Koontse bars journalists from Kweneng full council

EPHRAIM KEORENG
Staff Writer | Friday June 25, 2010 00:00

Only the state media - Daily News, Radio Botswana and Botswana Television - will be allowed to cover the meeting. The barring of the private media has angered councillors in Kweneng, Mmegi is informed.

Responding to allegations that the council management has decided to bar the private media from attending and covering the meeting, Koontse said yesterday: 'It's true that we announced that the private media cannot attend the meeting. We will only have the state media because we can control them on what to write and what not to write. They are bound by government regulations whilst you as private media are not, hence we have decided to bar you,' he said.

He said council management will make a determination on whether the private media should be also be barred from covering the opening session of the council meeting.

'We are still discussing it, to decide whether to allow the private media to cover the council chairman's speech and Khama's opening speech before they are ushered out,' he said.

When Mmegi pressed him to explain which law the council management was using to bar private media from the full council meeting, Koontse said 'it will be a cabinet meeting but rather a special one as it will be attended by all councillors. To a certain extent it's like a council committee meeting which is attended by some councillors and closed to the whole public including the media,' he said.

In an interview with Mmegi, Gabane North East councillor, Ofentse Mareme, said: 'They say it will be a cabinet meeting and that they would allow the state media to cover it so they can disseminate the information to the public. So, I indicated that we should not close out the private journalists because they are also important stakeholders in community development.

'They also disseminate information to the public just like the state media. But unfortunately the council management was adamant that they would not allow the private media.

They said they would consider whether to allow them just to cover the opening part of the meeting, where the chairman will give welcome remarks, after which they will take them out. This is unacceptable and we cannot allow that to happen here,' said Mareme.

Meanwhile, Mogoditshane North councillor, Banks Ndebele, complained that Koontse intimated that he will move councillors from their seats in council to make way for Khama's entourage.

Koontse confirmed that indeed some councillors will have to make way for the entourage so that 'they can sit close to the top table, which will ease coordination and communication between the cabinet and the officials. So yes, it's true that some councillors will be moved,' he said.

On the other hand, the council chairman claims to be ignorant of the matter, saying as far as he is concerned, everyone, including the private media and the public, will be invited to the meeting because 'it is a normal full council meeting,' he said.The chairman said they always invite the media to their full council meetings, except only when there are committee meetings which are held behind closed doors.

'The  June 29, meeting where Khama will be here is a normal full council meeting and I don't see how journalists will be barred from attending and covering the proceedings. I have not been informed of any arrangement to keep out the private media,' he said.