TheNewsGuru

Tag: Botswana

  • Botswana’s new President appoints Vice President as Minister

    Botswana’s new President appoints Vice President as Minister

    Botswana’s Vice President Ndaba Gaolathe will double as finance minister, new President Duma Boko said on Monday, announcing the first ministerial positions in his cabinet.

    In a shock election result earlier this month, Boko’s Umbrella for Democratic Change coalition ousted the party that had ruled the southern African country for nearly six decades.

    Analysts said mounting economic grievances, particularly among young people, contributed to Boko’s landslide victory.

    High on Gaolathe’s to-do list will be lifting economic growth, which the International Monetary Fund projects will slow to 1 per cent this year mainly due to lower diamond production.

    “We are in a dire economic and financial situation. He has a huge job in his hands. He has to steer us through these choppy and turbulent waters,” Boko said during a press conference, referring to Gaolathe.

    Boko also named an opposition lawmaker as deputy health minister and an independent lawmaker as deputy agriculture minister.

    He has not yet revealed the new mining minister, a job that is especially closely watched as Botswana is the world’s top diamond producer by value.

    Boko told reporters that more cabinet appointments would be announced in the coming days.

  • Botswana ruling party ousted after 58 years in power

    Botswana ruling party ousted after 58 years in power

    Botswana’s Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) swept to power in the landlocked southern African country on Friday, taking 35 of 61 seats in parliament and ousting the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) after 58 years.

    The BDP had secured just two seats, the electoral commission announced. It had ruled the former British protectorate – whose economy depends on diamond mining and wildlife tourism – since independence in 1966.

    Speaking in Gaborone, President Mokgweetsi Masisi acknowledged defeat, saying the BDP would respect the result.

    Observers had expected the BDP to retain power in the vast country with a population of just 2.5 million.

    The party holding a majority in parliament appoints the president.

    The likelihood is that UDC candidate Duma Boko, a 54-year-old human rights lawyer who studied at the elite U.S. university Harvard, will be elected to serve as president for the next five years.

    Boko had campaigned on a platform of job creation and increasing minimum pay and pensions. Botswana lacks industrial development and has high unemployment.

    After diamond mining, wildlife tourism is the main source of foreign exchange, with the Okavango Marshes and the largest elephant population in Africa major drawcards.

  • WAFCON: Super Falcons beat Botswana to raise hopes, as South Africa advance

    WAFCON: Super Falcons beat Botswana to raise hopes, as South Africa advance

    Title-holders Nigeria set on a better track their 12th Women Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) campaign with a 2-0 win over Botswana in Rabat on Thursday.

    The development meant they rose to second place in Group C behind new leaders South Africa, with Botswana dropping from the table’s apex to third place.

    South Africa had earlier in the day thumped Burundi 3-1 to lead the group and advance to the quarter-finals.

    Botswana, 4-2 winners over Burundi on the opening day, had led the group following the Super Falcons’ 1-2 loss to the Banyana Banyana on Monday.

    But on Thursday, U.S.-based forward Ifeoma Onumonu put the Falcons on their way with a sweet finish in the 21st minute from an intelligent through pass by Halimat Ayinde.

    The Falcons had before then looked brighter on the break than they did against South Africa, with Rasheedat Ajibade, Onumonu and Francisca Ordega launching onslaughts which unsettled their opponents.

    Nigeria could have been two goals up five minutes later, when Ordega found Toni Payne with a stylish pass and the defender sent the ball into the penalty box.

    But the southern Africans cleared their lines to prevent any damage.

    Two minutes later, Onumonu failed to control in good time a good pass by Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene.

    Botswana had their own song in the half, with Tholakele rattling goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie from a 22-yard free-kick in the 31st minute.

    She then shot straight at the Nnadozie six minutes later.

    Substitute Christy Ucheibe, with her first touch of the ball, scored Nigeria’s second goal in the 48th minute.

    She rose highest in the penalty box to nod home Payne’s heaved effort from a corner-kick.

    Five minutes later, Ucheibe controlled and lashed slightly over the bar.

    When Gift Monday and Regina Otu joined the fray in place of Ordega and Okobi-Okeoghene in the 63rd minute, Nigeria’s rejuvenation was unmistakable.

    Onumonu had a couple more goalscoring chances, while Ayinde’s angled shot from 25 yards was punched away and Uchenna Kanu saw her shot blocked.

    The Super Falcons will now on Sunday face Burundi, who are already out of contention, with a win certain to guarantee for them a place in the competition’s quarter-finals.

    Botswana on the other hand need at least a draw against South Africa to have hopes of securing a quarter-final spot through the best-losers spot.

    But a win for Botswana can drop Nigeria to third spot, with the title-holders needing to reach the quarter-finals only if they beat Burundi, or get at least a draw.

    Group C Standings:

    Team                      P   W  D  L  GF  GA  GD  Pts

    South Africa           2   2   0   0   5    2    +3    6

    Nigeria                   2   1   0   1   3    2    +1    3

    Botswana               2   1   0   1   4    4      –     3

    Burundi                  2   0   0   2   3    7     -4     0

  • Botswana’s president in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19

    Botswana’s president in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19

    Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi is in mandatory self-isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 in routine testing, a government spokesperson said on Monday.

    “The president does not have any symptoms and will continue to receive close medical monitoring by his medical doctors,’’ John-Thomas Dipowe, acting permanent secretary for Government Communications, said in a statement.

    Vice President Slumber Tsogwane will assume the president’s responsibilities until further notice while Masisi is in isolation, Dipowe said.

    New coronavirus infections have risen sharply in the diamond-rich Southern African country since the detection of the Omicron variant late last year.

    The infections figure has jumped to an average of 2,500 every three days from under 300 over the same period before Omicron.

    But health officials say hospitalisations have not spiked.

    Botswana has managed to fully vaccinate 71 per cent of its eligible population of around 1.3 million people.

    Health officials said on Dec. 29 that Botswana would start to administer booster doses while the age limit for vaccination was reduced to 12 years from 18 years.

  • Cricket World Cup: Team Nigeria arrives Botswana for women’s qualifiers

    Cricket World Cup: Team Nigeria arrives Botswana for women’s qualifiers

    Team Nigeria has arrived Gaborone, the Botswana capital, ahead of the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.

    The 25-strong contingent left Nigeria on Monday and arrived Gaborone on Tuesday at about 1:20 pm Nigerian time, but had to undergo the mandatory COVID 19 tests, as well as other necessary protocols, before settling at the Avina Hotel, Gaborone.

    Leader of the delegation, Mariam Sulieman said the team had a great experience enroute Botswana, adding that the girls were ready to do battle.

    “Our journey has been free of hitches, even though we had to be connecting our flights at different points. We left Lagos and had to stop over in Ethiopia before getting here.

    “In all it has been a fantastic experience and the spirit in camp is very high. The girls are in top form and we expect to go home victorious this time around,” Sulieman said.

    Sulieman, an immediate past board member of the Cricket federation, lauded Uyi Akpata, the chairman Edo state Cricket Association for his passion and support to the success of the team.

    “A lot of people have put in their sweat to ensure that these girls get to this point, especially the efforts of Akpata, who is also the immediate past vice president of the NCF.

    ” They camped for over a month in Edo where they were properly taken care of and the excitement in the girls is very obvious.

    “This is the third time we are participating in these qualifiers and with the level of preparation I saw, I am sure that the girls will make the country proud,” she added.

    According to reports, the only two slots are up for grabs in the 11-nation tournament which begins on Thursday, Sept. 9.

  • Just in: Trouble looming as Coronavirus hits another African country

    Just in: Trouble looming as Coronavirus hits another African country

    Botswana Government says on Friday that the country has registered its first-ever suspected case of the deadly Coronavirus.

    A statement on its twitter handle and signed by the nation’s Director, Health Services, Malaki Tshipayagae said the suspected case was registered on Thursday.

    It said the suspected case was registered at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport upon arrival using Ethiopian Airways from China.

    “The suspect case is still under isolation at Block 8. Clinic and investigations are on-going,” it said.

    Recall that Health authorities in Ivory Coast are investigating a suspected case of Wuhan coronavirus in a female student who arrived from China, officials have said.

    The student, whom authorities have not named, is the first person to be tested for the virus on the continent.

    The statement in full:

  • So many women are imprisoned by their own curves- Lorraine Lionheart

    UK-based Botswana artiste, Lorraine Lionheart who recently launched a sex based podcast called TASSO, has expressed her thoughts over how the African society judge curvy women.

     

    The outspoken entertainer said the society feel they are stakeholders and feel they can tell curvy women what to wear and what not to wear.

     

    She wrote on Instagram: “I have never understood why it is ok for slimmer women to wear whatever they want and reveal whatever they wish, owning their bodies and their sexuality publicly if they like without provoking anyone, but the moment you have curves society suddenly feel they are stakeholders in your body and can tell you what you can and can’t reveal, what you can and can’t wear. It is heartbreaking that so many women are imprisoned by their own curves because they have been conditioned to be ashamed of such amazing God’s display of creativity.

    Not saying all women must flaunt their bodies. But I am saying all women must own their bodies and their sexuality. Their rights to do what they wish to do with their bodies must be respected.

     

    Why is it that especially in black/African communities , a skinny woman can stroll down the beach wearing a thong and seen as beautiful but a curvy woman wearing the exact same thing doing the exact same thing is seen as sexually provocative and sometimes even shamed for public indecency and subjected to cat callings?

     

    What is it that is so intimidating and threatening about a woman’s curves? About a woman taking total ownership of her body and her sexuality? Why is female power feared? A woman’s body is a very important part of her femininity, otherwise people who feel they are women trapped in men’s bodies would not feel the need to physically transform themselves. They would stay quite happily in feminine energy but with penises. We can teach young girls sacredness without conditioning them to fear their own bodies”

     

    First gay Muslim wedding takes place in the UK

     

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Be0tckMgzOi/?taken-by=lorraine_lionheart