The billions reasons behind Botswana�s defiance

Sir Seretse Khama International Airport's expansion was completed over-cost and budget
Sir Seretse Khama International Airport's expansion was completed over-cost and budget

As China ramps up its threats against Botswana over the opening of doors to the Dalai Lama, a month-long study by Mmegi hints at the reasons a country of two million people with an economy worth about $15 billion would make an enemy of a country of 1.4 billion with an economy worth $10.9 trillion. Staff Writers, MBONGENI MGUNI & BABOKI KAYAWE report

Any day now, the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security will send a Request for Tender exclusively to China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), laying out terms and conditions for the purchase of the Morupule B power station. The Chinese firm, a subsidiary of a state-owned entity, will assess the proposal and make an offer to buy out government.

That offer will go to Cabinet and if approved, the troubled 600-megawatt power station will pass from government’s hands into an entity owned indirectly by the Chinese government, for a price many expect to be well below the P15 billion it has cost to build the plant.

Editor's Comment
Two-tier education system demands action

Whilst we join Botswana Sectors of Educators Trade Union (BOSETU) and other stakeholders in commending the rise in top grades, a testament to the unwavering effort of many teachers and pupils, this progress is fundamentally shadowed by a failing that shames our society. The stark, persistent urban-rural divide is not just a statistic, but an active betrayal of thousands of young Batswana.The figures are a damning indictment. When pass rates in...

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