall’s Food Court got a boost on Saturday as Bobonong couple owned Barcelos opened doors to the third outlet. Taking guests on a journey that led to the opening of the third store Gaothobogwe Radikwata, Managing Director and mother of two said it wasn’t an easy road. “You may see us smiling but you don’t know what we went through,” she said and encouraged Batswana to start their own businesses. Barcelos representative Shaun Stoltz said in 1998 they embarked on an adventure which resulted in 103 outlets in 14 countries serving one million meals a month. Before cutting the ribbon to let invited guests feast on the flame grilled Portuguese menu Vice President , Honorable Ponatshego Kedikilwe said the opening of the shop was a testimony to growing participation by citizens in the country’s economy . In 2009 two Batswana couples formed a company, LEX Investments (PTY) LTD to purchase from their savings, and run Barcelos African Mall and Mogoditshane, but last year the other family was bought out of the business leaving the Managing Director and her husband Loeto Paul Radikwata as the only owners. “I note with appreciation the vigor, courage, perseverance, strength and negotiating skills employed to convince the bank that the project satisfied viability criteria. “I’m impressed that this company has employed 43 Batswana with 19 in Rail Park branch only. In addition, the company spends over P300 000 on a monthly basis purchasing products and services from local suppliers. These efforts are in support of government’s initiative of job creation and poverty eradication,” Kedikilwe said. MP Botsalo Ntuane said it was encouraging to see Batswana youth making it in business and questioned why franchises in Botswana were not in the hands of native. “Government should consider such things,” he said and promised; “We intend to take franchises to task for denying Batswana the chance. We can’t just be buyers only.”

ABM awards first Anglia Ruskin University Degrees

2014-02-17T02:49:00.000-08:00

ABM University College held a graduation ceremony last Saturday at their campus in Gaborone Block 6 and awarded degrees to the first products of their partnership with UK based Anglia Ruskin University. The event was themed ‘Enhancing Entrepreneurship through appropriate Human Resource Development and guest of Honour, Tebogo Matome, CEO of Local Enterprise Authority said it called for introspection, specifically on the role of educational institutions in fostering creativity and innovation among students. He said to the students and their well-wishers; “There is consensus and common understanding that as a country we cannot make progress in our development, unless our human resource development is in consonance with our developmental needs. “It is also a fact that we cannot boast of first class entrepreneurs unless our universities become more entrepreneurial by doing more to foster an entrepreneurial culture within their students.” The five degree courses in business, accounting, finance, tourism and human resources were also developed with the assistance of relevant industry players, Matome revealed. “We have come to witness the bursting of a heavily pregnant cloud. My hope and the assurance that I have received is that the individual droplets of this cloud will deliver long term benefits to Botswana and the world at large. “It is our view at LEA that Botswana’s progress in the global Competitiveness rankings is heavily reliant on the quality of our educational institutions and in the same vein, the graduates of the very same institutions.” During the past 23 years since ABM was established in 1989 the college has contributed massively to the human resource development of this country having trained thousands of students who are now employed in different sectors of this country’s economy according to Matome. Welcoming guests to the institution, ABM Executive Director, Daisy Molefhi stated that in pursuit for excellence ABM continued to collaborate with other academic institutions to enhance service delivery and broaden scope of service delivery. She further revealed that plans to transform ABM into a fully fledged University were far advanced. ” ABM’s journey of transformation is an exciting adventure to those of us (The ABM Family) who are active players in the process. We are very much aware that to transform into the University of Choice will not come easy and it won’t be an event but a process that coins together all aspects of quality service delivery,” she said. Molefhi further said ABM continued to pursue its two distinct strategic objectives of Academic Excellence and Physical growth and that partnering with Anglia Ruskin attested to the first while their expansion plans attested to the latter. “I am pleased to inform this gathering that Masunga Campus construction commenced in March this year and the intention is to have the first group of students in Masunga Campus by August this coming year. Significant expansion is also taking place at our Francistown Campus where we opened doors to our own premises in July 2012. To-date the Francistown Campus houses 450 students.” Excited to meet the first Artnglia Ruskin graduates from ABM University College, Professor Lesley Dobree, Vice Chancellor of the UK university said the hard work, determination, grit and resilience need by a student from the first day to the last were much like those of admired sportsmen. “As Anglia Ruskin graduates we know that you will be in great demand. The most recent statistics in the UK show that very nearly nine out of 10 of our students were in work of further study within six months of graduating,” Dobree assured the students and further said; “I have no doubt that our students’ success in the world of work stems directly from the quality of our courses and our close relationships with such international brands as Specsavers, UPS, Harrods, Volvo, Barclays Bank and Armed Services(the army, navy and ariforce) for all of whom we deliver degree level courses in the work place- our project with Barclays Bank winning two national awards in the last year alone.” Despite being a modern university, she said they had eight officially world leading research areas and that they were working in partnership with the University of Stellenbosch to develop entrepreneurship in South Africa, among other things.

AT and T Monnakgotla partner with South African Tourism

2014-02-13T06:58:00.001-08:00

Choppies went Public

2012-07-23T06:31:00.001-07:00

KFC's star employee recognised

2012-07-23T06:31:00.000-07:00

Last week Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) recognised and rewarded their star employee for the best and consistently outstanding customer service.

Excited Lorato Mogorosi, 49, who is not new to recognition was given P5 000 and a bouquet of flowers to thank her and to encourage her and other employees to improve customer service. All managers of the eight KFC outlets around the country were invited to the function as well as those who had just joined the company.

Mogorosi was recognised twice previously by the fast food outlet for her outstanding customer care and was also recognised for advancing one of the presidential D's for service delivery and became a star overnight.

“We are here to celebrate somebody who epitomises what customer service is all about,” said Craig Donnelly, KFC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and owner. “Its something that she doesn't do on a weekly or monthly basis, its something that is done consistently and she has been doing it for many many years within the KFC system.”

Donnelly said he was proud to see that there were individuals who could carry out the mission of the company. “It is also an aspiration for managers and future managers to get a few people like this in their business because it makes tremendous difference to your customer service and also to boost morale in the environment.

“We have manager who have been with us from the time I took over the business and I always talk about customer service and commitment to the company, and some of them have seen how they have grown. We have managers who were team members when I took over the business. This a good example that by being an example and carrying our customer philosophy, you all can succeed too and move to a position of supervisor or manager in the future,” he said.

He revealed that they would open their ninth store by the end of this month, the second store in Francistown and that eventually the group would have 18 outlets within Botswana and give opportunities to young people in Botswana to work themselves up to be managers of those stores.

“I want to encourage you to take these opportunities. All we can do as a company is provide the platform and provide the training but it's all up to you as individuals to take advantage of those opportunities and use them for your own good.. When you take advantage of an opportunity you end up with a better lifestyle, a better way of supporting your family because ultimately, your earning potential grows.

“We can talk as much as we want, but at the end of the day it's up to you to decide that you want to better your lives, so I hope that you can take heed of this individual this morning and maybe some of you may want to become customer maniacs and spend time with her when you can to learn from her.

“It's so encouraging that someone actually wakes up and lives this business and she has been doing it consistently for many years and if she can do it, so can all of us. All managers here should go back and if you can find a few of those individuals, four or five you'd have an exciting working environment because individuals like that bring life to the business and encourage the entire surrounding. I hope that recognising this individual will encourage you and hopefully in the future we will see more of you being recognised and not just the same individual all the time.”

“I have love for the customers. I am a star. The whole country knows what I am doing,” said Lorato whose name translates to Love. This year(2012), Mogorosi will be celebrating her 25th year with KFC.

This happened last year(3rd November 2011)

BEC AWARDS 2012

2012-07-23T06:27:00.000-07:00

I attended the BEC Awards-2012 and took lots of pictures. There more photos not available in the blog but you can call and have a look at them. Contact: archie2mok@gmail.com +267 744 75 886 +267 71 600 271

Legae Academy Top Achievers recognised

2012-03-16T07:48:00.000-07:00

Legae Academy last week recognised and awarded top achievers of their school with trophies and praises at their annual price giving ceremony. The event was attended by parents, teachers, Director of Basic Education, Simon Michael Coles, Indian High Commissioner, Madhava Chandra, wife of the Nigerian High Commissioner, Mrs Cocodia MP Robert Masitara and BCP president, Dumelang Salishando among others. Entertainment was also galore with students performing popular songs on Marimba. There was also traditional and modern dance to break the awards and speeches.

The Director of the school, Dr O'Donnell handed out academic awards to form 5, AS and A2 high achievers while Chandra handed out trophies and certificates to form three and form four top students. Outstanding awards for ICT, Business Studies and Accounts where handed by NIIT college representative while form one, two, and three awards were awarded by Human Progress Management representative and Mrs Cocodia handed out to sports achievers. The guest of honour, Simon Coles handed awards for Special Achievement and Outstanding Achievement. In his report to the audience, The school principal Easo Oommen said for the past five consecutive years, the school had achieved 100% pass rate for form 5 exams. “In the last four years the school has achieved above 95% Credit pass. “Another significant achievement was the increase in the number of A* and A grades. Two years in a row our distinction percentage was above 50. It means that more than half of the grades awarded to our form five students were either A* or A,” he said Oommen further stated that the most outstanding achievement in recent years was the 'Top in the World Award' which was received by Legae students for two consecutive years. “Muhammed Bilal Mirza and Samuel Kigondu of Legae Academy won this prestigious award for gaining the highest marks in the world for Cambridge International AS level, Applied ICT in the November 2009 and 2010 Cambridge examinations respectively,” Oommen said before quoting CIE Director, Janet Morris who congratulated the school for the 'incredible achievement' against more than 150 countries. The guest speaker Simon Cole was not able to perform the task because of flu and his speech was read on his behalf by the school's Administrative Assistant Mr Hutton. He said Legae was not just a school, but a shining light in the education landscape not only in this country but also beyond. “Looking at the performance of the academy over the past few years clearly indicates that the academy is well focused and well organised to deliver on its mandate. “These results speak for themselves as do the gifted individual who have achieved position one in the world for Applied ICT at AS level two years running. This standard needs to be nurtured and indeed the products of the school need to find challenging and rewarding higher institutions of learning to continue to hone their talents so that they may reach their full potential,” he said. Consoling the students who had not got any awards, Cole said; “Not everyone is a winner but just because I didn't get a prize doesn't make me a loser either. What is important is to know yourself, learn your strengths and weaknesses, also your likes and dislikes so that as you go through life you make best choices for you future.”

My Friend Got Married

2012-03-16T04:57:00.001-07:00

Primary School Headteachers Build house for needy family

2012-02-24T04:12:00.004-08:00

The National Primary School Heads Conference (NPHSC) and other stakeholders broke ground at the home of a poor Ramotswa family where they are going to build a three bedroomed house.

The Diseko family leaves in a tin shack with their 16 children and grand children at Sephitshwane ward in Ramotswa.

The NPHSC which comprises of 775 primary school headteachers from 10 regions undertook to help the family after consulting with the Department of Social and Community Development to bring forward candidates to benefit from their kind gesture.

According toNPHSC Chairman, Elias Segwagwe, when the school headteachers met for their annual conference, they decided to be compassionate and gave food hampers to a poor man in Tlokweng and a poor woman and her children in Mogoditshane. “But we heard that the food basket would not be enough in Ramotswa because the family needed a house,” he said.

Segwagwe said they approached businesses to help them with the task since they didn't have enough money.

Deputy Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Education, Macheng Macheng said after much scrutiny and and consideration of other circumstances the decision was made to donate the house to the Diseko family. “The headteachers are not doing this because they are employed and have money, but they were moved by love. This is to show compassion to those who are less fortunate especially the children,” he said.

Macheng said the gesture was in line with the road map set by the country's president Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian Khama to be compassionate to the less fortunate of our society and added that it was also enshrined in the national vision calling for a 'compassionate, just and caring nation

“A house is more than just a dwelling structure. It's a place of family bonding, a place of refuge from the elements of nature such as excessive heat, torrential rains and molesting winds. A house is a place of refuge from man made disasters such as burglaries, carnage of rapists and other molestations,” Macheng said.

Welcoming the kind guests to her village, Balete Chief, Mosadi Seboko thanked them and said they should not be surprised that Mr and Mrs Diseko were getting a house despite being in their youth. She told of how Mr Diseko whose parents had gone to work in Zambia had to return home after his father died but was unfortunate that his life never picked up.

South East District Council Secretary, Anne Joubert was also moved by the gesture and said; “This was a shortage for your children's food. Thank you for not only opening your hearts but your pockets as well.”

She promised that they would work together with other stakeholders as partners to see to it that the house is completed in time. The local government which prepared drawings would also provide technical support.

Builders Warehouse donated 300 bags of cement while Stanbic Bank, Botsalano Book Press and Collegium Publishers each donated P10 000. Other good samaritans include Diamond who gave P2 000, STC Cleaning Chemicals who gave P5 000 as well as Builder's World who donated P500. The Seventh Day Adventist church had connected a stand pipe for the family and special mention was made of Modiri Phuthego who donated P130 000 while still employed by Metropolitan.

The building of the house is going to be undertaken by the students of Tswelelo Brigade in Ramotswa with technical support from the local government.

G4S donate sickbay to special school

2012-02-24T02:34:00.007-08:00

Security giant G4S Botswana Limited donated a sick bay to Bothakga Primary school in Lobatse early this week.

Bothakga Primary School is one of the pilot projects for an initiative by the government called 'Health Promoting School and has a special education unit for students with disabilities and mental challenges which include complete mental retardation.

The unit was established in the late 80's and was initially at St. Theresa Primary School but was later relocated to Bothakga Primary in 1991.

Speaking at the occasion to hand over the sick-bay, the school's deputy head teacher, Charles Sehularo said that the support from the ministry of education and the town council was not enough and therefore. “The business community is one of the key stakeholders involved in partnership in the education due to the fact that the school outputs are the future employees of their agencies,” he said

Sehularo also lamented that the special education system in the country was unable to provide sufficiently for children with disabilities. He said the main problems they faced included lack of trained teachers, facilities and irrelevant curricula as well as inadequate coordination between responsible institutions and lack of funding.

G4S Managing Director, Moraki Mokgosana said; “We believe we touch the lives of Batswana in many different ways and as a corporate citizen we want to continue to impact on the lives of Batswana in the communities that we operate. Over the past four months we have participated in a number of corporate social responsibilities including charity walks, crime prevention campaigns and donations to worthy causes.”

He said the subject of education and children was close to their hearts and that the donation to the school was the biggest donation they had made so far. Mokgosana further said they had come up with an initiative called; Adopt a School and although they had not yet chosen the school to adopt he said they might have found it in Bothakga.

Mokgosana said G4S had been operating in Botswana since 1987 and employs over 600 000 people across the world and operates in 110 countries 39 of those in Africa employing over 110 000 people. In Botswana the company employs close to 2 700 people and is listed on the stock exchange with half a billion market capitalisation.

Deputy Director of Clinical Health, Botsang John said Health Promoting School initiative which calls for collaboration and partnership between the school and the local community was based on the understanding that the schools alone could not address the learner's health therefore the communities essential in supporting the initiative.

“This sick bay will have a positive impact on the health and learning of the students. It will bring resources close to the students and hence save time and resources. It's essential to day to day running of the school because it offers help to the sick and injured, screening for viral conditions and all diseases by health workers during school visits and observation for any other conditions as they arise in the school as well as counselling services and referrals,” he said.

Because the school has a special care unit, the sick bay will make a significant contribution to the unit. Our wish is that what G4S has done could urge other companies to donate to as part of their corporate social responsibilities.

Lobatse town Mayoress, Caroline Lesang was grateful for the sickbay which she said would go a long. “Even the future generations of the school will benefit from this donation. The school will never be the same and this donation should be viewed as an investment and not an expense by G4S.

FCB workshops with stakeholders

2012-02-23T05:13:00.005-08:00

FCB workshops with stakeholders

Forest Conservation Botswana(FCB) last week held the first ever meeting with stakeholders to get feedback on the progress so far made and challenges faced at the Botswana College of Agriculture Auditorium

Giving the objectives of the event, FCB Financial Manager, Ms Tsheko said the purpose of the workshop was to inform the stakeholders and grant recipients of the status of the funded projects and to share best practices.

“We selected one group per category of funded projects based on progress made so far so that they could share experiences and how they handled challenges to be where they are today,” she said and added that they would share these experiences with the board and shareholders at the Annual General Meeting.

Speaking at the day long event, Forestry Conservation Botswana's Board Chairman, Edmont Moabi said the the company was set up with money the government of Botswana owed the United States government.

“The Botswana government owed the US government some money and the US government redirected the repayment into a fund; Tropical Rainforest Fund,” Moabi said. FCB is a company established under the Companies Act following the signing of the Tropical Forest Conservation Agreement between the Government of Botswana and the US government in October 2006. The company has two shareholders; the two governments. So far 23 projects have been funded

Moabi said the success of the fund depended on the grantees' participation and efforts. “As professionals out there in the field, you are better placed to guide us. We rely on you to give us guidance and advice as to the direction we should take,” he said and urged them to properly account for the money they get so they could continue getting more.

Acting CEO Richard Keitumetse complained of late submission of reports and said in some cases they did not get any reports despite calling grantees many times to remind them. “If there is anything that hinders the submission of reports, please communicate with us,” he said.

Keitumetse further said there was a lack of proper financial management and no record keeping as well as projects not meeting time-lines. He however promised that they would continue to offer refresher training and engage consultants to capacitate those grantees without financial management backgrounds. He said they would also impose time-lines on subcontracted work.

Grantees shared their own challenges which they said included lack of funding which had led to them being forced to downsize. This downsizing led to them having to multi-task and thereby leading late submission of reports if at all.

The participants got more time to network and share ideas in the evening at the cocktail that was organised for them.

Choppies went Public

2012-02-11T17:06:00.001-08:00

Choppies gave away 18 cars

2012-02-11T16:18:00.000-08:00

Ntuane Patrols G-west streets on Xmas

2012-02-09T13:02:00.003-08:00

On Christmas night Gaborone West South MP Botsalo Ntuane left the comfort of his home to join the men and women in uniform on a patrol of the streets of his constituency.

The patrol team, which set off just after 11pm, was also joined by the Chairman of the Gaborone West neighbourhood watch committee, Mr Bickie Pule Kgosi and councillor for Mosekangwetse ward Mr Cobra Nthompe.

As the foot patrol team set off from Gaborone West Police Station, there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary as the streets were as deserted as expected. Even the Shopping complex, though busy and noisy as usual wasn't as crowded as is usually the case. Only the revellers were more exited thanks to this widely celebrated day.

In a few minutes the team came comes across two people sitting outside the yard opposite Maikano CJSS and the cops went to investigate. “Aren't you afraid that you might be attacked by thugs?” one of the policemen asked.

“No I am home,” answered the man.

“Where is home? In town you can't say you are home when you are outside the yard,” reasoned the cop.

“Here in this yard,” the man responded indicating the yard he was sitting in front of. The police then took his particulars and the patrol carried on. A couple was later found sitting outside and their particulars were also taken.

A man found waiting outside a yard by his Corolla car was also quizzed and his particulars taken. The cops and soldiers also went around the car to make sure that the registration numbers were matching both in front and at the back and that they matched the transport levy disc. Constable Tlale Tlale explained that sometimes they came across cars with registration plate numbers not matching the information on the disc.

“When that happens we know that they were going to use or they have already used the vehicle for something unlawful,” he said.

After that there was not much incident until we got back to the popular G-West spot which turns into a booze flea market by night causing the car parks to be full. Constable Tlale explained that most people who came to this complex did not even go into the two clubs situated at this location. “They stay outside drinking and playing music from their cars.”

The mood of the place was somewhat defiant as if some of the revellers felt they had to be excused since it was Christmas. Apart from the different songs playing in many different cars, there were cars all over and some had decided to park on pavements. The nocturnal site of the place was a total contrast from during the day.

The sergeant sent some of his men to block any vehicles that tried to enter the parking lots as he went around the cars with some of his men asking drivers to either switch off the music or turn it down.

Within a short moment most cars had either switched off their music or turned it down. One daring man earned himself a visit to the charge office when after the cops got him to switch off his music he defiantly turned it back on, louder.

Talking to The Voice at Gaborone West Police station, Ntuane said the exercise was a community participation initiative. “There is a lot of crime during the holidays and since I was in Gaborone I decided to join the police and the army as they patrol,” he said.

“The idea is that we should not leave this to the police alone. We also need community participation. We need volunteers to assist law enforcement agencies and this is my contribution to the cause of crime prevention.”

The legislator further said that the patrol gave him a chance to observe what the police and soldiers have to put up with while trying to prevent crime or apprehend criminals. “I also want to observe so that next time we meet as legislators I can propose to Government how to deal with this issue. We need hands on experience to see what these men and women go through especially during the festive season..

“I believe that this should also serve as a motivation for our community so that they can help the police especially during this period. If leaders like us MPs and councillors take part it would encourage the community. They have to protect themselves and their property instead of waiting for the government to do something about crime.”

Though he acknowledged that people needed to visit their loved ones during the festive season, Ntuane was worried that Batswana did not make adequate preparations for the safety of their homes and properties.

“That's why the government came up with initiatives like neighbourhood watch, but how many people participate in these activities? They don't even talk to the neighbours to watch their properties while they are away. We need to promote more community participation,” said the Leader of Opposition.

Committee Chairman for Gaborone West Cluster 1B, Mr Kgosi said; “Our job is to look after and make sure that all the structures beneath us are operational and helping them wherever needed like mobilising funds for them and ensuring they work well with the police.

“To raise funds committees gathered people to find ways of raising funds and they use the money in many ways like hiring security guards during the holidays. Some have hired full time security guards. Out of the nine cluster in my committee, two or three have full time security. These security guards patrol night and day. We raise funds in many ways such as contributions, and activities like dinners or family days. We contribute the ingredients.”

Kgosi said their voluntary crime fighter committee established in 2002 was the leading committee in Gaborone. “All other committees in Gaborone use us as a benchmark. In October we were with our counterparts from Central Police Station who had come to learn how clusters operate,” he said.

Meanwhile the crime statistics for the festive season have gone down in Gaborone West compared to the same time last year. On Christmas eve 21 case were recorded, which included common theft, street robbery, burglary, possession of stolen property, malicious damage to property, assault and unlawful wounding. Last year's Christmas eve 37 similar cases were recorded

On Christmas day there were only 12 cases. Last year 13 cases were recorded on Christmas day. On New year's eve 25 cases were recorded while the previous new year's eve had 28. There were no statistics for New year's day.

Acting Station Commander at the Gaborone West Police station, Assistant Superintendent Kebueng Hulela said the community policing initiative was helping keep crime down. He said the police could not be expected to fight crime alone and therefore he was grateful for such initiatives.

According to Hulela, Gaborone West Block 6 and Block 5 clusters were running an impressive operation. “They even had security guards on horseback,” he said