The stumble that stunned a nation

NIGEL PIC Getty Images
NIGEL PIC Getty Images

Stunned silence swept through Gaborone on a typical spring Sunday afternoon. Athletics’ pin-up boy, Nijel Amos stuttered, stumbled before crashing out of the 800m semi-finals of the World Championship in China. The nation expected gold, but was instead served a cold Beijing dish of disappointment, Staff Writer, MQONDISI DUBE

When Botswana’s World Championships team left the hopes of an expectant nation hung on the country’s most trumpeted athlete, Nijel Amos. He was seen as Botswana’s brightest hope for a medal after a stellar year and some dominant displays since his London 2012 silver medal.

Amos had brutally dominated his six of the seven meetings against world record holder, David Rudisha since 2012.

Editor's Comment
Micro-procurement maze demands urgent reform

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...

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