BOROLONG BARS PUPILS FOR DIRTY MASKS - MMEGI
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SA Pressure Group
Calls For Kgafela
II’s Removal Page3
VOL. 21 NO. 24 MONDAY 03 AUGUST 2020 PRICE P10.00 (Including VAT)
Borolong
Bars PuPils For ‘Tough
Action’
Dirty Masks
Awaits
COVID-19
A number of pupils at Borolong Primary School were last week barred
Delinquents
from lessons for coming to school wearing dirty masks Story On Page 4 page6
Saleshando, Skelemani Face-Off ‘Online’ page2
www.mascom.bw
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02 NEWS THE MONITOR MONDAY 03 AUGUST 2020
CAAB Management
Assists In SSKIA Clean-Up SalEShaNdo, SkElEMaNi
The Executive Management Team (EMT)
of Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana
(CAAB) braved the freezing morning cold
FacE-oFF ‘oNliNE’
to converge at the Sir Seretse Khama Inter-
l LOO wants suspension lifted
national Airport (SSKIA) for the sole pur-
l Case to be held via video
pose of joining the institutional cleaners in
conferencing
keeping the airport clean recently. Accord-
ing to the Authority, ordinarily, the airport
cleaning function is the responsibility of Innocent Selatlhwa
a combination of both permanent CAAB Staff Writer
F
cleaners and those outsourced from the pri-
vate sector contractually. “In March 2020, ollowing his suspension from Par-
when most countries closed their borders in liament, the Leader of Opposition
order to manage the spread of the coronavi- (LOO), Dumelang Saleshando has in-
rus (COVID-19) pandemic, the outsourced structed his attorney Martin Dingake to
cleaning services contractors at the SSKIA institute legal proceedings against the
had expired and were due for renewal. With Attorney General, and the Speaker of the
minimal aviation activity taking place during
National Assembly, Phandu Skelemani
the lockdown and State of Emergency period,
CAAB management found it prudent to hold through an urgent application.
in abeyance, the renewal of outsourced ser- According to court papers, Dingake
vices,” a statement from CAAB stated. “This wants his client’s matter to be heard ur-
left the role of airport cleaning to the CAAB gently failing which the envisaged ap-
employees. The Executive Team decided to plication for review would be rendered
roll up their sleeves and offer a helping hand academic.
to the 10 cleaners last weekend in the spirit Dingake wants the court to issue an
of volunteerism and in solidarity with other order restraining and interdicting the re-
colleagues in keeping the airport clean. The spondents from suspending Saleshando
plan is to have this activity weekly and open it from sitting in the National Assembly
to all CAAB employees wanting to volunteer
pending the review proceedings intended
their time in keeping the SSKIA clean.”
to be launched against the respondent in vice president had presented before him Liakat Kablay to move for the suspen-
respect to their decision to suspend him. to substantiate allegations of corrupt sion of the offending member from the
Dingake also wants an order restrain- practice in the process of the awarding of National Assembly.
BDP Welcomes ing and interdicting anyone acting for government tenders and urged the LOO Saleshando argues that the Speaker
and/or under their authority from execut- to withdraw the claims. tabled the motion to have him suspended
Suspension Of Leader ing the decision of the respondents from This issue started during the emergen- without indicating what further proof
of Opposition suspending Saleshando from sitting and cy meeting of Parliament in April, when was necessary. He states that this makes
participating in the National Assembly Saleshando alleged that there had been a Skelemani’s move unconstitutional to the
Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has said proceedings. direct awarding of a government tender extent that it infringed on his freedom of
that it welcomes the resolution by vote of Saleshando, the Maun West legislator, at the value of P13.7 million to the com- expression and protection of the law.
Parliament passed on July 28, 2020 to sus- has also instructed his lawyers to seek an pany of President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s Addressing the media on Wednesday
pend the Leader of Opposition, who is also order permitting and entitling him to sit sister, Monteco Solutions (PTY) LTD for alongside opposition legislators who had
the president of the Botswana Congress Party
and participate in the proceedings to be provision of Anti-Retroviral drugs with- boycotted Parliament for the day in soli-
(BCP), Dumelang Saleshando. “The vote fol-
lowed Hon. Saleshando’s naked failure to ten- launched against the respondents. He also out a competitive bid. darity with him, Saleshando said freedom
der evidence he had promised to furnish with wants respondents to pay cost of suit. Saleshando refused to withdraw the of speech and freedom of expression is
the Speaker as way back as April to support Saleshando was on Tuesday last week corruption claims, and on Tuesday his critical for a legislator.
his allegations associating His Excellency Dr. suspended from participating in the Na- attempts to provide more evidence were “The Speaker wants to escalate himself
Mokgweetsi Masisi to corrupt practices in tional Assembly for a week, following quashed by Skelemani who then invoked to a level of a judge by prescribing what
the award of COVID-19 related procurement a vote by Members of Parliament sub- Section 60 of the Standing Orders of Par- evidence is to be brought to Parliament.
contracts,” BDP said in a statement. “We sequent to a ruling by Skelemani. Skel- liament, which empowers the Speaker to He rejected the evidence I brought to him
commend BDP MPs for voting to preserve emani had on Monday told the house that name a member who has committed the on Tuesday after he failed to state what
the seriousness of Parliament as a law making he was not satisfied with the evidence offence of disregarding the Speaker’s kind of evidence he wanted,” Saleshando
institution governed by the rule of law and Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) authority, then calling upon chief whip said.
not a common hall for pointless banter and
insubstantial accusations. “We find it absurd
that Hon. Saleshando misapprehends direct
procurement as irregular or corrupt when in
fact it is common practice for urgent procure-
ment and conducted under law.” The BDP
urged Saleshando and his counterparts in the
opposition bench to acquaint themselves with
Border Jumping Major
Obstacle In COVID-19 Fight
the Standing Orders and other laws of the
Republic to avoid further embarrassment in
Parliament and in public.
Lesedi Mkhutshwa also stated that some Batswana even assist the if not all tested negative for COVID-19.
Correspondent border jumpers to cross through ungazetted He said the isolation centre for the district,
points by transporting them. which is Ntshe Clinic, has admitted 14 cases
FRANCISTOWN: The City of Francistown “Some people would not even report any of which seven from other districts tested pos-
Editor: Email: khutsafalo@mmegi.bw Council’s (COFC) town clerk, Lopang Pule suspicious movement of border jumpers even itive, five have been repatriated to their home
Maureen Odubeng boitumelokhutsafalo@gmail.com
has said that border jumping still remains a though they are in full knowledge that those countries while two are still at the centre.
Email: maureen@mmegi.bw
shadimme@gmail.com New Media Coordinator:
major obstacle in the fight against the deadly certain individuals have travelled to neigh- Pule also shared that the compliance rate of
Thalefang Charles coronavirus disease (COVID-19). bouring countries. the 3,456 facilities they have visited to date
Commercial Manager: Email: charles@mmegi.bw When addressing the COFC special full Let’s encourage people to report such suspi- stands at 82.5%.
Lone Koosenye council last week, Pule was concerned about cious movement so that those people can be He said the common compliance issues
Email: lone@mmegi.bw Coordinator Special the number of border jumpers who use un- taken into the 14-day mandatory quarantine.” were lack of infrared thermometers, substand-
koosenye@gmail.com Projects gazetted points of entry from Zimbabwe into Pule also shared that upon being arrested by ard sanitisers and unavailability of registers.
Annah Dedede
Botswana through villages along the two the police the non-citizens are tested then re- Last month, Northern Divisional Commander
Northern Bureau Chief: Email: annah@mmegi.bw
Ryder Gabathuse tshephiec@gmail.com
countries’ border line. patriated to their countries of origin. senior assistant commissioner, Cynthia Setilo
Email: ryder@mmegi.bw Pule said to make the matter worse during He said due to the issue at hand they have also emphasised that illegal immigrants are an
gabathuse@gmail.com Graphics Head: the pandemic there are still Batswana who are made a recommendation to the COVID-19 issue of concern across the North East District,
Lesego Mogotsi helping such illegal immigrants by harbouring National Task Force to start testing communi- extending up to Francistown and surrounding
Business Coordinator: Email: lesego@mmegi.bw them with the full knowledge that they have ties near the Botswana-Zimbabwe borderline areas.
Pauline Dikuelo braveheart08@gmail.com travelled to Zimbabwe during and after the in order to check the status of COVID-19 and She added that during the second quarter
Email: pauline@mmegi.bw
lockdowns. eliminate the disease. (April and June) during lockdown they ar-
dikuelokp@hotmail.com Photography
Coordinator:
He added some people have also developed When speaking about the number of people rested about 1,100 illegal non-citizens in
Sports & Showtime Moreri Sejakgomo a tendency of not reporting border jumpers put through mandatory quarantine in the dis- the area. Setilo was addressing a North-East
Coordinator: Email: moreri@mmegi.bw who travel back-to-back to Zimbabwe on trict, the town clerk said a total of 862 people District Council (NEDC) special meeting at
Boitumelo Khutsafalo mrsejakgomo@gmail.com a regular basis due to personal reasons. He were quarantined in the city and most of them Masunga.
THE MONITOR MONDAY 03 AUGUST 2020 NEWS 03
SA Pressure Group
Calls For Kgafela
II’s Removal
Goitsemodimo Kaelo leng are a distinct, sovereign and in- to destroy our legitimate traditional
Correspondent dependent traditional community. leadership structure in Moruleng,” the
L ess than a month after Bakgatla-
Ba-Kgafela Kgosikgolo Kgafela
Bakgalatla-ba-Kgafela are an inte-
gral part of South Africa. We are not
a colony of Botswana or Mochudi as
group wrote.
They further called on President
Ramaphosa to direct for an investiga-
LSB
Kgafela II celebrated the removal
of Kgosi Nyalala Pilane from office,
Mokgoro sponsored programme seeks
to achieve.
tion into why the North West province
frustrated Kgafela II’s extradition to
Rejects Legal
some Bakgatla in Moruleng are also We reject this attempt with every fi- Botswana to stand trial for his assault
calling for Kgafela II’s removal.
Pilane’s derecognition was a direct
bre in our land. We pay our allegiance
to the South African constitution.
case.
When contacted for comment Bak-
Practitioners
result of a campaign that Kgafela II
had waged for a long time, after a con-
We are not Botswana citizens and
therefore we rejected every attempt by
gatla-ba-Kgafela deputy chief, Kgosi
Bana Sekai Linchwe said he was not Bill
flict between the two started when he Mokgoro to impose a royal family and aware of the letter. Kgosi Linchwe Goitsemodimo Kaelo
(Kgafela II) questioned Pilane’s han- Kgosi over Bakgatla-ba-Kgafela in said he could not deal with a matter Correspondent
dling of tribal finances. Moruleng,” read the letter in part. that has been legally addressed in the
T
Now, a group referred to as Bana Ba The group has called the North West past. he Law Society of Botswana (LSB) has
Bakgatla have written a letter to South government officials corrupt and ac- “I don’t know anything about that rejected the proposed Legal Practitioners
African President Cyril Ramaphosa to cused them of facilitating a fraudulent letter and its contents. Maybe I must (Amendments) Bill saying it contradicts the
derecognise Kgafela II and his royal South African citizenship for Kgafe- see what their reasons are because we agreements the society had with government.
family’s chieftaincy over Bakgatla in la II, his sister and Kgosi Ramono seem to be going back and forth. In a statement LSB said the Bill, which is
Moruleng and instruct the North West Linchwe. These issues have been addressed currently before Parliament, is regressive as it
Province premier to reinstate Kgosi The group also demanded that all before unless we say we don’t have omits some of the central themes suggested for
Pilane. criminal charges against Kgafela be anything else to do. the transformation of the legal fraternity.
In the letter dated July 29, 2020, reinstated and thoroughly investigat- I don’t think any normal person or The Society pointed out that some of the key
Bana Ba Bakgatla say they cannot be ed. Mokgatla could say he wants to re- areas of change, which it had envisaged to be
ruled by a “fugitive from Botswana” “We call upon Cyril Ramaphosa to move Kgosikgolo from the throne,” included following extensive discussions, were
as they are not a colony of Botswana. direct Mokgoro to engage with the he said. provision for the incorporation of law firms and
The group gave Ramaphosa seven legitimate royal family of Bakgatla- Bakgatla-ba-ga-Kgafela have a pe- the payment of subscriptions by legal practitio-
days to respond to their letter, failing ba-Kgafela in Moruleng, launch a full culiar tribal territory that is recognised ners at the Attorney General who are members
which they will mobilise the commu- investigation into how Kgafela II, his between Botswana and South Africa. of the Society.
nity in Moruleng to defend and protect sister and Ramono Linchwe fraudu- The tribe has invested in the min- Other suggestions included taking away the
themselves against what they term lently obtained South African citizen- ing industry and has shares in large privilege of persons employed in government
government-sponsored ‘colonialism’. ship. We reject without fear or favour companies such as Anglo Platinum in entities to appear before the courts, improving
“Bakgatla-ba-Kgafela in Moru- attempts by Mokgoro or government South Africa. standards of practice and restricting the rou-
tine admission of foreign advocates on ad hoc
basis. According to LSB, the incorporation of
legal practices is important as it makes it much
easier for lawyers to run their legal practices
like businesses. It also allows lawyers the use
of their practices to raise finance for expansion,
from financial institutions and to build much
larger practices than it is currently the case.
The LSB further said there is no reason why
legal practitioners employed by government
should not contribute to the regulation and ad-
ministration of the profession.
“Legal practitioners at the Attorney General
are currently members of the Society but do not
pay any subscriptions,” read the statement.
“The result is that the Society is under fund-
ed and is therefore unable to competently dis-
charge some of its statutory obligations such
as compliance by legal practitioners with the
Financial Intelligence Act.”
The Society argued that in professions such
as nursing, engineering and architecture, there
is no disparity in treatment between those in
private practice and those working for govern-
ment. “Apart from the fact that the Bill fails
to meet the Society’s minimum expectations, it
is generally very poorly drafted. There is com-
plete incompatibility between the Bill and the
memorandum,” said LSB.
“The memorandum identifies as one of the
objects of the Bill the abolition of the exemp-
tion from paying subscriptions that Govern-
ment attorneys currently enjoy, yet the Bill
retains the exemption.”
LSB further said the Bill is regressive in mak-
ing Judges of the Industrial Court and the High
Court members of the Law Society, adding that
the errors reflect that the Bill is not ready to be
presented to Parliament.
04 NEWS THE MONITOR MONDAY 03 AUGUST 2020
BoroloNg
BarS PuPilS For
Dirty MaSkS book post by a Village Devel- were clean before leaving for
l Children forced to
wash, dry masks opment Committee (VDC) school. She, however, said
before entry member, Julia Ditshane with the decision to make the pu-
pictures of children dry- pils wash their masks did not
Pini Bothoko ing their masks on the sun sit well with her.
Staff Writer sparked parents’ mixed feel- “The school’s management
ings over the school’s ap- should consider taking action
A number of pupils at
Borolong Primary
School, 20km west of Fran-
proach.
Ditshane’s Facebook post
reads, “Bagolo a re tlhatswe-
against parents who are failing
to take care of their children
instead of punishing innocent
cistown, were last week tseng bana di face mask, souls. This to me looks like a
barred from lessons for com- gago monate ba bangwe bale punishment to them, imagine
ing to school wearing dirty mo classing ngwana wa ga the embarrassment they went
masks, The Monitor has go ale ko ntle.” through when washing those
learnt. Some parents supported masks, waiting for them to
The school’s authorities the school’s move urging dry and missing some les-
forced the children to wash others to take even greater sons,” Khachana said.
their masks and wait for care of their children in the Basic Education minister,
them to dry in the winter sun coronavirus (COVID-19) era. Fidelis Molao, who is also
before being admitted into They commended the school the area’s Member of Parlia-
classrooms. management’s move stat- ment, supported the school
Parents who spoke to The ing that every parent should management’s move. Molao
Monitor said the drama un- make sure their children are said COVID-19 protocols at
folded on Thursday morning taken care of and not put all schools were non-negotiable.
when the school’s Safety, the burden of responsibility “I am not aware of that,
Health and Environment on the teachers. but the school management
(SHE) officer picked out stu- However, some parents dis- should make sure that all pu-
dents with dirty masks during missed the move, describing pils are protected, it is their
it as ‘cruelty against innocent responsibility.
BOSETU Calls For
the entry processes conducted
upon arrival at school. souls’, especially as children Following COVID-19,
This publication has estab- were barred from attend- school management will from
lished that prior to this inci-
dent the school’s management
tried in a number of occasions
ing lessons and had to wait
in the cold morning weather
for their masks to dry before
time to time take decisions to
protect the learners and the
school community looking at
COVID-19 Adherence
to reach out to parents, plead
with them to take care of their
entry.
Another parent, Clara
Khachana commented say-
the situation they see on the
ground,” he said.
Molao further pleaded with
In Schools
children, but their efforts fell country finds itself in this crisis
ing, “Ha ngwana atla ka parents to take care of their l Blames Director of Health
on deaf ears. is because some schools are not
for surge in schools
Furthermore, reacting to mask o leswe ke eng asa children and make sure they adhering to required COVID-19
the situation the school man- tlogelwe a tsenelela dithuto are neat at all times. He said Tsaone Basimanebotlhe standards.
agement allegedly resolved gobo go lelediwa motsadi parents should consider them- Staff Writer “For us to reduce these cases or
to make pupils wash their atle go lebisiwa molato es- selves as irresponsible if they the spread of the virus amongst
B
masks and wait for them to eng go baya ngwana ko ntle allow their children to go to otswana Sectors of Educa- students and teachers, both stake-
dry before they accessed a fetwa ke dithuto, kana ebile school with dirty masks. tors Trade Union (BOSETU) holders in schools need to meet
classes. ba saletse morago ka lebaka The incident comes as says the spread of the coronavirus and agree on the way forward
The incident sparked out- la COVID-19”. Greater Gaborone enters a (COVID-19) in schools could be without compromising anything,”
rage on social media with In an interview, Khachana two-weeklong lockdown minimised if all adhere to required Rari said.
pictures of the children dry- said it was the parents’ re- caused by an outbreak of health standards. “As BOSETU we have tried
ing their masks in the winter sponsibility to look after their COVID-19 cases mostly at Recently, some learners and to write letters to the Director of
sun, being circulated. A Face- children and make sure they schools in the zonal area. teachers tested positive for the vi- Health regarding failure to ad-
rus with cases detected at Terrence here to COVID-19 regulations or
A number of pupils at Borolong Primary School were Private School in Mogoditshane standards by some schools, but he
forced to wash and dry their facemasks before entry and Masa Primary School at Phase decided to ignore us and we are
II. All the schools are in the in blaming him for what is happening
Greater Gaborone. in schools.”
Terrence Private School regis- Rari noted the danger in schools
tered 27 cases of COVID-19 posi- is that they have a high population
tive students from different classes, and that is why the country found
and one teacher. such high numbers.
The school’s positive results also He emphasised the use of public
traced a viral link to two parents, transport or student transportation
whose children attend the school, should be looked into and assess
and another positive case to a how both the ministry and parents
friend of one of the students. can best address it.
For Masa Primary School, a total “This is the [first] time the min-
of eight people tested positive, four istry is taking our suggestions very
teachers and four pupils. While at seriously. We need to put our dif-
Botswana Open University the 32 ferences aside and look at the big-
people were tested, 31 were nega- ger picture,” Rari said.
tive and only one is awaiting re- “Again, even those schools that
sults. had not adhered to required stand-
At Bonnington Junior Second- ards, they need to be assisted with-
ary School, 179 individuals were out compromising health for stu-
tested and only 65 came out nega- dents and teachers in private and
tive while the rest are awaiting government schools.
their results. [The] Ministry of Health [and
BOSETU secretary general, Wellness] should not relax regula-
Tobokani Rari said the reason the tions in schools.”
THE MONITOR MONDAY 03 AUGUST 2020 NEWS 05
‘End
Modern-
Day
Slavery,
Its Covert
Nature’
l Children from minority tribes trafficked
Pini Bothoko
Staff Writer
K gosi Kebinatshwene Mosielele of Bahurutshe
boo-Manyana has called on government to
encourage equality within tribes as the country is
GATA
faced with human trafficking tragedy.
Kgosi Mosielele said as traditional leaders they
are concerned by cultural beliefs that impact on the
livelihoods of the minority tribes in Botswana that
need immediate attention.
LE RONA
He pointed out that children from minority tribes
continue to be trafficked to cattle posts, towns and
cities to become slaves to the elites.
Mosielele made the remarks recently at the com-
memoration of World Day Against Trafficking in
persons held at Tlotlo Conference Centre in Mo-
goditshane. He said magosi have also observed
that there are elites who own ranches around the
country particularly in the Kgalagadi area who traf-
fic people, mainly children, from minority tribes to
become their slaves. We have come a long way since
“This has been going on for a long time and I
do not see anything being done because probably October 1st 2019.
the legislators and the communities within our gov-
ernance are the ones who are perpetrating this,”
Mosielele told the gathering. He asked government In accordance with the Retirement Funds Act of
to stem the tide of human trafficking locally before 2014, we embarked on a journey to outsource all
pointing fingers at other countries.
“I would like to implore the government to do fund administration services to a separate entity.
something about this before we go internationally. Gata le rona, submit your KYC to make this a
There is no point in us pointing fingers at other
countries and people practicing this evil practice smooth transition.
without necessarily looking deeply into what is
happening in our own country.”
For his part, the Minister of Defence, Justice and The BPOPF will visit respective Government
Security, Kagiso Mmusi said human trafficking is departments to collect KYC documents from
a serious security challenge that is both local and
transnational in nature.
Members. For more information call 0800 600 177
“We have 49 victims of human trafficking that (Toll free)
need shelter, access to health facilities, food, cloth-
ing and other forms of protection. If we take the
various acts and means that constitute the crime Toll Free: 0800 600 177
of human trafficking in accordance with the Anti- Email: enquiries@bpopf.co.bw
Human Trafficking Act of 2014, I think you will
agree that our statistics may not necessarily reflect Facebook: BPOPF
the situation on the ground,” he said. Twitter: @BPOPF
The United Nations biennial global trafficking
in persons report indicated that in 2018, 31% of all
Website: www.bpopf.co.bw
victims of human trafficking in sub-Saharan Africa
were trafficked for sexual exploitation, 63% for Thank you and please continue to stay safe.
purposes of labour exploitation whilst five percent
were for other forms of exploitation. In Botswana,
statistics show that from February 2019 to date
there are 16 cases before the courts.
Mmusi further stated that the United Nations Of-
fice on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has warned
through a research brief issued during the month
of June that COVID-19 restrictions and the subse-
quent economic consequences are likely to exacer-
bate migrant smuggling and cross border trafficking
of persons as people are going to be pushed to seek
greener pastures. The minister said such a develop-
ment would further apply strain on the criminal jus-
tice system that would have to cope with the influx.
Mmusi added this might even underscore the covert
nature of the crime. The commemoration was held
under the theme, ‘Committed to the Cause – Work-
ing on the frontline to end human trafficking’.
06 NEWS THE MONITOR MONDAY 03 AUGUST 2020
‘Tough AcTioN’ AWAiTS
coViD-19 DEliNquENTS
l People continue to party,
congregate
l Police fed up
Innocent Selatlhwa
Staff Writer
W hen Botswana underwent its first
lockdown due to the dreaded and
fast-spreading coronavirus (COVID-19)
pandemic in late March, Batswana were
terrified and most people abided by the set
protocols that ushered in the new normal.
Despite there being 75 local active cases
with most coming from local transmis-
sions, Batswana in the Greater Gaborone
zone are disobeying COVID- 19 protocols.
This has prompted the Botswana Police
Service to enforce ‘tough action’ against been receiving calls about people hosting the problem as it presents itself. People will not pay would be taken to court. Health and
COVID-19 infractions. parties, people gathering and others con- be charged while others will be arrested Wellness minister, Lemogang Kwape also
The Monitor team has observed that peo- tinue working while others move around and detained if need be,” he said. expressed concern over the way people
ple in some areas continue to ignore these without permits. They just feel we are dis- Tlokweng Police Station commander, have been behaving.
protocols by continuing to do construc- turbing their businesses and their leisure assistant superintendent Unoziba Rari said “We are concerned by people who con-
tion work, gatherings and selling alcohol time.” his policing area still records many cases tinue disregarding COVID- 19 protocols.
amongst many other infractions. Motube revealed that in response to the of failure to comply. “It is so shocking that We shall discuss with the Botswana Po-
Police spokesperson, assistant commis- situation, they have to apply tough reme- we still have people hosting parties and lice on how to manage the situation bet-
sioner Dipheko Motube has expressed con- dial, corrective and preventive action. gatherings during the lockdown. ter,” he said. Greater Gaborone is under
cern at the way Batswana continue to act. “People should not be waiting for the A lot of people also go around without a third lockdown since the virus reached
“We will have a report ready tomorrow Police to force them to respect COVID-19 masks while others move without permits. Botswana. The current lockdown, which
on the progress of reinforcing COVID- protocols, we already know how bad the We have thus increased manpower with as- Kwape announced last Thursday follows
19 protocols. We are concerned that even situation can get and some people for rea- sistance from other police stations,” Rari discovery of the virus in various schools
though people know what the virus is do- sons known to them influence others to dis- said. Rari said they have been charging in Mogoditshane and Gaborone, as well as
ing to our neighbours, they continue to dis- obey the law. People should now expect a those who were not complying between a delinquent truck driver from Oodi, who
regard the [set] protocols,” he said. “I have supercharged Botswana Police to deal with P200 and P1,000 stating that those who do skipped mandatory quarantine.
By-Election Moratorium Tortures Constituents
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe order establishing the council.
Staff Writer “Notwithstanding subsection (1), where
the vacancy occurs 12 months before the lo-
R esidents of wards affected by moratori-
um on by-elections say they are likely
to suffer, as they do not have civic leaders
cal government elections, then the vacancy
shall not be filled until the next local gov-
ernment elections,” stated the Act.
to look upon to. Maroba admitted it is the constituents
There are council seat vacancies at Met- who suffer the most, but for them it is sim-
simotlhabe, Boseja South and Tamasane, ply the implementation of the law.
but with (COVID-19) coronavirus-induced The ruling Botswana Democratic Party
State of Emergency (SoE) regulations, there (BDP) has admitted that the constituents of
can be no polls to fill them. those wards will suffer.
This has not gone down well with some BDP communication chairperson, Kage-
residents of the affected wards, as they be- lelo Kentse, however said for now, there is
lieve they are currently missing out when it nothing that can be done because a by-elec-
comes to updates on COVID-19 and other tion requires many people to gather.
issues that concern them. “Currently, I think the ministry is helping
“We have elders in the village who do residents of those wards to ensure that they
not have radios and television and in times do not suffer when it comes to develop-
like this, they rely on a councillor to get in- ments and important messages they need,”
formation affecting them,” Goitsemodimo Kentse pointed out.
Gaolapelwe of Metsimotlhabe observed. on time. The area councillor is the one who ficial communication to the Commission in Spokesperson for the Ministry of Lo-
“Issues concerning COVID-19 and its could stand up for the area in terms like relation to Tamasane. cal Government and Rural Development,
challenges require wards to have council- these especially about matters affecting “Yes, local government stipulates that Masego Ramakgathi confirmed that no elec-
lors. Honestly, the Village Development schools,” Kebonemang argued. they should be filled within three months. tion can be conducted due to COVID-19.
Committee cannot handle some matters like The Independent Electoral Commission Currently, the State of Emergency regula- “What should be understood, however,
an area councillor. For example, Metsimo- (IEC) Act requires that elections for both tions have suspended other laws including is that resources are not allocated on the
tlhabe is nearer to Gaborone and whatever nominated and specially elected councillors provisions of holding of by-election. As strength of a sitting councillor, but a col-
happens in Gaborone affects us.” be filled within three months after vacancy. long as SoE remains active, there won’t be lective planning and budgeting of the con-
Another resident, Gobolokang Kebone- Currently, council meetings for different any by-election held. No, [there is not] any cerned council to effect developments in
mang said it should be understood that an districts have commenced and there are no other option,” he highlighted. respective wards in line with assessed and
area Member of Parliament cannot address council representatives to guard the inter- Furthermore, according to the IEC Act, evaluated priorities that are always compet-
the ward problems better like a councillor. ests of the residents in the affected areas. in a situation where the seat of a member ing for the limited resources. Equally, the
“If some developments are to be taken out IEC spokesperson, Osupile Maroba told of council both elected and specially nomi- Village Extension Teams (VET), Village
from our area, there will be no one to speak The Monitor they are only aware of the pre- nated becomes vacant by virtue of any pro- Development Committees (VDC) and the
on our behalf. For example, some of our dicament in two of the three wards, Metsi- vision of this act, the vacancy shall be filled sitting Member of Parliament can still en-
school infrastructure needs an area council- motlhabe and Boseja South. within three months in a manner prescribed sure that approved plans are duly executed,”
lor to ensure that the projects are completed Maroba added there has not been any of- by the minister [of local government] in the Ramakgathi said.
THE MONITOR MONDAY 03 AUGUST 2020 OPINION 07
DO We Have THaT POlIcy?
I t’s more or less business as usual now isn’t it
though? We have settled into a workable rou-
tine and we have a sense of normalcy again.
ployers incorporating it into the various
agreements with individual staff and
their collective bargaining bodies.
Moving on with our new reality, all we can We may also need to review no-strike
really do now as management teams is to define clauses to ensure continuity during fu-
our critical uncertainties and develop plausible ture infectious disease outbreaks.
scenarios in order to discuss the anticipated But in the meantime let’s keep the
impacts and the possible responses to give for communication mechanism humming.
each one of them. All involved in the environment
Specifically, in order that we update our should be able to access information
strategies and policies accordingly. Trouble is and applicable guidelines about all as-
though, the policies are usually not updated, pects of their employment relationship,
and we only start talking about them when whether it is being continued or not.
something actually happens. procedures? What about paid leave? his old salary as a personal to holder, Please note that comments are wel-
For instance. Are we able to expand leave categories or are we negotiating a new package? come at shameeladashboard@gmail.
Is it an offence to be consistently late to to accommodate absence that is not ‘an- Have we defined the policy? com. Every effort is made to respond to
work, given the social distancing requirements nual’ or ‘sick’ or ‘emergency’ leave? Are we introducing a ‘hazard’ allow- individuals, and mail received is treated
at all service points that an employee needs to ance for those who can’t work from as confidential.
access in a typical day? Public transport and Compensation home? Please note however that in cases of
food vendors always experienced long queues Do we have to make any pay cuts ac- specific work-related grievances and
but now the situation is worse. cording to employee status changes? Force Majeure disputes submitted, Shameela Winston
Would the employer make an allowance for For instance, a full time job that has de- The typical employment contract up will not pronounce opinions nor pre-
staff? Could a policy be created to establish ployed to a part time job from home – to last year didn’t have a force majeure scribe remedies.
criteria and guidelines? What about if a staff are we compensating that colleague on clause, but now, we may see more em- Thank you.
member refuses to use the sanitiser and screen-
ing equipment provided at work because he has
personal provisions?
Would he/she be refused entry to the prem-
ises? Are there stipulated quality standards (in
policy format) applicable to the various catego-
ries of PPE we use in our workplace?
What about a situation where a colleague
whose work was not earmarked for the work-
from-home option is uncomfortable with re-
turning to the workplace because of his con-
cerns about personal safety? Is that insubordi-
nation?
Or absconding? Failure to comply with rea-
sonable instructions? What does our policy say
SUBSCRIPTION FORM
about that scenario? Do we have a provision
to treat that absence as leave? For how long PLACE 6 Months 1 Year
though?
And, what if the colleague opts to resign be- Collection from the office P180.00 P360.00
cause we don’t know how to treat his continued
absence? Are we going to apply the standard Received by post P362.50 P725.00
notice requirement or are we prepared to waive
it because of COVID-19? All cheques/bank drafts/money orders/postal orders etc. must be made payable to THE MONITOR
Do we have the policy on that? Have we re-
duced performance expectations in view of un- Company / Name: .........................................................................................................
folding realities in the COVID-19 aftermath?
.........................................................................................................
What if a colleague was paid on a commission
basis, earning according to sales targets?
Address: .........................................................................................................
How will the company pay the colleague dur-
ing these months where the business is operat-
.........................................................................................................
ing but targets are not met because of market
conditions? Tel: ............................................................... Fax: ..........................................................
Will the colleague receive a subsistence al-
lowance or simply be terminated? Contact Person: .....................................................................................................................
Every organisation will obviously have its
own realities to cater for, but the employment Position: ....................................................... Signature:..................................................
policy manual will need to be reviewed.
Date: ............................................................
Workplace Safety
Employees will have fears of returning to Any instruction: .......................................................................................................................
business as usual, and communicating how
safety is a top priority will allay fears and in- Quoted prices are for one copy per week.
crease brand loyalty.
More than just posters on the notice boards, Contacts: Tel: (+267) 3912667/3974784 • Fax: 3905508/3907880
official policy statements must be made regard-
ing health screening procedures, exposure-re-
sponse plans, personal protective equipment,
cleaning procedures and procuring ongoing
supplies. Beyond that, we also need to articu-
late realistic work plans, including staggered
shifts and lunch/rest breaks, rotating weeks in
the office and working remotely, (are we still
calling it an eight or nine hour day, and, do we
still talk about punctuality, or are we just look-
ing at output now) restricting business travel,
defining customer and/or visitor contact pro-
tocols, introduction of contactless transaction
procedures.
Employee Benefits
Are we able to grant staff loans, and if so, do
we need to review the eligibility and pay back
08 opinion THE MONITOR MONDAY 03 AUGUST 2020
adhere To
CoVid-19
regulations!
T he dramatic increase in the number of
coronavirus (COVID-19) positive cases
have led to yet another lockdown, something
that many people were dreading, especially
since a number of businesses have already
started feeling the pinch. This is especially
so following the opening of the economy af-
ter the initial lockdowns, only to close down
again. Data show that 27 students from dif-
ferent classes attending Terrence Private
School in Mogoditshane tested positive for
coronavirus, alongside one teacher, and
two parents of two students from the same
school in which the original COVID-19 case
was found and a friend to one of the students,
bringing the total to 31. Masa Primary School
has also registered eight positive cases, be-
ing four teachers and four students. The total
number of active cases as of Sunday after-
noon stood at 75. The spike has instilled fear
in people, but sadly, there are others, who
think this is a joke. In the wee hours of Friday,
Dibete, which is a cut-off for Greater Gabo-
rone was packed with people who wanted
to go spend lockdown in their home villages,
something, which was very irresponsible
The LosT KingdoM (parT 5)
on their part. We have all been advised to
sanitise, wash hands with soap and water,
and wear masks at all times when in a pub-
C
lic area, but disgustingly, there are still some hilisamhulu, later known as Ni-
people who choose to behave like delin-
chasike, had long coveted Chibun-
quents. You see the virus does not discrimi-
nate and is likely to affect anyone with whom dule’s throne, but he was initially unable
it comes into contact. So, the idiotic behaviour to overcome the power of the Mambo’s
shown by some individuals who keep cross- magic.
ing zones, have the potential of spreading He then learnt that, as with the biblical
the virus like veldt fire. Some people seem story of Samson and Delilah, Chibund-
to mistake the lockdowns for holidays, hence ule’s hair contained the secret of his spe-
the need to run home the minute a lockdown cial power.
is announced. Several countries are strug- Chilisamhulu therefore decided to get
gling to contain the spread of this virus, with at Chibundule by first having him en-
some registering frightening numbers of that ticed into marrying to his daughter (in
for some sadly add to the growing fatalities.
some accounts sister) Ninembwe, also protect you. You must do this for the death. A great fog is then said to have
Is that where we want to see ourselves as
Batswana if we are not taking this virus se- referred to as Bagedze Moyo. He thus army will surround Chibundule’s village descended onto the battlefield as the two
riously? The numbers we have recorded so summoned her and giving the following and set it on fire.” armies clashed. The warriors could no
far, are quite scary, and may rise following instructions. After Ninembwe had returned to longer tell if it was night or day.
the contact-tracing process. Let’s work with “You should see my daughter that the Chibundule, Chilisamhulu ordered his In the end the Banyayi emerged as the
the task force and the government to fight reason I am giving you in marriage to warriors, the infamous Rozwi into bat- victors.
the spread of this fatal virus, and safeguard Chibundule is this: I want to enter the tle. They attacked Chibundule’s follow- Thus it was that Chilisamhulu of the
the future of our children. Meanwhile, the country of the Kalanga but I have been ers from all directions. Moyo clan replaced Chibundule of the
incident that transpired at Borolong Primary failing because of Chibundule’s magical The main force-marched northwards Humbe or Wumbe clan the new supreme
School at Borolong leaves a lot to be desired. powers. from Tuli area along the modern Bot- ruler, Mambo, of the Bakalanga.
The importance of adhering to COVID-19 So I am instructing you that when you swana-Zimbabwe border, which was the It is further recorded that the fate of
regulations cannot be overemphasised, but
are married to King Chibundule you must site of Chilisamhulu’s stronghold known the last of the Bawumbe paramount rul-
we need not throw our compassion out the
window when dealing with learners, specifi- look after him well and put his mind at as the Black Hill or Hill of Nyayi (Lu- ers is a mystery.
cally pupils at primary level. Of course the ease. You must then pull out some of his tombo gwaba Lutema/Nyayi). “And so the armies of the Banyayi and
children need to be taught the importance of hair, and hide it in your skirt. As was their custom, their women, Bakalanga of Bawumbe. The later were
cleanliness, but at that age, the responsibil- Then you must tell the king that you who carried provisions and cooked for defeated, and chased hard so that they
ity to make sure that the child goes to school are sick and wish to be with your father the men, accompanied the Banyayi regi- fled and threw away their weapons. It is
neat, lies more with the parents. and mother. You can then return with the ments. there where the Banyayi army conquered
hair of the king. Once I have the hair of Meanwhile, Chibundule was in a re- that of Chibundule.
the Kalanga king I am sure to defeat him, laxed state at his headquarters at the The Banyayi army followed the track
Chibundule. I shall enter his country and Matopos or Mountains of the King of the Bakalanga king. They followed
rule over it, and will give you a share of (Matombo akaMambo), which were then Chibundule’s spoor until it ended at an
Gaborone office the spoils.” also known as the Mountains of Bhuba anthill of the mukoxo trees at the Hoze
Plot 767, ext 2, Tati Road,
Private Bag BR 50, Gaborone, Botswana
Ninembwe agreed to do as her father (Matombo aBhuba). (Muguza) river because they wanted to
E-mail: monitoreditor@mmegi.bw said. One night, while Chibundule was There his peace was suddenly inter- catch him, but they failed and he disap-
Website: themonitor.co.bw sleeping, she managed to cut a lock of rupted by his chief councillor, She Vu- peared until today.
editorial his hair and subsequently take it to her namakuni, “the breaker of logs” (also “The Banyayi army moved around
Tel: 3974784 Fax: 3936268
administration
father. known as Chombe-Ntulunhulu), who and around looking for more tracks of
Tel: 3974784 Fax: 3905508 Thus, the Banyayi medicine men had brought news of the enemy’s advance. Chibundule but they completely failed
commercial the material they needed to make in- On hearing of the news, the Mambo to find them.
Tel: 3912667 Fax: 3907880 vincible protective charms against the reached for his medicine calabash in or- They searched the entire Bukalanga
francistown bureau Balilima Mambo. der to create a great smoke that would country, but finally gave up because the
Plot 608/609, Old CBD,Corner Fietelberg Street and
Emboldened Chilisamhulu sent conceal his forces and confuse the en- spoor ended at the Hoze River, at the
Lobengula Avenue (Units 1 and 9) (opposite Khanda
Express) P/Bag F115, Francistown Ninembwe back to Chibundule, but told emy. Mountains of Kings.”
Tel: 241 7887 Fax: 241 4963 her that: “On the day the Banyayi will at- But the medicine had been rendered For years thereafter it is said that peo-
E-mail address: mmegi@inet.co.bw tack the country of Chibundule you will useless by the charms that had been cre- ple passing through the area could in
PaLaPYe office hear a war trumpet that will indicate that ated as a result of his wife Ninembwe’s the early morning and evening hear the
Plot 79, Serorome Ward, Office 15, we are approaching from all sides. betrayal. noise of the stamping of pestles and the
(above Choppies Store, Makwapa Shopping Centre)
P/Bag F115, Francistown You must then leave the village of The King then gathered his family and bellowing of beasts in at the place where
Tel: 492 2517 Fax: 492 2519 Chibundule and find the Banyayi army. principal councillors around him. Chibundule’s spoor ended.
E-mail: mmegi@inet.co.bw You must then signal the army with These included the Boshe Vunamaku- These noises, which came up from
This newspaper is a member of the
a white pure cloth so that the army will ni, Nkami, Zwikono, Nimale and Hung- the ground, only became quiet with the
Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) and know that you are their child given to we. Although their cause looked desper- arrival a century and a half later of the
Printed by Dikgang Publishing Company Chibundule in marriage. They will then ate, each was determined to fight to the Amandebele.
(Pty) Ltd. Plot 134,Tlokweng
THE MONITOR MONDAY 03 AGUST 2020 opinion 09
The pandeMic pool – a Socio-culTural
reflecTion of MeMing Through The pandeMic
I saw a meme the other day of a swim-
ming pool called “The Pandemic Pool”.
In the pool, there is a doting mother, arms
texts with no images. Memes have driven
interest as well as influence towards vot-
ing. In essence, memes have become social
are wide open stretched out, ready to come or cultural capital.
into an embrace with a little child who is Back to “The Pandemic Pool”: the im-
ready to jump in and swim safely to mum- age of the pool itself suggests an under-
my. The doting mother is the government standing that we really are all in this mess
and the child is large corporations. together! Same time! One time! The strug-
To the side, in the pool, is another child gles are real.
struggling to stay afloat, and looking like The limitations, theoretically take on
they’re about to take their last cup before similar forms. It appears, however, from
drowning. The drowning child, is small the meme that government seems to con-
businesses. tinue to thrive in the pool.
Because the picture is snapped with the the reality with some humour. Memes guide and direct opinion forma- Government is able to stand in the water
new age phones, which can go into water They are to social media what political tion, by conveying information in its most with half her upper body out. Chances of
and not need rice and continue to work just cartoons are to print media. Essentially, palatable form. her drowning are slim to none. Govern-
fine, under the water is a human skeleton, political commentary has evolved and is For digital natives, they are also a prima- ment will survive this. Large corporations
weighed down by what appears to be an accessible to us. Memes are the contem- ry source of information, as we often read know to expect the support of the govern-
anchor, stuck at the bottom of the water. porary expression of that evolution. Yes, news on the basis of the memes formed ment through their struggles.
The skeleton represents the musicians and they are funny! But they hold the collective from it. Tenders are awarded with alleged back-
entertainers. truths of our time. The main components of A personal example is that I found out handers, but everyone well positioned in
Before I go into an analysis of the meme a meme are humour and satire. about the third lockdown through a meme capitalism, will end up safe, through their
described above, perhaps we must posi- By definition, a meme, derived from shared by a WhatsApp contact. The meme “strong and influential” networks. Small
tion memes in political discourse. Why mimeme, a word coined by Richard Dawk- was a short gif of a child probably of six businesses, despite the new CEDA regula-
should we even think of photos with letters ins, is defined as a unit of cultural informa- or seven years, covered in ash, and throw- tions, will likely not survive.
as important enough to spend five minutes tion, as a concept, belief or practice, that ing themselves to the ground, throwing a Many of them have already sunk, while
of your time engaging? Well, humour has spreads from one person to another in a tantrum. The caption was something to the others are struggling to stay afloat and ac-
been used as a tool to criticise and stand similar ways to genes. effect of “Oh No! Not Lockdown again!” cused of charging from their frustrations.
against oppression for many years. Politi- In their present use, they’re primarily That led me to the online search of the an- It is the musicians and artists I am most
cal humour has been a significant part of an image, video, or piece of text, usually nouncement of the third lockdown, which concerned about. Artists are the pulse of
political discourse in society, helping the funny in nature, which is copied and spread followed the announcement of a new surge any country! They are the reflection of our
formation of opinions in politics, for peo- rapidly to internet users, usually with slight of COVID-19 cases in Botswana. times. In this season, they are bearing the
ple who are not actively political. variations. Similar to opinion pieces, memes can brunt of the pandemic interventions.
Political cartoons have been a real part of They are a significant form of civic par- create opinions in the minds of people. At Of course there are creative ways to
our daily lives as they appear in many print ticipation, noting that there is a direct rela- their worst, they have been used of course monetise the current struggle. They speak
publications. Political cartoons are a type tionship between politics and popular cul- for the spreading of propaganda to rein- the language that first appeals to the youth
of editorial cartoon, which are a graphic ture. I give this background to validate and force ideologies identities and harmful ste- – art. We cannot afford to be the generation
with caricatures of public, usually political legitimise memes. reotypes. within which our artists suffered the most.
figures, expressing the artist’s opinion. Now to explain their utility in socio- At their best, they are a way some have This piece sheds light on contemporary
Similar to political cartoons, memes are political discourse, memes have gained learnt to share the news, as well as political media or artforms to convey current af-
a newly adopted cultural way of cartooning prominence in a similar sense to political concerns with younger generations, who fairs. At the bottom of the pandemic pool,
present situations, in the ways that capture cartoons, in the age of digital technology. have absolutely no time to read lengthy are artists and young people.
Ever Had A Parent
Who Is A Serial Hoarder
T he auctioneer rang off the figures like
some experienced rap artist at a vari-
ety show ‘P500, do I hear P700, P800 there,
that was missing a back panel which was go-
ing to be fixed and taken to the house at the
village. There were some chicken cages that
P800, P800 is that a bid P1, 200, P1, 600, were going to house layer chickens. Some
P1, 600’ and on and on it went until an in- 11 years later we still did not own a single
nocent looking lot that started off at P400 chicken, perhaps because in that time there
had climbed to P2, 000. The old dusty sofa had never been chicken auctions. The step-
set which looked like a buffalo with a hor- ladder was meant for us to use for odd jobs
rible skin disease had now quickly morphed after fitting in the missing rungs. It got very
into some sort of masterpiece and a crowd of comical when we had to borrow a ladder next
hoodwinked hoarders were furiously trying door because the one we had had now disap-
to outbid each other for it. peared deeper inside the stash-house, sorry
Amongst the lot was my dad, the cham- guesthouse (dad would not like it if I called it
pion of hoarders. He beat everybody and the that) as ‘new’ ones arrived.
lumpy skin buffalo was going to my house. that would happen. I I could not share his en- in the guest wing meaning that guests now Later on in our lives when I was married
My dad felt like a thief in the night. He called thusiasm. I wanted nothing to do with them could not stay overnight. The sofa set joined with a battalion of kids in tow (which is a
it a steal but for me, a bewildered teen, it re- but there was a problem, I was staying in his three air-conditioning units, another set of good 20 years later) dad decided that senti-
mained a buffalo. I had the unenviable task house. battered sofas, cupboards that were destined mentality had no place in his life anymore
of loading the sofa onto the bakkie, a very My friend, who is the last known relic of for the village, an array of sun-beaten water and decided to get rid of the stuff. He engaged
embarrassing moment. On the embarrass- Savageland aptly described auctions in this containers, a ladder with a more rungs miss- my services, ThuliJay Hoarding Antidote Inc
ment scale it would top arguing with a food way ‘Government departments procure staff ing than those that remained. to remove all that stuff and take them to the
vendor about how small the food portion on that they use and then throw in their yards af- These were the items that were visible Gamodubu landfill. The stuff that tumbled
the foam pack is and then finding your crush ter their utility is exhausted. After a few rains, when you opened the door and were ob- out was very interesting. A soiled teddy bear,
waiting for her turn right behind you with an snowstorms, hailstorms and sandstorms they scuring a whole lot of other items that had puzzles with missing pieces, a rusty butch-
irritated face. are put up for auction. The public comes and arrived some 5/6 years before. Dad always er’s knife, picture frames, more sofas, more
Along the way he waxed lyrical about how collects the trash, then pay the government had some great plans for stuff that he bought water containers and more misery.
beautiful these were and only needed covers department in question to now take care of even though that dissipated within a week as (For comments, feedback and insults email
to jazz them up then they would make their the trash.’ the love got transferred to newer acquisitions HYPERLINK“mailto:inkspills1969@gmail.
way into our living room. I dreaded the day Dad had built up a nice stash of used stuff from the auction lot. There was a wardrobe com” inkspills1969@gmail.com)
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