Dube plays down flag faux pas
Thursday, March 12, 2015
After showing other African athletes a clean pair of heels, Botswana 4x400metres wonderkinds Karabo Sibanda, Baboloki Thebe, Loungo Scotch and Unoda Keetile performed the victory lap without the national flag, which is regarded as a norm.
The team powered to gold in 3:11:00 in the race at the just ended Africa Junior Championships last Sunday in Ethiopia, but their moment of glory seemed to suffer a temporary setback when they failed to get a flag for their victory lap.
Whilst celebrating milestones in inclusivity, with notably P5 billion awarded to vulnerable groups, the report sounds a 'siren' on a dangerous and growing trend: the ballooning use of micro-procurement. That this method, designed for small-scale, efficient purchases, now accounts for a staggering 25% (P8 billion) of total procurement value is not a sign of agility, but a 'red flag'. The PPRA’s warning is unequivocal and must be...