Govt officers snatched my wife, says Basarwa witness
GANTSI: A witness in the Basarwa relocation case has told the High Court that government officers snatched his wife during the relocation in 2002. Tsebediteng Gaoberekwe said the officers came with trucks and instructed residents of Metsiamanong to get in to relocate but he refused. He said he watched helplessly as his huts were brought down.

All-Party meeting proceed without opposition
ATTORNEY General Ian Kirby has said that the decisions made by the All-Party Conference meeting yesterday are lawful despite a boycott by the main opposition parties. Contrary to claims that the meeting was not legitimate because of the boycott, Presidential Affairs and Public Administration Minister Daniel Kwelagobe said that Kirby had clarified that this was not the case. At a press conference after the meeting, Kwelagobe - who is also the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) secretary general - said that Kirby had informed them that there is no procedure laid down in the Constitution governing the meeting of the All-Party Conference.

Getting a work permit the Zim way
ZIMBABWEANS seem to be always ahead of the Labou, and Immigration departments when it comes to acquiring residence and work permits. After the regulations for employing farm labourers and herdsmen were relaxed, almost every Zimbabwean taxi driver, and self-employed bricklayer has a permit that states that he is a herdsman or farm labourer.

Crime, unemployment sully Gaborone’s image
HIGH crime and unemployment have emerged as the leading factors that give Gaborone a bad name ahead of littering, poor housing, traffic congestion and stray livestock.

Thieving guards hold court to ransom
FRANCISTOWN: Two security officers accused of stealing groceries asked a customary court yesterday to adjourn their case until their colleague, who they claim was present during the crime, is put on his defence. Shima Lesebe (25) and Mothusi Bakae (27) from Securicor security company pleaded guilty to the offence but refused to give evidence until Mmoloki Dobela, an accomplice who turned state witness, is put on the dock.

Gaborone Mayor pleads for debt payment
The Mayor of Gaborone, Harry Mothei has urged councillors to encourage those who owe the council rates and service levies to pay up. Welcoming councillors at a three-day full council meeting, which commenced yesterday, Mothei urged the council to come up with better ways of collecting debt. He said the council is aware that there are many reasons why people fail to pay debts.

AIDS expert emphasises early testing
EARLY HIV testing is the key entry point for all actual and potential interventions such as treatment, support and prevention, the Masa Antiretroviral Therapy Program Manager, Dr Ernest Darkoh has said. Speaking at the beginning of a two-day workshop of the Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa (CHGA) in Gaborone on Monday, Darkoh said it was the seriously ill who come forward for treatment first. He said they overwhelm the capacity of the health services and hence there is a need to split the queues for the seriously ill and those who have come for normal treatment.