GBC set to relaunch soon
Thursday, February 04, 2010
The new name, e-Botswana, now relates well with South Africa's etv, which has a controlling stake at the Gaborone channel, where it also transmits one of its most sought after contents such as the UEFA Champions League, and hot movie line-ups.
GBC general manager David Coles says: " We are very grateful to the NBB for the name change", adding that they are still trading as GBC in the meantime pending the launch of the new name in a month or two. However, Coles told Showbiz that contrary to some reports, they do not have a national license yet. " What we got is a new name, and not a national licence. We are in the process of applying for a national licence; as to when we will do that , it is not decided yet", Coles explained. About the acquisition of a national licence, Coles described the exercise as a long process. " It is an ongoing process that we cannot set a timeline on because they are a lot processes required, it has a lot of technical details, including how you roll out the network," Coles explained. In 2007 South African media company Sabido, the holding company of Johannesburg based television station etv, acquired 49 percent of GBC.
But on the particularly sensitive question of cadre deployment, the BNF must tread very carefully.The issue deserves robust debate, not ideological enthusiasm. Recent public comments from the BNF leadership are reassuring: the party has said that government positions should be based on merit and competence rather than party membership, and that it does not have a specific cadre-deployment policy.That principle should remain firmly at the centre...