BOTSWANA: Tibetan Spiritual Leader Dalai Lama To Visit Botswana In August

Botswana has announced the visit of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in August for a human rights conference in Gaborone.

The presidency announced the visit on Thursday saying the exiled Tibetan Buddhist monk will attend a human rights conference on August 17 to 19 and then meet President Ian Khama.

President Ian Khama will meet the Dalai Lama when he is in Botswana. But the president’s attendance at the conference, for the official opening or otherwise, will be determined by his schedule, the presidency said.

The Dalai Lama, who was also the political leader of the autonomous Tibetan region under Chinese rule, fled to India in 1959 in anticipation of a threat to his life.

He transferred his political authority in 2011 to the democratically elected leader putting an end to the 368-year old tradition of the Dalai Lamas functioning as both the spiritual and temporal head of Tibet.

His sour relationship with the Chinese government comes from his quest to liberate Tibet from Chinese rule.

China has strong ties with African countries including Botswana, and the visit of the Dalai Lama has been touted as one that could strain the relationship.

Neighboring South Africa has denied visa to the Buddhist monk three times since 2009.

He has travelled to more than 67 countries spanning 6 continents and has received over 150 awards, honorary doctorates and prizes in recognition of his message of peace and non-violence.

The Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his non-violent struggle for the liberation of Tibet.




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SOUTH AFRICA: Four Lions Escape From Kruger, Three Short Dead By Farmer After Killing His Cow

Three of the four lions that escaped South Africa’s Kruger National Park have been shot dead by a farmer after killing his cow.

The parks authorities said on Thursday that the farmer found them eating one of his cows and then shot one dead and wounded another.

The rangers put down the injured lion and the one that escaped the farmer, said spokeswoman for South African National Parks (SANParks) Janine Raftopoulos.

The lions were killed because of the threat they could pose after tasting the cow meat, the parks explained.

Earlier reports said four lions had escaped, but the parks authorities believe they could have been three.

Earlier same day, parks authorities said they had dispatched helicopters to aid in their search.

This is the second time lions have escaped from the main tourist attraction site in the Mpumalanga province.

Five lions escaped in May and then captured days after near the border with Swaziland.

The lions broke free from the park which is close to Komatipoort, a community of about 5,000 people.

In 2015, a lion named Sylvester crawled under an electric fence at another park and went on a three-week sheep-killing spree before he was found by rangers taking a nap.

The cat was earlier this year released back into wild from a 200-hectare holding enclosure.

The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency had called on residents around the park to be vigilant and treat the animals as dangerous.




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BOTSWANA: Tourism Prospects Very High In Botswana

Traditionally reliant on mineral revenues especially from diamond sales, the country is banking on the seemingly fast improving tourism sector to become a central plank of its economic strategy.

Spurred by positive growth figures, blue-collar workers are busy building high scrapping hotels and convention centres, in a push to boost tourism as the government reduces its reliance on diamond revenues.

For the past five years, the government has been upgrading airports to international standards – a development that has given hope and confidence in the private investors in the tourism sector.

Ongoing construction of world-class hotels and resorts, infrastructure projects in the aviation, road and rail sectors is expected to successfully position Botswana in the right frame of receiving international tourists in the country.

When presenting a draft National Development Plan (NDP) 11 in parliament a couple of weeks ago, Finance and Economic Development Minister Kenneth Matambo said there are signs that economic diversification occurred during the NDP 10.

Matambo singled out the hotels and restaurants, which fall under the tourism sector, as the main player in driving the growth of the economy at a time when the country’s mainstay being the mining sector declined.

“The mining sector contracted by an average of 3.4percent per annum during the entire NDP 10 period while the non-mining sector grew by 5.6percent per annum thanks to good performance by the tourism sector,” said Matambo.

Matambo further explained that the increased contribution of non-mining sectors especially the tourism sector saved the economy from experiencing a full-blown recession in the past decade following the world credit crunch.

“This underscores the significance of continued vigorous efforts to diversify the economy and support of the non-mining sectors,” Matambo recently told a tense parliament, adding that the government will now focus on growing the tourism sector.

According to Matambo, non-mining sectors are expected to grow modestly by 4.6percent mainly driven by hotels and restaurants sector, which is projected to grow by a whopping 6.8percent followed by a tourism related sector of transport and communications at 6.0percent.

On an annual basis, total revenues at the onset of the NDP 11 are estimated to be P52.76 billion and will grow by an average of 6.7percent, reaching P70.78 billion in the 2022/23 financial year with the tourism sector expected to be the main driver.

Meanwhile, prospects remain positive for Africa in the remaining last quarter of 2016 and beyond, according to the latest United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) World Tourism Barometer released last week.

International tourist arrivals in Africa increased by 8 percent between January and September 2016 over the comparable prior year with at least 956 million global tourists travelled around during the period, representing a 4percent increase from the similar period in 2015.

BOTSWANA: Botswana To Use Military To Combat Poaching

President Ian Khama has said that incidents continue to show that Botswana’s tourism industry is under threat from poaching activities, prompting his resolve to resort to the military to curb the practice.Recently Botswana was embroiled in a controversy with its neighbours who accused her soldiers of being trigger-happy after they shot dead suspected poachers.

Speaking at an officer cadet parade in Gaborone, Khama said Botswana has an economy that relies on diamonds, beef and tourism amongst others.

Addressing the soldiers he declared: You will from time to time, be called for duty to curb such incidents in our operational areas and to secure our borders.

Perhaps in reference to encounters with armed poachers, Khama warned the officers that they will be exposed to hardship, danger, fatigue and many challenges.

He said they will need the strength of will and confidence to take the right path which may not necessarily be easy.

He exhorted the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) to succeed in whatever endeavour they undertake.

We must win but mediocrity is unacceptable. The BDF has never been found wanting Khama added.

BOTSWANA: Domboshaba Festival Of Culture And History

Saturday, 19 September 2015

This annual cultural event is held near Domboshaba Ruins, a unique stone masonry architectural signature of the Banyayi- Bakalanga empire and civilisation which stretches from Khami Ruins near Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. Botswana Tourism sponsors the publicity and promotion of this event as it has a strategic input in the diversifications efforts through events and destination awareness of the Botswana tourism offering.

This event is hosted in partnership with the local trust, Domboshaba Cultural Trust (DCT). The event has not only grown in terms of attracting an audience from Botswana and Zimbabwe, but also activities during the cultural event allow the audience to get more exposure to the Ikalanga culture.

The event also features a 21.2km Nswazwi half marathon with the start point in Sebina and finish point in Makuta.

The exact date to be confirmed but the event will be sometime in September.
Venue: Domboshaba Ruins, Botswana

Organiser: Domboshaba Cultural Trust