BCP Picks Negotiating Team
The Botswana Congress Party (BCP) has appointed a negotiating team for unity talks with other opposition parties. The team was appointed during a central committee retreat in Mahalapye over the weekend. It is headed by the party chairman, Batisani Maswibilili.

BDP Wakes Up To Opposition Threat
After suffering humiliating defeats in recent council by-elections, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) is no longer taking the combined opposition strength lightly. The BDP is said to be pressing panic buttons after losing two council seats to the opposition.

High Court Judges Test For HIV
Assistant Registrar and Master of the High Court, Godfrey Nthomiwa stated that HIV/AIDS has affected AOJ staff in one way or the other and will continue to take its toll if they do not stand and fight. He underscored the fact that knowing one’s status is a milestone achievement in the fight against HIV/AIDS as this helps people to make informed decisions about health issues in time. “Testing for HIV can even be referred to in some quarters as getting a passport to life. The exercise we are embarking on is important since it complements government response to preventing the spread of HIV in the workplace.”

The Vow Of A Passion Killing Survivor
She survived the fire that was set by her estranged boyfriend and now she thinks all men are killers. She has scars all over her body. Her hands are still bandaged and she looks very traumatised. The fire killed her grandmother, her three-year old daughter and two other family members aged below five on November 22. Her other daughter aged seven died in hospital a day after the inferno. “I still do not know how I escaped that fire. Our grandmother woke us up and the house was on fire and things just happened so fast,” said Nomsa Gothata.

CTO Officer To Answer Dagga Charges
Urban Customary Court president, Isaac Monametsi has postponed a case in which a civil servant is accused of possession of dagga. Monametsi said unlawful possession of habit-forming drugs is on the rise and as such, the case of Phillip Simon deserves special attention. He postponed the case to December 14. Simon, an employee of Central Transport Organisation (CTO) in Gaborone has denied that he was found with 3.8 grams of dagga on October 23. He claimed the dagga belonged to one of the prosecuting officers, special constable Lekalake. “Ba a mpatika, motokwane ga ke o itse. (This dagga does not belong to me). Ke wa ga rre yole. (It belongs to that man),” he said pointing at Lekalake.

Police Exhume Skeletons From Shallow Grave
FRANCISTOWN: The police have unearthed human skeletons from a shallow grave along the Semolale cordon fence in Bobirwa. Semolale police station commander, Superintendent Oeme Tangane said last week that they found the remains in Mabolwe, about four kilometres from Semolale. Mabolwe lies a few kilometres from the Botswana border with Zimbabwe. The police suspect that the human bones belong to two or three people. He added that the bones have been sent to the police forensic laboratory in Gaborone for analysis.