Kgathi snubbed Bobirwa taskforce
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The Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Shaw Kgathi
The Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Shaw Kgathi who was previously a Minister in the Office of the President, refused to meet the government appointed taskforce on the Bobirwa chieftaincy dispute, the Weekend Post has established.
Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ray Molomo, Dr Rodgers Molefhi, Kingsley Sebele and Shaw Mokgadi who were members of the said taskforce that was set up to establish the origins of Bobirwa chieftainship had summoned Kgathi among other notable Babirwa to make submissions.
The taskforce started off with an indoor investigation involving the traditional leadership in the Bobirwa region to establish the tribe's royal lineage. Members of the community were scheduled to make submissions indoors later and while the members of the public were to follow in a Kgotla meeting.
Minister Kgathi who is a nephew to the embattled and outgoing Chief, Mmirwa Malema, was scheduled to make his submissions as a credible national leader, and as family. Kgathi however refused to meet the taskforce, defying the Bangwato regent, Kgosi Sediegeng Kgamane‘s order and advice to the Bobirwa community to be cooperative and submissive to the taskforce for its smooth and effective operations.
Sources at the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development say they have since learnt that Kgathi was frustrated by a succeeding campaign to oust his uncle, Kgosi Malema hence his efforts to frustrate the efforts of the taskforce.
The taskforce was commissioned following Mmirwa Malema’s revelation that he would retire this year and would hand over to one of his children. Adam Masilo was recommended as the rightful chief of Bobirwa as it was discovered that Malema himself, became chief through an election that was held in 1972.
In an interview with Weekend Post, the taskforce leader, Molomo said Kgathi may have declined due to political reasons, “Maybe he didn’t want to be involved,” he said when quizzed over why he did not meet with them when they requested his audience.
This publication has established that Masilo may however not take over from Malema following an illness understood to be a minor stroke. Sources say he is highly likely to appoint a regent to put the tribe’s worries at rest.
The Task Force was, among other things, instructed by the Ministry of Local Government to determine the lineage of Babirwa and also to determine if that Bogosi was hereditary or not. Another of the terms of reference had asked the Task Force to determine who the rightful “Moemela Kgosi yo Mogolwane ”(Senior Tribal Representative) was in Bobirwa.
According to the reports, all evidence given by a varied number of people from across Bobirwa villages and settlements, including Bobonong, Tsetsebjwe, Molaladau, Gobojango and Semolale showed that the Bobirwa chieftainship has always been hereditary.
The Task Force was able to determine that among the three claimants [Malema, Masilo and Serumola] the descendant of Sekoba was the most senior. Sekoba is a past Bobirwa Kgosi who ruled before the current confusion ensued. And, as it turns out, Masilo is the direct descendant of Sekoba, the Report revealed.
The Task Force was further instructed by government to determine how Kgosi Mmirwa Malema, who currently sits as the Senior Tribal Representative, had ascended the throne to start with.
The Task Force discovered that Malema was voted as part of an election that was held in 1972.
“The last Mongwato, Oampona Ngwato, resigned in 1972 and there was an election between Mmirwa Malema, Batshedi Kgathi and Gaonyatse Randome. Malema won the election,” reads the report.
Additionally, the Task Force also discovered that all the three claimants to the throne were indeed related, but that Masilo was incontestably the most senior. Given its clear discomfort in making public the findings of the Molomo Task Force, it remains to be seen what steps the government will take since Malema’s contract officially elapsed in May this year, though he has not been replaced as of yet. Efforts To get a comment from the Minister hit a snag as he is currently outside the country. His secretary said he will only be in the office on the 29th of this Month.
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Batswana owe banks P79 billion
The Minister of Finance, Peggy Serame, has disclosed that the total bank credit extended by commercial banks amounted to P79 billion, out of which P53.4 billion was retail loans and advances to households.
Parliament was informed this week in response to a question by the Member of Parliament for Selibe-Phikwe West and Leader of Opposition (LOO), Dithapelo Keorapetse.
“As at 31st December 2022, loans and other advances extended to households by banks constituted the largest share of bank-lending at 67.6 percent, the majority of which was unsecured personal loans at P36.2 billion (67.8%),” said Serame.
She added that the total household Debt to GDP ratio was 21.9%, while the total private business credit to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio was 10.8%.
On the other hand, it was noted that outstanding mortgage loans extended to households were P14.2 billion (26.6% of household debt) or 5.9% of GDP. Overall, total bank credit as a ratio of GDP stood at 32.7 percent.
It was acknowledged that there are 10 deposit-taking banks in the country, that is, nine commercial banks and one statutory bank (Botswana Savings Bank). This statistics excludes the National Development Bank (NDB), which is a development finance institution. The nine commercial banks include an indigenous bank, Botswana Building Society Bank Limited (BBSBL), which was issued with a commercial banking license by the Bank of Botswana in October 2022.
Still in December 2022, it was recorded that there were 376 non-bank lenders in Botswana consisting of 246 micro lenders, 66 finance companies, three leasing companies and 61 registered pawnshops.
According to Minister Serame, the loan book value representing the principal amount lent by these entities to individuals and to small, medium and micro Enterprises (SMMEs) is collated by the Non-Bank Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority (NBFIRA), which at 31st of December 2021, the loan book values were P5.6 billion for micro lenders, P1.6 billion for finance companies, P225 million for leasing companies and P14 million for pawnshops.
Government policy is that price control is not effective or desirable, and, as such, interest rates are not regulated. Non-regulation may, among other things, result in an increase in non-interest rate fees and commissions, reduced price transparency, lower credit supply and loan approval rates.
“It is important to note that, from a macroeconomic perspective, household debt in Botswana is neither a pandemic nor considered to be excessive. Indeed, the Bank of Botswana’s periodic and continuous assessments of household debt, including through the annual Household Indebtedness Surveys, suggest moderate household indebtedness and therefore, is of no apparent risk to the safety and soundness of the domestic financial system,” said Serame.
She also alluded this assessment is validated by the recently concluded Financial Sector Assessment Programme (FSAP) on Botswana undertaken by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group.
Keorapetse however rebuked the issue of debt not being excessive and noted the Minister thinks it’s fine for Batswana to be debt burdened in a way that their debts diminishes their quality of life.
“A significant portion of Batswana’s salaries go to servicing debts and because she doesn’t see this as a challenge, there can never be any intervention from her side. There is no price regulation on interest, which can go up to 30%+ a month. Since President Masisi ascended to the high office in 2018, 2 384 Batswana were put in prison for failure to pay debts, that is 467 Batswana every year. So, for us, debt problems are big and concerning,” said Keorapetse.
He said they are worried because Batswana are drowning in debts because of relative poverty, slave wages and unemployment/underemployment, they buy basic needs and services with borrowed money and noted predatory and unethical lending has become a major problem in Botswana’s financial sector.
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How to fleece P14 million from Chinese investor
The modus operandi of how five men allegedly swindled a Chinese national P14 million last week continue to unravel. Highly placed sources from the intelligence, the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) and Botswana Unified Revenue Services (BURS) revealed to this publication how the whole scam was concocted.
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ENVIRONMENT ISSUES: Masisi asks Virginia for help
President Mokgweetsi Masisi says the issue of sustainable natural resources management has always been an important part of Botswana’s national development agenda.
Masisi was speaking this week on the occasion of a public lecture at Virginia Polytechnic, under theme, “Merging Conservation, Democracy and Sustainable Development in Botswana.”
Botswana, according to Masisi, holds the view that the environment is fragile and as such, must be managed and given the utmost protection to enable the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“It is necessary that we engage one another in the interchange of ideas, perspectives, visualizations of social futures, and considerations of possible strategies and courses of action for sustainable development,” said Masisi.
On the other hand, dialogue, in the form of rigorous democratic discourse among stakeholders presents another basis for reconfiguring how people act on their environments, with a view to conserving its resources that “we require to meet our socio-economic development needs on a sustainable basis,” Masisi told attendees at the public lecture.
He said government has a keen interest in understanding the epidemiology and ecology of diseases of both domestic and wild animals. “It is our national interest to forestall the dire consequences of animal diseases on our communities livelihoods.”
President Masisi hoped that both Botswana and Virginia could help each other in curbing contagious diseases of wildlife.
“We believe that Virginia Tech can reasonably share their experiences, research insights and advances in veterinary sciences and medicines, to help us build capacity for knowledge creation and improve efforts of managing and containing contagious diseases of wildlife. The ground is fertile for entering into such a mutually beneficial partnership.”
When explaining environmental issues further, Masisi said efforts of conservation and sustainable development might at times be hampered by the emergence and recurrence of diseases when pathogens mutate and take host of more than one species.
“Water pollution also kills aquatic life, such as fish, which is one of humanity’s much deserved sources of food. In this regard, One Health Approach imposes ecological responsibility upon all of us to care for the environment and the bio-diversity therein.”
He said the production and use of animal vaccines is an important space and tool for conservation, particularly to deal with trans-border animal diseases.
“In Botswana, our 43-year-old national premier pharmaceutical institution called Botswana Vaccine Institute has played its role well. Through its successful production of highly efficacious Foot and Mouth vaccines, the country is able to contain this disease as well as supply vaccines to other countries in the sub-region.:
He has however declared that there is need for more help, saying “We need more capacitation to deal with and contain other types of microbial that affect both animals and human health.”