Author

Mbongeni Mguni
Financial Journalist

Twitter: @MboBW

Email: [email protected]
  • Gov’t to revise spending as H1 wraps up

    At the time of the original 2025–2026 budget speech in February, government expected revenues to reach P75.5 billion, with minerals contributing P15.8 billion or about 21%. The budget was due to carry a deficit of P22.1 billion or 7.6 percent of...

  • Ninety One eyes P2bn in private credit opportunities

    The local financial market has been weighed down by a liquidity crisis since last year, mainly owing to reduced government spending amidst the prolonged downturn in diamonds.Private credit, meanwhile, which involves non-bank entities such as pension...

  • A stitch in time to save lives

    The establishment of a P5 billion fund and emergency mechanisms to resolve the long-boiling crisis in the country’s public health sector, could not have come sooner.The majority of the country’s population depends on the public healthcare system...

  • Inflation seen inching higher

    The central bank now expects inflation next year to average 5.9 percent, up from the 4.6 percent forecast in June.Speaking at a briefing held after the August Monetary Policy Committee meeting last week, BoB governor, Cornelius Dekop, said the...

  • Govt to formally distinguish natural diamonds from synthetics

    “We have been lobbying and discussing with our partners around the world on what is needed for differentiation. “As we were busy engaging partners, we also realised that our legal framework here needs a lot more tweaking to accommodate the...

  • Why a bidding war has erupted over Mupane

    On August 26, bidders lock horns on whose offer is the best to take over Mupane Gold Mine, the country’s sole gold operation where operations have been suspended since March 2024.According to documents circulating recently, of the ten companies...

  • BoB engages banks on rates, sounds warning

    “We continuously have consultations with commercial banks to discourage interest rate changes which are counter to monetary policy stance and economic situation, as well as other stakeholders to address unwarranted price increases,” Governor...

  • De Beers sees India, SE Asia as future demand drivers

    De Beers, the company most responsible for the value assigned to natural diamonds and boasting the most diamond discoveries ever on Earth, has become almost preternaturally adept at forecasting where demand for the stones will come from in the...

  • BPOPF plans greater local capital injections

    BPOPF CEO, Moemedi Malindah, told BusinessWeek that the fund was alive to the economic challenges in the country, as well as the need to be more active in stimulating activity that will spur employment creation.“We cannot act as though we are...

  • BSE handholds GCC towards historic municipal bond B2

    For years, the BSE and its partners in the Botswana Bond Market Association advocated for the use of municipal bonds as a viable infrastructure development financing mechanism. Municipal bonds, as used all over the world, are debt instruments that...

  • Letshego investors approve P500m loan request to BPOPF

    A notice to the Botswana Stock Exchange this afternoon indicates that more than 99% of the shareholders present at an Extraordinary General Meeting convened for the transaction yesterday, voted in favour of the deal.Under the terms of the...

  • Should Botswana buy a bigger stake in De Beers?

    A bigger stake in De Beers would fulfil Botswana’s dream of controlling the diamond industry from mine to market and the company’s valuation is possibly at its cheapest ever. However, a larger stake also means shouldering more for projects such...

  • Vehicle population pushes up

    Figures released by Statistics Botswana last week, confirm a trend analysis showing that higher numbers of vehicles, mostly used, are being purchased and registered in the country.While the first time registrations dipped between the fourth quarter...

  • RDC’s bid for PrimeTime flops

    RDC Properties closed an initial offer to PrimeTime shareholders on August 1 and this week announced that those who expressed interest in participating were less than the 44% equity stake it was seeking in the rival firm.“As of the initial closing...

  • Franchise takeover will open up investment, Pick n Pay says

    The group, which is one of South Africa’s largest retailers, recently received local approval for the 100% takeover of NTS Holdings, the company that had been operating Pick n Pay supermarkets and liquor stores in the country for over a decade...

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