Boidus Focus - Vol 1, Issue 5 [Dec 2011]

O I D U S F O C U S

www.boidus.co.bw P5.00 (Including VAT)Botswana’s Architecture Design and Urban Landscape Newspaper

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COMMENTS >11

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BUILDINGS >06

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'Arch 2016' Project Proposal For Khama Crescent RoadNorthern Gateway City Development Proposal, Francistown

EDITORIALS >04

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Government Building Freeze Affects PPC’s Performance EDD Competent To Advance Construction Industry

NEWS >02

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Registration Of Archi-tects Coming To Reality In The Coming YearGreen Building Confer-ence Challenges Con-struction Industry

by H. Killion Mokwete, ARB Registered Architect, RIBA Chartered Architect

Touchroad Peninsula Inter-national Garden To Launch

Emerging Property Markets

by Keeletsang Dipheko / Images © Touchroad

by H. Killion Mokwete, ARB Registered Architect, RIBA Chartered Architect

>>> CONTINUED PAGE 06


2011 in Review: Construc-tion Industry in Botswana

The year 2011 is coming to a close, and firms, industry and companies will in about two weeks retreat for the festive season. The masses will have time to recharge and reap for another year ahead. For the construc-tion industry, 2011 has been a hectic year full of celebratory moments, uncertainties, scandals and uncertain future. This being our last publica-tion of the year, we will take time to reflect on what has been a very active and eventful year, where the following major events took place:


Sustainable economies rely on con-struction activities for growth and also as key part of stimulating economic activity. Botswana's economy recently grew by 9.6% and construction con-

[Adapted from, EMERGING MARKETS AFRICA & THE MIDDLE EAST by CUSH-MAN & WAKEFIELD and Emerging mar-kets in Africa by J.R. Kehl]

tributing some 28.3 % to this growth. Touchroad Peninsula International Garden has come up with the biggest development proposal in Phakalane.

‘There is real opportunity on the ground in Africa. There is improved governance, increased securitisation and maturing capital markets, all of

1. Budget Speech & New projects Freeze

The beginning of the year (February) was kicked off with a shocker of a bud-get speech. When Minister Matambo delivered his speech in Parliament, he also delivered a blow to the CI by an-nouncing a total freeze on all new proj-ects except those already underway. This we argued was a ‘Disaster to the CI’ and indeed, BOCCIM have been on record calling for an industry bailout. Some companies which started the year as fully operational are now defunct.

2. Industry Expositions

Property and Investment Expo (June):The first ever property and investment expo was successfully hosted by BEE and pulled a good number of exhibitors with less support from government. The maturity of the private sector in improv-ing confidence was something to be celebrated and noted. Boidus was very privileged to open this event and offici-ate the discussions. A better, bigger sec-ond coming of this event is on the table for June 2012 and Boidus looks to be central to it!

ABCON-TBBA Building and Construction Conference (September): The second expo in the form of a con-ference hosted by ABCON and TBBA sought to bring together the industry and discuss industry issues. The agenda items included talks by PPADB, Chinese Contractors representatives, Govern-ment representatives and others. The night also hosted Botswana CI's only awards ceremony which recognizes the

Interview with Gas-eitsiwe Ketshogile, University of BotswanaDebate: 'Village Devel-opment Plans Destroy Rural Neighborhoods'

Registered at GPO as a NewspaperVolume 1, Issue #5

Conceptual Siteplan

Minister Matambo

PPC's 2011 Botswana No.1 Builder Competition Winners

Property Investment Expo

Carter Morupisi, Permanent Secretary, MIST

Goitsemodimo Manowe

Capetown, Winner of World Design Capital 2014

BOIDUS FOCUSMonday 05 December, 2011

Local NewsPage 2

Merafhe Launches Microsoftby Esther Amogelang

'This is the second centre in Southern Africa and part of a network of 100 such programs developed in 42 countries and it’s my delight to be among such a dis-tinguished group of individuals to wit-ness a milestone in the advancement of Botswana in becoming one of the lead-ers in the Information and Communica-tion Technology (ICT) sector.'

This was said by His Honour, The Vice President of the Republic of Botswana, Lieutenant General Mompati Merafhe, when officially launching the Microsoft Innovation Centre at Botswana Technol-ogy Centre last week.

The event, which was graced by many among them Minister of Transport and Communication Honourable Nonofo Molefhi, Chairman of BIH Mr Neo Moro-ka, General Manager of Microsoft Cor-poration (Africa and Indian Ocean) Mr Hennie Loubser and other captains of industries, was organized by Ministry of Infrastructure, Science and Technology on behalf of Botswana Innovation Hub which is a parastatal company within the ministry.

Hon Molefhi said on his welcoming re-marks that the milestone will enable Bo-tswana to explore horizons in the ICT In-dustry as well as improve the economy.

Meanwhile Mr Loubser on behalf of Mi-crosoft said their partnership with Bo-tswana aims to build a platform in which everyone can come together as one.

He said as far as the centre is concerned they want to see a community were ev-eryone is open minded about ICT,building a more competitive industry as well as helping Botswana to accomplish its vi-

Registration Of Architects Coming To Real-ity In The Coming Yearby Mpho Mooka

The chairman of Architects’ Registration Council who is also the Executive Chairman of Pinagare Architects, Goitsemodimo Manowe, says as a new regulatory au-thority there are challenges about its establishment and this includes the formulation of the position profile, terms and conditions of the appointment of the Regis-trar, the setting up committees of Council, etc, but most importantly the production of the regulations governing various aspects of the profession.

He says the latter is a complex and legalistic process for which the Council must seek professional assistance. The process, as a whole, has been sluggish mainly on account of lack of funds to meet substantial costs asso-ciated with the Council’s establishment and operations, as it has not been possible, so far, for Government to fund the Council’s transitional stage and as it has not been possible for revenue to accrue to it before the reg-istration and regulation process can begin. Manowe says the Council has engaged Government regarding the issue of funding. As such amendments to the Act have been proposed to cater for subven-tion from Government to kick -start the process and to supplement the projected short-fall in the operational budget.

“The Council has also identified other deficiencies in the Act regarding, for example, Continuing Professional De-velopment (CPD), the lack of definition of the work of an architect, need to regulate comprehensively the profes-sion of architecture in the public interest, and therefore the need to encompass, and as in other jurisdictions, ac-tivities by other entities other than an architect. It is, in that regard, envisaged, through the amendments, that corporate entities will be registered and regulated as distinct from a natural person, as well as technologists and drafts-persons. The purpose is to recognise all these entities, which are undeniably existent and operative in the industry and to define the space within which they can operate as well as their commensurate responsibili-ties to the public” he continued.

A number of other important achievements have been made including the completion of the job profile, terms and condition for the appointment of the Registrar, es-tablishment of some of the key committees of Council, completion of the draft regulations on various aspects of regulation, etc. A comprehensive report has been is-sued to the Minister of Infrastructure, Science and Tech-nology on the activities of the Council, so far, as well the constraints and assistance it requires, going forward.

He says in order to expedite the implementation of its mandate, the Council has, and notwithstanding serious financial constraints, developed a strategy to begin the registration process by February 2012. This is based on the recognition that applications for registration and not necessarily total regulation can proceed ahead of the completion of all of the regulations. The Council has, therefore, prioritized the preparation for process-ing applications for registration as well as the regula-tions that go with it. A public announcement for appli-cants to submit applications will be made in due course

and once the Minister has published a statutory notice of the first set of regulations. Asked on the issue of corruption and the fact that citi-zens are crying foul about work distribution the Chair-person said that it is not the Council’s duty to regulate the distribution of work for architects. However, the Council must remain concerned, as per the powers and functions conferred to it by the Act, with the protec-tion of the interests of members of the public and the reputation of the profession, to the extent that the per-formance of individual architects as well as corporate entities may be affected by the integrity of the system of procurement of the services of an architect, training, professional qualifications, fraudulent acts, etc.

He further pointed out that the Council is aware that poor service delivery, corruption, deceit and other acts unbecoming of a professional architect account for some of the problems experienced in the industry. A major part of the problem, currently, is that there is no proper monitoring of performance and the proper dis-tinction between a professional and a non-professional. The Council will be in a position to deal with such acts once registration has become effective in the coming year.

“It is logical that the Council should interact with other statutory authorities and public institutions to put for-ward its proposals to address the standards of service delivery. More appropriately, the Council will make, from time to time, recommendations to the Minister on how the profession can be developed and how service delivery can be improved; hence the proposed amend-ments to the Act, in the first instance, to tighten the gaps in the legislation”.

He says after the registration process has commenced, hopefully in February 2012, the priority will be to edu-cate the public about the existence, functions of the Council and the benefits to the public. One of the key tasks, in that regard, is to set up a fidelity fund, as the Act requires, in order to settle claims from any member of the public who might have suffered a loss due to negli-gence or wrongdoing by a registered entity. This requires a relevant set of regulations for its administration.

“The Council will not itself be providing training. Rather, individual organizations like the University of Botswana, Architects Association of Botswana and other BOTA ac-credited institutions will be expected to submit propos-als for short courses they wish to offer in connection with CPD. The Council should then assess such courses, approve and award them certain credits. The Council will also be liaising, and on a continual basis, with the University in an effort to improve and maintain relevant and high standards relating to the training of architects at tertiary level. Preliminary discussions have been ini-tiated, in that regard, with the Architectural Accredita-tion Advisory Committee at the University” he further stated.

Asked about the advantages and disadvantages the Council will bring, Mr. Manowe responded by saying that the existence of such a regulatory body can only be of benefit to the public and is it long overdue. He stressed that any perceived disadvantage which comes about by virtue of the Council’s existence and its effec-tiveness will affect only those who have, so far, taken advantage of lack of regulation. The public will receive better service from professionally qualified service pro-viders, he noted.

Those active in the profession will be much more ac-countable. It will also relieve Government of the com-plex process of regulation and performance monitoring which complicates the operations of the PPABD and DBES, and renders it difficult to for those institutions which are not properly capacitated to deal with the in-tricacies of corruption in the construction industry, he concluded.

sion of becoming a more informative nation by 2016 through their ICT sector.

When officially launching Microsoft, Li-uetenant Merafhe said the centre will among other things play a pivotal role in developing our nation's software system, transforming Batswana into a more knowledge based economy, at-tracting foreign companies to locate in the BIH, as well as supporting and facili-tating research and development.

Merafhe said his government is dedi-cated to creating a broader and enabled environment that will assist in unlocking private enterprises in new export ori-ented ventures in ICT and other sectors of the economy.

He said the Information and Commu-nication Technology (ICT) Policy frame-work came from as far back as 2004 when the then Ministry of Communica-tion Science and Technology was estab-lished and consisted of Botswana Inno-vation Hub, the Science and Technology Park and the E-Government Strategy.

The initial focuses of the Hub are in Bi-technology, Energy and Environment, Mining Technologies and Informa-tion and Communication Technologies among other things.

Meanwhile Botswana Innovation Hub project is still on suspension pending the court case of it’s technical procure-ment of QS and Civil/Structural services

The Hub will eventually house com-panies listed under it and specializing among others in ICT, Mining technology, Energy and Environmental & Biotech-nology after completion.

The project is going to be the biggest ICT sector the country has ever experienced, which will among other things create em-ployment, improve our economy, invite business and attract foreign investors in Botswana.

Goitsemodimo Manowe

General Mompat Merafhe

Botswana Innovation Hub - Aerial View

Botswana Innovation Hub - View from Drive


Local / Regional / International NewsPage 3

Green Bui ld ing Conference Chal lenges Construct ion Industryby Keeletsang Dipheko

Green Building Council of South Africa is once more planning another substantial World Sustainable Build-ing Conference. The forum which is scheduled for June 2012 will look at the potential for the building sector in context of Sustainable Development, and there will be a panel of discussion on approaches to create more sus-tainable patterns of consumption and production, in the building sector and in urban development.

The session will address the steps that governments, NGOs, the building sector, and international agencies must take to realize the full potential for sustainable building and construction to contribute to meeting over-all global sustainable development objectives.

Nevertheless, awareness regarding a Nearly Zero En-ergy Building (NZEB) is one of the crucial ideas that are getting to be popular concepts in various countries and need to be discussed.

Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) is a building that has a very high energy performance. NZEB bases on a very low-energy building concept to minimize the energy demand, the nearly zero or very low amount of energy required is covered to a very significant extent by energy from renewable sources produced on site or nearby.

Therefore Green Building takes an initiative to motivate investors to invest in sustainability.

As a result Boidus Focus visited one of the Green Build-

ing Conference participants from Botswana, Leago Se-bina and Thabo Tau to share their experiences of the forum.

“The conference was about the development in its total-ity, how we can preserve the environment we are living in, whatever building we are giving in we should be able to give back to the environment,” said Leago Sebina who is also the director of Pinagare Architect.

The way housing is designed influences the way people live and interact and moreover it has impacts on health, wellbeing as well as security of the occupants.

Sebina said going green is not cheap if people are not forced to do it and in Botswana there are not stipulating laws concerning the environment and it needs volun-teers who can preserve the environment. He said after construction the people who assess the buildings must also look at how the environment is benefiting.

Every new construction project represents a reaction to the context and environmental conditions at the site. The design has to respond to soil conditions, solar ori-entation, and noise, likely impacts from climate change and other local risks, which can all lead to additional construction challenges.

“To go green means to empower everybody, and we should push our buildings to net zero building as the energy consumes energy and water. People must collect water from their roofing, and we call this a building in its totality,” stated Sebina.

Nevertheless, the implementation of higher building standards covering sustainability issues Progresses slow-ly and the proportion of sustainable properties in the real estates market is still low.

“In Botswana we still have a long way to go, we need pi-oneers in terms of going green and buildings should be documented to show how they change our lives, more professionals must be involved about going green to make people understand that it is possible,” said Thabo Tau

Following up on its enablement through carbon credits of South Af-rica's first mass greening project - the equipping of 70 000 low-income households in Nelson Mandela Bay (in Eastern Cape province) with solar wa-ter heating systems - Standard Bank Group is to make available some R22-million for use by local service provid-ers and manufacturers of the systems to assist with continued roll-out of the project.

Launched in late 2010 by Standard Bank Group in collaboration with the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Munici-pality, International Carbon, the Indus-trial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Solar Academy of Sub-Saharan Africa (SASSA), the project is in support of government's plan to have 1mil-lion houses equipped with solar water heaters by 2014.

The project has been registered to earn carbon credits with the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Ex-ecutive Board of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), under the Kyoto Protocol. The Protocol allows industri-alised countries to invest in projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries. This enables industrialised nations to sponsor a net global reduction in carbon emissions at a lower overall economic cost for themselves. The CDM EB issues carbon credits only once a carbon-reducing ac-tivity is completed.

The Nelson Mandela Bay project which has a target of 230,000 solar water systems will take several years to com-plete, necessitating upfront financing to bridge to the revenue from the car-bon credits. Standard Bank has there-fore committed to making advance payments of up to R25-million to get the project started.

And, by hedging the price of the cred-its that will ultimately be sold by the bank in a market worth US$180-billion globally, the bank will make upwards of R140-million available to the continued roll-out of solar geysers over the next ten years. Hedging the price has also protected the project from the fall in the price of carbon credits triggered by the European debt crisis.

In providing the finance Standard Bank Group is working with the IDC, which is providing risk mitigation guarantees on R8 million, and International Carbon, which is completing CDM technical re-quirements.

"We are taking the risk of pre-paying for the Nelson Mandela Bay project credits because we want to help gov-ernment fund those one million solar water heaters - and also because Stan-dard Bank believes it needs to help mit-igate the profound impact that climate change will have on South Africa's abil-ity to grow and develop," says Geoff Sinclair, Standard Bank Group 's head of carbon sales and trading.

"However, it's a challenge to fund sus-tainable development using conven-tional financial instruments. Climate change poses a new challenge and so it has to be addressed using new tools.

"That said, creative financing in this sector is more than usually satisfying because it serves everyone, from grass roots to government. It uses the paper value of environmental financial in-struments to unlock tangible financial value for people.

C"The Nelson Mandela Bay project, specifically, also proves to business and the person in the street that you can make a massive difference to the environment by doing something as simple as installing a solar geyser. It turns environmental theory into prac-tical reality at the level of the everyday person."

Less than a year old, the Nelson Man-dela Bay project is exceeding expecta-tions, with some 70 000 solar water heaters having been installed to date.

Apart from breaking ground on the credits themselves, Standard Bank is also pioneering the UNFCCC's use of provisions for "programmatic" CDM where, rather than individual approval of each individual installation, the UN approves a programme of activities that is then audited for carbon credits on a statistical sampling basis.

This is a new mechanism that is partic-ularly well suited for Africa given that many sustainable development project opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa consist of mass application of 'micro' technologies.

Standard Bank has been active in car-bon credit markets since 2003, trading through its international operation in London, with additional dedicated spe-cialists in China, Nigeria, Singapore and South Africa. Standard Bank's contacts and skills are applied in particular to helping customers in emerging mar-kets extract maximum value for their projects.

Standard Bank Group Injects Additional Capital Into Sa's First Mass Greening Projectby Boidus Admin / SOURCE: www.standardbank.com

Masdar Institute, Abu Dhabi, UAE (image source: www.fosterandpartners.com)

bedZED, London, England (image source: en.wikipedia.org)


EditorialsPage 4

PPADB Told To Act More And Talk Less At Global Expo. by Esther Amogelang

The Economist, Mr Tshepho Sayed at Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board System (PPADB) has urged all contractors that registration for service providers and suppliers commenced in 15, August 2011 and that those who have not registered will not participate in government tenders.

He said this at the workshop which was attended by many from different coun-

tries, exhibitors and the public at the just ended BEDIA Global Expo which was at Fairground recently.

Sayed said by registering contractors they shall be bound to conform to the code of conduct, which will among oth-ers promote professionalism, guidance on responsibilities as well as standard of conduct for contractors. By failing to comply with the code of conducts, he said contractors may be suspended or delisted the board on non compliance with the code of conduct.

He said the main aim/function of PPADB in the construction industry is to ensure standardization of procurement items, competition between contractors, anti corruption in P&D, fair and equitable treatment of all contractors in terms of acquiring tenders as well as accountabil-ity and transparency.

Sayed was quick to explain the govern-ment expenditure for the financial year

Bedia Tops Africa In Investment Promotionby Mpho MookaWhen giving a speech in a packed Boipu-so hall, acting board chairperson of BE-DIA, Ethel Matenge Sebesho said since they are merging with International Finance Service Centre (IFSC) to form a new entity under Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC), this was their last Expo after a challenging but success-ful expedition.

She said BEDIA has tremendously con-tributed to diversification of the coun-try’s economy (EDD) by attracting sig-nificant investment to Botswana and for that reason BEDIA got voted the Best Investment Promotion Agency in Africa, beating also the wealthy Arabic coun-tries on the way.

Giving a vote of thanks, Assistant min-

ister of Trade and Industry, Honour-able Vincent Seretse said the sponsors Botswana National Productivity Centre (BNPC), MTN Business solutions, Yarona FM, Kgalagadi Plastics, Tati River Lodge and BEDIA need to be commended for the exceptional job they have done in this era of global recovery because it augments recovery measures already in place because the government alone cannot answer the country’s problems alone.

He said the role of government in mar-ket driven economies is to create an enabling environment for the private sector to flourish and Botswana is no ex-ception, “ my ministry is wholly commit-ted to ensuring that the private sector thrives in the country like establishment

Government Building Freeze Affects Ppc’s Performance by Keeletsang Dipheko

PPC has recently released their 2011 annual year results, and as the leading supplier of cement in Southern Africa, its contribution face difficult business environment since the demand increas-es to 20%.

"The results reflect the difficult con-ditions experienced by local building and construction industries. Demand in South Africa and Botswana has only recently begun to improve and the only region where we enjoyed growth during the year was Zimbabwe. Although re-sults are down, they have been improv-ing since the first half of the year and we maintained good cash generation and respectable margins. We also managed to reduce overhead costs whilst deliver-ing on a number of strategic projects," said the chief executive officer of PPC Cement Paul Stuiver.

Speaking at the 2011 Annual Results Presentation Stuiver said the PPC’s to-

tal cement sales has reduced by 3% following lower sales in coastal areas, Botswana and lower exports, partly off-set by growing demand in Zimbabwe. Group revenue was almost flat at R6 826 million with improved selling prices compensating for lower sales volumes compared to 2010 group revenue which was R6 807 million.

However cost of sales has increased by 11% mainly due to electricity and die-sel prices increasing significantly above inflation accompanied by increase lo-gistics costs and higher depreciation re-sulting from recent capital projects.Net finance charges were R325 mil-lion (2010: R347 million) and taxation amounted to R520 million (2010: R622 million). An increase in the overall taxa-tion rate was mainly attributable to a R19 million benefit from a reduction in the Zimbabwean taxation rate dur-ing 2010 that was not repeated during 2011.

of Competition Authority which recently set up shop and is there to ensure the playing field is level”.

Seretse said setting up Botswana Invest-ment and Trade Centre (BITC) will ensure that Botswana is a prime destination for FDI and also the relocation of Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) to the ministry of Trade and In-dustry is intended to further ensure that citizens participate in the mainstream of the private sector. “ In conclusion, my greatest thanks to foreign Exhibitors for their courage to try out a promising new market such as ours in the midst of a re-covering global economy with gains that risk being reversed by various factors like stagnating US economy and possible ef-fects of the EU debt crisis” he said.

Furthermore earnings per share at 164,4 cents declined by 22%, in 2010 it was 211,1 cents per share, and The directors have declared a final dividend of 95 cents per share which was 130 cents per share in 2010 and it brings the year's total dividend to 130 cents per share compared to 175 cents per share of 2010. The policy of 1,2 to 1,5 times dividend cover remains unchanged.

Cash generated from operations re-mained strong at R2 102 million (2010: R2 442 million). Capital investment was R483 million (2010: R613 million). The group's capital investment programme was reduced during the year in sym-pathy with depressed trading condi-tions. Gearing remained substantially unchanged with gross debt amounting to R3 510 million (2010: R3 521 million).

However demand in Botswana weak-ened during the second half of the year mainly as a result of a slow-down in government spending on infrastructure projects, and exports to neighbouring countries decreased by 35% mainly as a result of the strong South African rand that prevailed throughout most of the financial year.

"Envirogrower" Coming to Botswana Soonby Esther Amogelang / Images © Envirogrower

Utilizing Nanotechnology to deliver extreme water savings & new water solutions for our environment.

Enviro Grower, a revolutionary Australian company specializing in low wa-ter sub-surface irrigation products was one of the exhibitors at the just ended Global Expo at fairground recently. The company which had various products ranging from Micro Reservoir, Water Grower, Ferti Grower and Moisture among others was discovered to be the answer to sub-surface ir-rigation for steep/sloping sites, or those with a mobile water supply, while also allowing significant lower water usage.

The company has seen a lot of positive response at the expo as a result they were able to use Sanitas plants to test-drive their products and many people including the government were very interested in their initiative and by so doing inviting them to come test their products in different parts of the country before establishing their business in Botswana beginning of next year.

One of their products,Watergrower, a gel like substance releases water di-rectly to the root system of a plant while at the same time making irriga-tion and watering sustainable in any climate. When placed in the root of the plant it will among other things reduce water intake, slowly release liquid water, and can last up to 90 days without evaporating, freezing or even boiling. Watergrower is suitable for all plants and soil types including; outdoor pot plants, domestic gardens, horticulture, urban tree planting and others.

Moisture, on the other hand is ideal for lawn and turf gardens beds, major landscape therefore allows for lower water usage, yet simple to use. It is simple to install, cost effective, it requires low pressure water source, not prone to blockages unlike some other sub-surface irrigation methods.

Highlight applications to the construction industry, include; Landscaping solutions, golf course and hotel resorts greenery, stadiums and sports facili-ties and others.

When contacted for comment Neo Morupisi who was at the stall said these products will be a good solution to a lot of Batswana because not onlyare they unique and easy, but they also reduce labour, dramatically reduces water consumption, environment friendly and a complete planting system.

2009/10 in different ministries. Ministry of Heath who has the biggest awards of P257, 743, 64.53 million followed by Transport and Communication, Agricul-ture, Office of the president, Finance and Development Planning,Education,Infrastructure and lastly Lands and Hous-ing with 3,969,639.26 million.

The Ministry of Infrastructure was awarded the second least money 7,608,757.72 in spite of half of the proj-ect at controversy, the stadium being of them, and under some under cor-ruption cases. The main concern raised by panelist was why some of the min-istries like OP, were awarded a lot of money which people don’t have an idea of were such money has done. They blamed MOE for using a lot of money on external placement for the past five years while they could have used insti-tutions like Damelin, Gaborone Institute of Professional Studies and others to en-roll students locally.

Many attendees at the conference said they are getting tired of not being given answers by government, where every time the government will be saying they are still working on a solution. They said its time PPADB takes responsibility of

more action than talk (presentation), and also take legal actions against companies which in most cases continue to win ten-ders in a row not giving others chances or despite their shoddy projects.

Responding to the questions, Sayed ad-vised the panel that they should report any company which might be involved in any unfair (multiple tenders) indirect-ly to the Department of Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) and also added

that them (PPADB) are currently doing more workshops, seminars in different parts of the country to educate people about the body and the benefits of it.

Meanwhile non-registered contractors shall be disqualified from tendering while PPADB on the other hand tenders in all areas of works, services and sup-pliers of which is committed to uphold the principles enshrined in the act and of best practices in conduct of procure-ment.

PPADB Presenting at Construction Expo


Editorial / Guest ColumnPage 5

Future Ain’t What It Used To Beby Jan Wareus, Architect / Town Planner

Construction Industry and The EDD Opportunit iesby Keeletsang Dipheko

A strong, growing, sustainable econ-omy is the goal of every nation in the world. A sustainable economy en-hances a nation’s standard of living by creating wealth and jobs, encouraging the development of new knowledge and technology, and helping to ensure a stable political climate. Having a di-verse economy that is, one based on a wide range of profitable sectors, not just a few has long been thought to play a key role in a sustainable economy.

Therefore the Economic Diversification Drive (EDD), initiative aims to diver-sify the economy by developing sectors other than the primary sectors so that they contribute meaningfully to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In the short term, the initiative seeks to leverage the Government’s purchasing power to enhance few sources of growth and revenues, private sector development, global recession, the silver lining and consumption through local procure-ment and the application of price pref-erence margins based on annual turn-

over.

However looking at how the EDD is ini-tiating different sectors to sustainable economy, large sectors like construction industry can plays a major role in en-hancing the nation’s standard of living.

“The EDD method in the short term en-courages people to make use of Gov-ernment purchasing power to promote local enterprises through preferences schemes,” said the Peggy Serame from the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Speaking at the Global Expo 2011 she said in the medium to long term there is a need to develop a vibrant and glob-ally competitive private sector, achieve technology and skills driven knowledge economy to enable competitiveness through thematic areas such as invest-ment and finance, research and devel-opment.

Though the government of Botswana is promoting the diversification of the

It is interesting to note that, historically, empires are born, growing and dis-appear from earth. But mostly, leaving some cultural achievements, ruins and writings, to us some steps behind.

For instance, Babylon (the Eufrat, Tigris empire - what’s now Iraq), ancient Egypt (the pharaoh land), old Greece and Rome collapsed. Caused by some kind of hubris or ignorance of environmental restrictions and consequent destruction of the basis for their sustainability. They depleted their resourc-es and civilizations built on a single resource could/cannot survive.

But they left a tremendous cultural inheritance to us.

What are we leaving behind for future generations – that’s something to think about but I leave the question for now. However, it will hardly be our architecture and organization of communities – our town planning! We se-riously have to look into more sustainable (energy sufficient) alternatives!

How do we adopt to a decrease in energy supply and a drop in economy growth? How do we keep the “necessities” we are used to in the post-in-dustrial years – our current “lifestyle”? Our SUV’s, limousines, and weekend trips to the village and weekend houses? How do we get to our jobs and schools when fuel is scarce and expensive?

Well, in a way we are lucky! We havn’t yet totally adopted and mimicked the western countries, the so called “developed” ones. This will one of my points in following writings.

I will also try and pose a few questions and hints with regards to our profes-sion as architects and town planners. It’s based on my experience from our 3rd world country – Botswana – and I am happy I am here in the days to come. But first some recap of the current situation:

ExxonMobil presents its outlooks until 2030 on website <exxonmobil.com/ energyoutlook> and some of the findings regarding future fuel deficit is:

• One of the most important “fuels” of all is energy efficiency;• Technology is essential on all fronts.

The seriousness of ExxonMobil’s comments is underpinned by following graph from Roy E Anderson’s article in <Energy Bulletin.net> “When Oil and Gas Are Depleted” (2011/08/02):

Anderson is one of the more “opti-mistic” forecasters. The depletion of energy resources is steady but spread over a 75 yr period. Many writers think the period is shorter and might be very violent as for Iraq and Libya.

The ever growing need of 1.5% a year is indicated and the complete-ly new energy situation and the end of our small children’s life is evident. It is back to 1850 in fact! But it gives us some time to come up with Plan B, the plan we neglected to come up with 50 yrs ago when the situation now was clearly foreseen. But surely it means a different “lifestyle” – however, some writers think this might become an increase of “life quality” instead.

What will be the major problems we have to resolve?

According to Roy E Anderson some problems for the 10 billion people at end of the century will be: (quote)• Feed them without nitrogen fertilizers & bulk transport• Cloth them with only natural fibres• House them without oil or gas heat• Sustain and satisfy millions of unemployed• Provide water in a changed environment• Build structures without oil & gas to harvest energy from renewable sources• Provide adequate information recording, processing and distributionAnd these problems and others must be solved within the lifetime of a per-son born today. (end quote)

The last problem he mentions is very interesting. Information today is often in computers and networks based on chips and cell phones.

The manufacture of computers and cell phones as well as the running of them is also very energy consuming, unfortunately, apart from being a thorn in the flesh for many rulers.

It is hardly conceivable that the means to read information on chips will survive for many future generations.

But it is our obligation to insure that the knowledge we gain of our situation is preserved and available for our followers just as was done by past civilisations.

economy away from diamonds, Bo-tswana’s private sector should provide a solid foundation, and the construc-tion projects could create a better and more sustainable environment.

On the other hand the construction industry can help promote sustain-able practices by taking environmental factors into account when providing financing support for investment in infrastructure and equipment are pro-vided. The construction industry needs capital for its potential to be seen and the government has to bail out.

Furthermore the EDD emphasizes inte-grated approach, with implementation from national perspective and this can be achieved by mega projects such as Mmamabula projects and Botswana Innovation Hub.

Finally construction industry as well can build partnerships with local companies and institutions such as LEA, CEDA, BE-DIA and MTI. The role of these stakehold-ers should also enhance the construction industry. As the EDD will be changing the industrial landscape, transforming the Botswana economy the construction projects and contracts are subject to cer-tain sustainability provisions.


BuildingsPage 6

As the first Peninsula in Botswana, Touchroad International Holdings Group is planning to construct Gabo-rone’s newest premier property desti-

Touchroad Peninsula Inter-national Garden To Launchby Keeletsang Dipheko / Images © Touchroad

>>> FROM PAGE 01 nation in Gaborone. A Five Star Hotel, with International Conference Center, International Hospital, International Shopping Center, Cinema, Modern of-fice and Private yacht.

There are 293 residential plots totally, and the plots will be sold from face one.

The other contents of the building will include, club house, office building, central lake, south lake, north lake, Park Avenue, water fall, tennis field and fountain.

Night Scene

'Arch 2016' Project Propos-al For Khama Crescent Roadby Ishmael Mokgadi / Images © thin_K!NG_Cap design

Dear Boidus: I have been reading copies of your magazine - both online and in the physical form. I must say that, it is enlightening, informative and well-written.

I have also noticed that, your Maga-zine's editorials have been lambasting Gaborone City Hall and the other relevant authorities for the sorry look of the city centre and its environs. Boidus and its readers complain about derelict infrastructure, insufficient public furniture, unkempt streets, traffic jams and other associated head-aches that probably relegate Gaborone City to bottom of the list in tourists' "must-see" cities. These criticisms are almost always true and warranted, and they are the very reason that I am contributing to a publication for the first time.

I have conceptualised a design that could serve the city well as a reference point, a tourist monument and as a focal point of a public square. I call it "Arch 2016".

This Arch pays homage to Pula Arch at the southern entrance to Gaborone's Main Mall. It is made of steel, pre-stressed, steel-reinforced concrete, glass and polycarbonate. These materials all combine to give a modern look and an aura of power.

Arch 2016 straddles Khama Crescent Road, between the Houses of Parlia-ment and the northern entrance to Main Mall. The part facing Main Mall is adorned with a giant screen. The screen acts to invoke a social atmosphere (a la New York's Times Square), as it is to be used for advertising, short TV clips, the screening of live events and announcements, etc. The existing bus stop in front of Debswana House has been re-designed and then re-housed into the new monument.

Upon completion of Arch 2016, I envisage the part of Khama Crescent be-tween Mascom House and the South African High Commission being closed to motorised traffic, repaved and designated for pedestrian use only. This move would enable Arch 2016 to be used for parades, for example, during Independence Day celebrations, or when our national sports teams come home victorious. The monument could also act as a backdrop for arts, fash-ion and cultural shows, as the design allows it to be fitted with theatrical lights and other stage accessories.

Most importantly, Arch 2016 would breathe life and soul into a really dead space that never comes alive - day or night. People would gather here to socialise, admire the light installations and snap away photographs. Who knows, they might even start to notice that there is actually a Parliament Square nearby!

Anyway, these are my fantasies of some of the things I would do to improve public space if I were given (dictatorial) powers to transform Gaborone City!

View Overlooking South African Embassy

View from Side of Parliament

View from Botswana Road

View from Main Mall

Tel: +267 3190263Fax: +267 3190264Cell: +267 72787027Email: [email protected]

Plot No. 22090, Unit 7, G-West.P.O. Box 403927,GaboroneC

ON

TAC

TA

CTF

IT


Local / Regional Building News Page 7

Liberty Properties, a wholly owned sub-sidiary of wealth management group Liberty Holdings, has launched the re-furbished Sandton City complex follow-ing an investment of R1.77-billion.

by Boidus Admin / Image © Liberty Properties

by Boidus Admin / Images and text © Northern Gateway City

The Refurbished Sandton City

Northern Gateway City Devel-opment Proposal, Francistown

The US$ 200 million, 30,000m², devel-opment is an answer to the fast devel-oping Zambian economy experiencing demand space across the property spectrum in the capital. The venture was financed by Zambia’s National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) who partnered with Liberty Proper-ties as the developer. The mall boasts 72 stores, 97% of which are let and comprises mostly South African based corporate retailers.

Developer: NAPSA, ZambiaProject Manager: GHC BrydensValue: $157 million Size: 30,000 sqmLocation: Lusaka, Zambia

To read more visit:www.sacommercialpropnews.co.za

by Boidus Admin / Images © GHC BrydensLevy Junction Opens In Zambia

The refurbishment has resulted in a near-30% increase in the complex’s re-tail real estate. With R5-billion worth of development completed or near completion in the past three years,

Liberty Properties is a key enabler of the wider group’s objective of becom-ing the leading wealth management company on the African continent.

Sandton City is situated in South Af-rica’s leading financial and business district and has set the pace for retail in South Africa for over three decades. When it opened in 1973, the shop-ping centre housed 120 shops in floor space of 50 000 m2.

Sandton City now boasts 331 shops, measures 143 995 m2, and comprises shopping facilities including a range of local and international brands.

Developer: Liberty PropertiesProject Manager: GHC BrydensValue: Approx. R1.77 billion Size: 143,995 sqmLocation: Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa

To read more visit:www.sacommercialpropnews.co.za

In general, the project is strategically im-portant for Francistown and the country as a whole. The timing of such a de-velopment is perfect in that the capital development will take place when the market and world economy turns for the better. Furthermore, Francistown has now reached critical mass in terms of diversity, where no single industry is a driving force and the market is driven by people's needs and desires. It is our belief that should the assumptions and key suc-cess drivers be achieved, the project will be very attractive to potential investors.

The CompanyModern Ventures (PTY) Ltd was incor-porated in Botswana in 1984 and has owned the property since then. The property has been retained in its pres-ent form since the awareness of its po-tential, awaiting Francistown to reach maturity and therefore be ready for the intended development.

The DevelopmentThe most striking parts of this project and what makes it unique in Francis-town is its focus on entertainment and

commercial activities supported by aux-iliary services and facilities lined to facil-itate a highlife style not only within the neighborhoods within which all classes of life walk from, but also to a sizable population of the city in existence. The mines surrounding Francistown will im-mensely benefit form this project due to it’s soley connector thoroughfare transecting the project area and as such creating an exit and entrance gateway.

A well coordinated, 22 ha-centrally lo-cated mall accommodating a variety of outlets including shops, restaurants, cinemas, etc will form a focal point of The Northern Gateway City. This is sur-rounded by four distinctive neighbor-hoods which are self-contained and a line of show rooms, office park and a utility service centre. A mini-golf course

Aerial night view of development (Image Source: www.libertyproperties.co.za)

Northern Gateway City Detailed Plan Layout (Image source: www.northerngatewaycity.com)

Renderings of Levy Junction (Image source: www.ghcbrydens.co.za)

is planned to compliment the required needs in the entertainments arena with provisions of outdoor sports and games. For the future Five-Star hotel is also part of the golf course.

The feature unique to the development is its holistic aesthetic nature. The proj-ect’s buildings will be designed accord-ing to set architectural standards to a style approved by a committee.

The following developments are en-

visaged: Residential Areas / 5 Star Hotel / Budget Hotel / Private Hospital / University/Col-lege / Up-Market Residential / Sectional Title Residential / Private Schools / Gov-ernment Schools / Retirement Village / Shopping Centre / Professional Gymna-sium / A mini golf course of sizable en-tertaining holes / Offices / Police Station / Transport Node / Filling Stations

For more information visit:www.northerngatewaycity.com


AdvertorialPage 8

AND REACH YOUR CUSTOMERS

ADVERTISE YOUR PRODUCTS HERE

“AMALOOLOO” - Gone are the Pit Latrines daysBy Esther Amogelang

THE UNTIMATE SANITATION SOLUTIONSSouth African born and bred manufacturers of sanitary system (Be-tram) were one of the exhibitors at the just ended Bedia Global Expo 2011.

They provide the following products;VIP precast concrete toilets, Pit structures and Top structure, Household sanitation, programme man-agement, health and hygiene awareness education programme.

The brain child of Betram (Pty) Ltd Amalooloo is trying to come up with a solution not only to provide the hardware (toilet structures) but also to combine it with holistic, sustainable sanitation system. Gone are the days of pit latrine which not only are unhealthy, but also increase wide range of preventable illness which claims thou-sands of lives each day.

The new Amalooloo pit system are modernized, eliminate sanita-tion related diseases such as diarrhea, cholera and others, prevent underground water pollution, ensure a pit lifespan to be everlast-ing, no bad odours,no flies, dry human faeces for enterpreurships opportunities to be used as compost.

The Amalooloo is a dry aerobic composting system where all fluids are completely separated at source leaving only the faeces in the pit where it decreases in volume due to evaporation and composi-tion of organic material.

Their products are bigger and better, exciting new designs, market-ed worldwide, improved healthy and hygienic, sustainable solutions. They are having a hand washing facility which is inside the toilet, a system which can operate even when it’s dry, highly affordable as well as create jobs for those who are doing construction.

Meanwhile Amalooloo has donated toilets to different schools in South Africa; Refano and Laerskool Nooitgedacht primary School and others.

They are soon to be in Botswana with their latest product launch in 2012.The Amalooloo comes at a time were the city council is still trying to cancel the use of pit latrine in and around Gaborone by introducing the new drainage system which are now standing since their construction.

For more info on the Amalooloo products, visit their websites at: www.amalooloo.com

AMALOOLOOby BETRAM

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries-S.ABy Esther Amogelang

A South African company founded in 1884 which builds attractive businesses in various fields such as design, manufacture, construc-tion, sales, after sales service, while demonstrating the advantage of group companies was also one of the exhibitors at Global Expo recently.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) finds increasing scope to leverage its experiences and knowledge in the development of the world’s infrastructural such as the core facilities for societies and industry.

Their products includes among other things Aero planes systems; Mitsubishi Regional Jet, Forklift Trucks, Machine tools, Residential air conditioners, New Transportation system, LNG Carriers, Air Lubrica-tion systems, which reduce power by storing excess energy gener-ated from renewable sources, and eliminate waste and ensure a stable electricity supply.

Their ranges of climatic control products include air conditioners for homes, offices and automobiles, chillers for large space as well as refrigerators and chilling units which can be helpful to Botswana which is still poor in technology.

When contacted for comment Mitsubishi Director, Isao Deki, said even though it was their first time in Botswana the reason why they were one of the exhibitors was that they wanted to showcase their products as well as to come build a business relationship in Bo-tswana.

He was amazed by Botswana Innovation Hub, which he said it’s a milestone Botswana has ever had in years which should be cel-ebrated by both the government of Botswana and its people. He added that the positive response they received from the expo is a good sign that soon they will stepping their doors here to launch and introduce their products.

Deki said they want Botswana to also join a technologies world were they can live secure, safe in order to ensure economic growth and solutions to energy and environmental problems.

The company which is globally has various projects in different countries from Europe they have offshore wind turbine, also in Ja-pan they have an electric bus to electrify public transport .The bus was early this year tested by Ministry of Infrastructure in Kyoto. On the other hand MHI provide solutions to Iceland beyond geothermal power plants to the realization of a Zero Emission Society and with their smart community project in, Iceland they continue to expand worldwide and hoping to be in Botswana soon.

MITSUBISHIHEAVY INDUSTRIES SA

Kenya Housing FinanceBy Keeltsang Dipheko

Cost overruns are rife in any home building project, but with the right knowledge and planning they can be kept within manageable lev-els. Home building cost overruns can plague any home building or remodeling project, therefore the Kenya Housing Finance recommend people to include a contingency fund in their budget.

Furthermore obtaining a home con-struction loan is one of the best ways to put up your own home. Though a construction loan is a short-term loan designed to help you pay for the building of the home with the option of turning it into a mortgage once the home is completed, Kenya Housing Finance encourages people to consider using professionals to manage the whole process. Mort-gage firms, such as Housing Finance, as it have partnered with develop-ers to remove the stress out of house construction.

Apart from providing finance, Hous-ing Finance today manages on your behalf, a host of statutory require-ments from a multitude of authori-ties such as local councils, environ-mental reports, the rising costs of materials, getting top notch services from artisans, structural engineers, legal counsel, and architects.

For more information visit:www.housing.co.ke

KENYAHOUSING FINANCE

BOIDUS FOCUS AT THE EXPO CHECKING OUT SOME NEW PRODUCTS


AdvertorialPage 9

KILLIONT: +267 755 05 291E: [email protected]

Boidus Pty. Ltd. / P.O. Box 50097, Gaborone

TSHIAMOT: +267 751 41 236E: [email protected]

THABOT: +267 715 01 301E: [email protected]

Construction IndustryArchitecture

Built EnvironmentArts & Culture

Property Investment

Stargrow Africa prove economic driveBy Keeletsang Dipheko

People depend on a wide range of agricultural products in almost all aspects of life, and agriculture is a key economic driver as it is central to individual livelihoods, poverty alleviation and nation’s economic growth. Since everyone knows that fruit and vegetables are important, as es-sential building blocks of any diet, Stargrow Africa could not escape from the fact that they are the expect of adding value to the Agro Industry, including landscaping products (added).

Originally established as a nursery business, Stargrow soon became the biggest suppliers of plant material in South Africa and has expanded its business activities in identifying the needs which developed amongst in-vestors and agribusinesses in several African countries, as they planned to extend their involvement in agri production, most importantly fresh produce. Furthermore the organization has a strong relationships with agricultural on technical support regarding production and marketing.

Meanwhile Stargrow Nurseries is one of the biggest suppliers of plant material in South Africa, specializing in the development and delivery of high quality plant material and supported by high levels of excel-lence in service, The essence of the Nurseries is the supply of the best and most productive plant material which add value to the sustainabil-ity of growers who plant these varieties and reducing the risk in fresh fruit production

The main goal of the Stargrow Cultivar development Programme is to provide new varieties that contribute to the sustainability of pro-duction at farm level because it specializes in breeding, propagation and development of high quality plant material. Furthermore Stargrow identify and develops new opportunities in Africa and work in partner-ship with local investors, implement new agro-projects development and managing the implementation of those projects. Other process of imple-mentation conducted by Stargrow consist of soil sampling, soil analysis, soil preparation, irrigation, supplying plant material, establishment of orchards.

Today Stargrow group of companies consists of Stargrow Nurseries which is one of the biggest suppliers of plant material in South Africa. Stargrow Cultivar Development specializes in the development of a unique range of fruits cultivars which adds value to production on the farms of growers who plant them.

For more info on Stargrow Africa, visit their website at:www.stargrow.co.za

STARGROWAFRICA

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries-S.ABy Esther Amogelang

A South African company founded in 1884 which builds attractive businesses in various fields such as design, manufacture, construc-tion, sales, after sales service, while demonstrating the advantage of group companies was also one of the exhibitors at Global Expo recently.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) finds increasing scope to leverage its experiences and knowledge in the development of the world’s infrastructural such as the core facilities for societies and industry.

Their products includes among other things Aero planes systems; Mitsubishi Regional Jet, Forklift Trucks, Machine tools, Residential air conditioners, New Transportation system, LNG Carriers, Air Lubrica-tion systems, which reduce power by storing excess energy gener-ated from renewable sources, and eliminate waste and ensure a stable electricity supply.

Their ranges of climatic control products include air conditioners for homes, offices and automobiles, chillers for large space as well as refrigerators and chilling units which can be helpful to Botswana which is still poor in technology.

When contacted for comment Mitsubishi Director, Isao Deki, said even though it was their first time in Botswana the reason why they were one of the exhibitors was that they wanted to showcase their products as well as to come build a business relationship in Bo-tswana.

He was amazed by Botswana Innovation Hub, which he said it’s a milestone Botswana has ever had in years which should be cel-ebrated by both the government of Botswana and its people. He added that the positive response they received from the expo is a good sign that soon they will stepping their doors here to launch and introduce their products.

Deki said they want Botswana to also join a technologies world were they can live secure, safe in order to ensure economic growth and solutions to energy and environmental problems.

The company which is globally has various projects in different countries from Europe they have offshore wind turbine, also in Ja-pan they have an electric bus to electrify public transport .The bus was early this year tested by Ministry of Infrastructure in Kyoto. On the other hand MHI provide solutions to Iceland beyond geothermal power plants to the realization of a Zero Emission Society and with their smart community project in, Iceland they continue to expand worldwide and hoping to be in Botswana soon.

MITSUBISHIHEAVY INDUSTRIES SA

B J Gammazine TradingBy Keeltsang Dipheko

B J Gammazenith and glamour wall coating is a wall treatment company that specializes in the application of Gammazenith wall and ceiling coat-ings for interior and exterior using Sil-ica Sand, crushed Marble and Quartz Chips. The product is extremely dura-ble, everlasting, applied by steel trow-el using the plaster method in thickness of 4 – 8 mm, waterproof, has elastic-ity properties. A water proof, durable, colorfast, 8mm thick application, ISO 9001 / 14000 approved.

Crushed Quartz and Marble Chip ag-gregates range between 1-2 mm, The products are natural stone color and guaranteed never to colour fade, with durable properties not found in other wall painting products. The silica sand coating is pre- coloured.

These coatings have been widely used by architects because they are merci-ful to uneven concrete surfaces, ensure even colour distribution, and are aes-thetically pleasing and maintenance free. Other benefits include their abil-ity to conceal blemishes in off-shutter concrete, good adhesion properties and ease of application

Since establishment, this business has managed to market and grow the market for the quality wall and ceil-ing coating system, right its working a lot with contractors, engineers and ar-chitectures. The company has already opened a offices in Senegal, Guinea, Besau, Guinea Mali, Gunea Conakrey, Swaziland and very soon they will be opening in Mozambique.

For more information contact:www.gammazenith.co.za

GAMMAZENITH

BOIDUS FOCUS AT THE EXPO CHECKING OUT SOME NEW PRODUCTS


Feature ProjectPage 10

by Esther Amogelang

BUILDING MATERIALSBoidus Feature Product / T i le Afr ica Opens In Botswana

The new shop, “Tile Africa,” last week Wednesday opened its doors to the public as the first shop in Botswana, with a variety of tile product ranges of and modern bathroom accessories (which are from South Africa) in stores.

The shop, which is unique in its style, offers a wide range of products above the tiles on display; among other things boasting a wide range of polished porcelain, ceramic and natural stone tiles, bathroom ware and accessories including vanities, baths, shower cubicles, toilets, taps and towel rails to please the eye.

Tile Africa Manager, Mohammed Hoosein Rahim, said the store features new lifestyle displays to inspire clientele with different materials, various tile layouts, colours and textures to consider when renovating their homes.

“The displays have been specially planned and developed to showcase the latest trends,” he added. "We also tile and decorate mini-rooms to highlight revamp their homes or decorate from scratch."

When asked if they are not scared of competition from shops which have been in place for some time, such as Jamal Trading for example, Moham-med said because of their “quality” products they don’t see anyone as their competition, rather they are special in their own way.

“What comes your way is always yours,” he said.

Mohammed said since the shop opened last week so far the response is satisfactory, and mostly it is from International contractors, but they look forward to many customers, even locals.

They hope to expand their wings even outside Gaborone, in places like Maun, Francistown, and Palapye ,which will be mostly stalls in future as well

as reaching out/giving back to the com-munity.

Tile Africa is a leading supplier of top quality tiles in to the Sub-Saharan Af-rican market. The company has an un-paralleled reputation in both the con-sumer and professional retail stores.

Meanwhile, the product's 60% off open-ing special is running till stock lasts.

Boidus Feature Prof i le / 2011 In Review: Construct ion Industry Of Botswanaby H. Killion Mokwete, ARB Registered Architect, RIBA Chartered Architect

'Number One Builder', sponsored by the ever generous PPC. The winners on the night were: Codi Construction Company and Stephanutti Stocks.

Construction Industry Pitso by MIST and Others (October): The lavishly hosted event was meant to bring key industry stakeholders togeth-er and took place at the Grand Palm, but in actuality was just another series of presentations. The speakers and the agenda largely ignored the Pitso's theme, occasionally with the minister getting into a tit-for-tat with TBBA boss Chris Gofhamodimo. The verdict on its real usefulness is still out.

3.DBES Corruption: Debacle, Blacklist-ing, Incomplete & Dilapidated Projects

During the peak of problems at the em-battled DBES, some Chinese contrac-tors were arrested early this year with a briefcase full of money allegedly des-tined for corrupting Mr. Cater Morupi-sis, permanent secretary at MIST. The case is still before the courts.

Minister Swartz and indeed the Presi-dent have been on record admitting to serious problems in the industry and also large sums of money uncov-ered at DBES to have been fraudu-lently claimed. There can be no doubt that yes all at the government enclave

agree that our CI is riddled with cor-ruption. The jury is still out on whether what is being done will help.To cap the sheer problems at MIST, the national stadium, which was to go un-der minimal renovations of paint, seats and grass, is still not open for use. The Zebras managed to take the nation to the first ever AFCON without a single game being kicked in the now ‘pink el-ephant’.

4. The Unravelling of Parastals and PPADB rules

The battle between PPADB and Para-statals was/is fought between BDC and PPADB. The latter, who is a government

>>> FROM PAGE 01 owned organization, is fighting a high risk battle to stay above the rules. The mess is embroiled in the landmark BIH project which is now under court injunc-tion pending procurement of QS and Structural Services.

5. International Highlights:

• Capetown, winning Design Capital of The World for 2014

• Green design conference and the UN summit of Climate Change in Durban.

• The global economy is threaten-ing to go on double deep recession and again the CI will have to find self sustaining ways out of it.

Minister Swartz Masa Centre under construction in Gaborone's CBD

Construction in Gaborone's CBD


EducationPage 11

Student Experiences:

Boidus Chat with KETSBF: Which year did you graduate from the University of Botswana, and what course were you doing?

GK: Graduated on the 9th October 2010, to the degree of Bachelor of Architecture.

BF: How will you advise someone who wants to take your path - will you recommend that course to an-other student?

GK: It depends on your dedication because the course requires a lot of hard work and intelligence, so if you are creative and inspired (see-ing beauty in small things) yes I will recommend .

BF: Do you see any challenges in the outside world?

GK: Yes there are challenges; the trick is creating opportunities when you encounter those challenges, and in the process you will learn a lot.

BF: What exactly does that course involve?

GK: The art and science of design and erecting buildings and other physical structures.

BF: What have you learned so far from the course that you are offer-ing to the industry?

GK: I believe my portfolio speaks for itself. Through the application of science and technology rather than style and fashion, green ar-chitecture has a natural ability to generate a strong sense of pres-ence and identity. Green projects are generally better received by the architectural and general media, and each one reaffirms man’s will to survive at a time of crisis.

BF: Tell us (briefly) about the job you’re currently doing, its relevance to your course, and where you see yourself in the next 5 years.

GK: Architect with interest in design for innovation and coming up with unique ideas based on creativity. Wish to expand skills in designing and coming up with new sustain-able design solutions. Would like to further studies in architectural design. RESPONSIBILITIES: Prepar-ing & presenting design proposals, detailed construction documents, schedules & spec, site surveys & compiling documents.

FINAL YEAR PROJECT:Framing the Tropic of Capricorn

Through application of science and technology rather than style and fash-ion, green architecture has a natural ability to generate a strong sense of presence and identity. Green projects are generally better received by the architectural and general media and each one reaffirms man’s will to sur-vive at time of crisis.

Student Portfolio: Gaseitsiwe Ketshogile, Univ. Of Botswana

Brigades And Technical Col-leges Graduation

by Boidus Admin / Work and text by Gaseitsiwe Ketshogileby Esther Amogelang

The Tropic of Capricorn monument is a unique ark shaped solar photovol-taic power generation facility and of-fers activities to cultivate a better ap-preciation of solar power generation. It is a 350 meter Long, 17 meter high facility wave like structure located in the central district, geographical cen-tre of Botswana and will bridge the A1 which is the north south arterial route in Botswana.

This impressive solar wall will symbol-ize the goal of becoming a clean soci-ety and its power production will be approximately four mega watts. The image and atmosphere of the build-ings clearly distinguish it as a green building (working machine), creating a landmark tourist attraction.

Project Section

Cafeteria - South View

View of machine-like structure

Concept Model

Perspective Section showing Structure

Concept Development Sketch

Jwaneng Technical College recently cel-ebrated a joint graduation ceremony with 31 other Brigades and eight Techni-cal Colleges at Debswana show ground.

Under the theme, Technical and Voca-tional Education and Training: Foun-dation for National Development and growth, the event was the first of its kind since some of the brigades and technical colleges were taken over by government last year.

More than 2,000 graduates from Bri-gades and Technical Colleges across the country received various awards in programmes such as Administra-tion, Business and Commerce (ABC), Association of Business Management and Accounting (ABMA), City and Guilds, Botswana Technical Education Program (BTEP), National Craft Certifi-cate (NCC) and others.

Even though the graduates are now faced with a challenge to equip them-selves with opportunities in the out-side world, the government has this year tried to come up with strategies to help them. As mentioned by His President Lieutenant Seretse Khama Ian Khama on his state of the nation

address recently, graduates can ben-efit from such initiatives such as Youth Development Fund, Youth Exchange and others (for which funding has doubled to P120 million as opposed to last year's P60 million) for them to realize their entrepreneurship skills.

The government is also empowering youth in the construction industry through the establishment of a data-base of youth with relevant vocational skills, for which these graduates, espe-cially those who were doing construc-tion courses, can take advantage of.

The national internship programme has also in the past help unemployed graduates from different universities to furnish them with skills and knowl-edge to prepare them for job market.To date, the government is now in the process of increasing recruitment in needed areas such as Technical and Vocational education and training.

One of the graduates who preferred anonymity could not hide her excite-ment when speaking to Boidus about this year’s graduation, although she doesn’t know what the corporate world holds for her.

“The national Internship programme does not consider us; they always give people with degree and some diplomas first priority, what about us. Today we are celebrating here but tomorrow when everyone is going to work, we will be roaming around the streets with our ‘useless’ certificates,” she said.

The Department of Technical and Vocational Education and Training of-fers programmes from certificate to diploma levels. Students can, there-after, progress to other institutions of higher learning.

STUDENT: Gaseitsiwe KetshogileSCHOOL: University of BotswanaDEGREE: Bachelor Degree in Ar-chitectureGRADUATED: 2010

Graduation at Jwaneng Technical College

One of the Graduates


Housing / PropertyPage 12

The Agency offers loans towards the development or acquisition of real estate, specifically for com-mercial/industrial purposes. The property to be acquired will be taken as security for the loan. In view of the limit of P4 million at medium scale projects , the Agen-

cy will consider co - financing projects with other commercial entities where the cost/acquisition of such property is in excess of the set limit of P4 million.

CEDA offers manufacturing loans towards setting up or buying of existing Manufacturing enterprises. Loans will also be extended for the expan-sion of existing enterprises not bonded to CEDA as well as those that have existing facilities with CEDA. The loan limit for manufacturing loans is set at P4 million.

In an instance where a project is being co-financed, the Agency will either take a first bond, second bond or may rank pari-passu with the co finan-cier. The rank of the bond will to a great extent be determined by the proportion of theAgencyâ€˜s funding participation in the project.

GENERAL DESCRIPTIONThis is a loan acquired by a promoter/s for the construction of a commer-cial/Industrial property, an application for a construction loan will nor-mally include the purchase price of land, unless if such land has already been purchased . Loans in this category are repayable over a maximum period of 15 years. The interest rate on the loans are 5% for loans up to P500,000 and 7.5% for loans in excess of P500,000, up to a maximum of P4 million. Interest rate is fixed for the entire duration of the loan. Mora-torium will be extended during the construction period and implementa-tion. The interest during the moratoriumperiod will not be capitalised.

SECURITY REQUIREMENTSThe property financed by the Agency will provide security for the loan. The property being financed should therefore have a title deed.

PRODUCTS & REQUIREMENTS

CONSTRUCTION LOANSIs a loan used for the construction of property or to complete a partially developed or incomplete structure.

REQUIREMENTS• Approved Building Plans• 3 quotations from 3 Construction Companies* (Labour and Material)• Tender Evaluation• Business Plan• Administration Fee• Copy of form F2 confirmed by Company secretary (if applicant is

company)• Copy ofIdentity document/Omang (if applicant is individual)

PROPERTY PURCHASE LOANSThis is a loan used for the purchase of existing property.

REQUIREMENTS• Offer of sale/Deed of sale• Business Plan• Valuation report• Copy of title Deed• Structural Survey report• Administration Fee• Copy of form F2 confirmed by Company secretary• Copy of Identity document/Omang (if applicant is individual)

EXTENSION LOANSThis is a loan offered for the extension of property that maybe or may not be bonded to the Agency , with an objective of the loan is increase the scope of the building with a view to improve on the earnings capacity. The loan may also be sought for purposes of renovating property.

REQUIREMENTS• Approved Building Plans• 3 quotations from Construction Companies* (Labour and Material)• Tender Evaluation• Business Plan• Bills of quantities• Administration Fee• Copy of form F2 confirmed by Company secretary• Copy of Identity document/Omang (if applicant is individual)

CEDA's Property Loansby Boidus Admin / SOURCE: www.ceda.co.bw

PROPERTY your questions answeredON PROPERTY FINANCING

2011 State Of The Nation Address By His Ex-cellency Lt. Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama On: Housing Extractby Boidus Admin / Extract on Housing from the Presidents Speech

During the last financial year P30m was allocated for the Low Income Housing Programme to be utilized by 666 bene-ficiaries for SHHA Home Improvement Loan projects. Government is currently monitoring completion of 1255 hous-ing units in addition to another 620 turnkey houses. During the current fi-nancial year, an additional P7.5 million has been allocated for the implemen-tation of new poverty alleviation and housing projects in Gaborone, Lobatse and Jwaneng. Following the decision to establish a Single Housing Authority, an implementation plan was put in place, which should allow the Authority to be

operational by 2012/13 financial year.

To further provide housing for those most in need, 200 houses for destitute persons were completed and handed over by the end of last financial year, while another 200 houses are being built this year. Government is also en-gaging other partners to complement its efforts in providing basic shelter to the needy. So far 80 houses have been built through the President's Housing Appeal for the Needy, while another 373 houses have been pledged along with additional cash and kind donations valued at over P135 thousand. In addi-tion another 150 houses are known to be under construction through other ongoing non-government initiatives. The Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) will start construction of 3800 units this financial year. The units will be funded through issuance of bonds in the market. The Corporation has to date issued a bond amounting to P389 million. With regard to implementa-tion of the Sectional Titles Act, 20 sec-tional schemes comprising 784 units are in place. Although the units are selling at a slower pace than detached houses of the same size, Batswana are beginning to accept the sectional title

home ownership. Government had anticipated the ac-quisition of 53 thousand ha of land for village expansion during the 2010/11 financial year. Of this amount 41.5 thousand ha was acquired as of March 2011. An amount of P85 million has been allocated for acquisition of 5570 ha of tribal land from the Kweneng Dis-trict for incorporation into Gaborone. A total of 45 290 plots out of a target of 60,000 for 2010/11 have been allocat-ed throughout the country for various uses, most of which were residential plots. For this financial year, Govern-ment plans to allocate an additional 50 804 plots in both Tribal and State Land. To promote optimal land management, a Land Policy has been formulated, whose overall objective is to facilitate orderly development and investment for sustainable economic development and citizen empowerment. In order to further promote the role of the private sector, Government has developed guidelines on private sector participa-tion in land delivery. A project to im-prove Land Administration processes, procedures and capacity systems is also being implemented and is pro-gressing well.

BHC Housing

President Lt. Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama


CommentsPage 13

We took a bold and some may say risky decision early this year to enter the world of print media in order to bring our readers and the built environment another real platforms for interaction, sharing, cri-tiquing, debates and celebration of our growing and also lucrative Bo-tswana Construction Industry. The media industry has proved to be very difficult and challenging but we decided the risk was worth it if it meant doing something for the betterment of our industry.

With our fifth issue this December which also coincides with the end of the year 2011, we look back at our short but very exciting existence with pride and also humbleness for all the goodwill and support that you are readers, clients and all stakeholders are entrusting on us.. During are short presence, we have been very active in debating and engaging in issues that affect our industry, both through our website www.boidus.co.bw and also through our directors column ‘The Archi-tect’ in the local paper, The Botswana Guardian. We thank the good people at CEBT for having supported us.

Looking forward, we aim to come back in the New Year stronger and improved, with yet more focus on taking central space in the debates, criticisms, featuring and celebrations of our Built Environment. The industry is undoubtedly going through some very difficult times which will need all of us who practice in it to come together and chatting ways out of the conundrum we are in. The recession is still unabated, our local construction climate is besieged with allegations of corrup-tion and shoddy work and our graduates are faced with uncertain fu-tures. There is therefore a hurried sense of emergency when confront-ing aspects of our local CI. We look forward to providing a platform for the industry to explore solutions.

VISIT OUR WEBSITEFor more information on Boidus, or to see where it all began, visit us at www.boidus.co.bw

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We Thank You For Support ing Us , As We Take Our Baby Steps!by H. Killion Mokwete

B O I D U S F O C U SBotswana’s Architecture Design & Urban Landscape Newspaper

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EDITORIAL built environment issuesIN FOCUS

DISCLAIMER: Please note that the views expressed in 'Comments and Letters' are neither those of Boidus, its management, nor its advertisers.

Comments & Letters SEND YOUR COMMENTS AND LETTERS: EMAIL: [email protected] OR VISIT: www.boidus.co.bw

Village plans are what the doctor or-dered – a rebuttal

This article is written as a rejoinder to Architect Killion Mokwete’s piece that appeared on the Botswana Guardian newspaper on the 21st October 2011. The columnist puts forward his some-what misplaced notions on village planning as undisputed truth. His arti-cle, therefore, deserves a rebuttal. Mr Mokwete asserts that town planning has failed even in towns and therefore should not be applied in villages, par-ticularly rural ones like Maitengwe. His belief is that village growth should be allowed to spread according to the dic-tates of land seekers with the consent of village elders or wards heads.

He is opposed to the idea of streets with formal roads; open spaces and compatible land uses, what he calls rows and lines and compares them to a camp. Village planning or any settle-ment planning seeks to harmonise land uses and create neighbourhoods that are safe, aesthetic, and easy to service and sets minimum tried and tested standards. Unplanned or informal planning that takes place in rural villag-es work only where the population is very small and where land is to spare in between plots. In these situations you will find that only two to three percent of the plot is occupied by huts.

The rest of the land just gives the oc-

cupier more back-breaking cores of clearing and cleaning. It is a fact that most village experience population growth, no matter how slow and con-sequently competition for land in-creases amongst the people and the various uses. The village elders waning memory can no longer cope with the number of land seekers and nepotism creeps in. Those who are considered “outsiders” and having less influence have a harder time acquiring lands. It is also impossible to direct one to a certain plot because of the lack of pat-tern. Space is also wasted due to this lack of planning. Informal settlements are notorious for narrow, uneven road widths with dead ends. Remember the cow horn shape of dikgotla. The plots are of all shapes and sizes and face any way. It is a mammoth task to bring services like water and electricity lines which everybody wants. Plots holders build without any discernible pattern and it is not uncommon to have a pit latrine in one plot wafting its stench into the neighbours’ lounge five me-tres away. The streets are therefore not safe for vehicles, children have no space to play and the narrow and dark alleys can be criminals’ havens. Ex-amples of unplanned settlements are many and they are certainly not desir-able. Tsolamosese, Naledi, old wards in all major villages are not as desirable to live in as say Dilaeneng in Mahala-pye, Lenganeng in Tlokweng, Extension 1-10 in Palapye, Mannathoko in Se-

> Manisa C. Moatswi (Practicing Land Surveyor) on 'Village Devel-opment Plans Destroy Rural Neighborhoods ' [Botswana Guardian 21/10/11]

rowe and many other formally planned areas.

Architect Killion Mokwete says village plans have no previsions for an odd goat or cow here and there. But they have. Apart from the three site system, there are open spaces which can be used for kraals, and also areas where the plots have not been demarcated, after all kraals are temporary struc-tures which need no formal allocation. The choice of site for a village layout should involve the local people, the VDC, the councillor and other stake-holders. If the choice of site is poor, blame should therefore be appor-tioned not on the plan but to all con-cerned in its preparation, including the village folk who were consulted during its preparation, after all they are sup-posed to understand the topography of the area than any map will show. Mr Mokwete’s article, though meant to show an alternative view from the one promoted by government agents, fails to convince one on how no plan-ning can be better than some sort of planning. A columnist must of course come up with an article every week, even if he suffers from writer’s block, but to mislead the readers borders on professional misconduct. Readers should therefore read these articles with an open mind and never believe everything they read, every story has two sides and Mokwete’s article may be amusing but it is misleading.

...At the outset, I should like to say, I am totally supportive of your concern and trust that the article catches the eye of others, who like you, I'm sure would like to put a stop to this nonsense and try to come up with alternatives which recognise the value of the tradi-tional approach to village development whilst acknowledging the benefits and necessity of bringing modern service amenities to the village communities.

From the time that I first arrived in Bo-tswana in 1976, I have been appauled by the Planners' imposition of concepts which have so often been unsuitable. Eu-ropean planners have historically arrived

> John Combs (Dip.Arch. R.I.B.A.) on 'Village Development Plans Destroy Rural Neighborhoods [Botswana Guardian 21/10/11]

with no understanding or knowledge of local culture or ways of life, but were generally sure that they were "a bless-ing". Unfortunately so much has rubbed of onto our local young professionals, ei-ther by association or as a result of being sent overseas to unsuitable universities.

It was bad enough with the towns; it is even worse now that "educated" development control is spilling over to the traditional small villages.

I think it may reasonably assumed that with your education and the profes-sional qualification that is still well re-spected throughout the world, your

thoughts are respected by your elders in Maitengwe.

Is it not possible to encourage them to make it clear to the"authorities" out-side the village that they are not pre-pared to accept the destruction of the best aspects of village life.

If you are still a "young man' in the eyes of the Village Elders, it is just possible that I can give you some support.

I am also a Corporate Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects and have been for just on fifty years...(by email)


Professional PracticePage 14

which are driven by a population of over 1billion consumers demanding at-tention’, according to a report, Invest in Africa, Liberty Property.

Emerging markets present an exciting challenge for international finance and foreign investment. New markets hold both promise and peril. They have the potential for remarkably high returns, while simultaneously harbouring sub-stantial risks.

One of the most intractable barriers to investing in a large number of African countries is, as anticipated, the crip-pling lack of basic infrastructure. How-ever, the fact that many African nations are unable to afford large scale infra-structure projects has been seen as an opportunity by the Chinese govern-ment in the aim of fostering closer ties with a number of African countries. In return for building new roads, railways, hospitals, etc., Chinese companies are investing in Africa’s plentiful oil, gas and minerals sectors, with the invest-ment further benefiting the African do-mestic market.

Emerging Property Marketsby H. Killion Mokwete, ARB Registered Architect, RIBA Chartered Architect>>> FROM PAGE 01

Angola Ghana Zambia

According to a report by Cushman & Wakefield, Many Multi National Coop-eration MNCs are, already operating and thriving within Africa and the Mid-dle East, and this necessitates certain real estate requirements for their busi-nesses. Most office markets remain characterised by a lack of good quality supply, which has helped to push rents upwards in a number of locations to be among the highest – not just within Africa and the Middle East but also on a global basis. More specifically, these most expensive locations within the re-gion are in Angola and Nigeria, where demand has been propelled by the tra-ditional drivers of many African mar-kets, namely, access to commodities. According to the World Bank, those 24 African countries whose revenues are primarily oil related have absorbed nearly three-quarters of all foreign di-rect investment over the past 20 years, with that percentage continuing to grow over the past 2-3 years despite the economic slowdown.

The most expensive locations within the Africa and the Middle East region are in the African countries of Angola and Nigeria. Luanda, the capital city of Angola, is the most expensive market, with Lagos in Nigeria in second place. Due to the combination of a severe lack of prime space and a strong and steady occupier demand, rents in Lu-anda have continued to rise over the year. The economy of Angola is heav-ily reliant on the extractive industries and is one of the largest producers of rough diamonds in the world, and a sustained occupier demand closely related to these industries has contin-ued to drive rental levels up. As noted, Lagos is the second most expensive location in the region, although rents here are less than half of those in Luanda. Here, it is demand from oil companies coupled with the scarcity of prime space that has fuelled higher rents. The Nigerian economy has also witnessed significant growth in both banking and telecommunications, and occupier demand from companies within these sectors has merely exac-erbated rental growth.

[SOURCE: 'Emerging Markets Africa & The Middle East, Cushman & Wakefield, 2011]

[SOURCE: Emerging Markets in Africa, J.R. Kehl, 2007]

Key Facts and Growth Figures of a Selection of African Nations: Angola / Ghana / Zambia[SOURCE: Emerging Markets Africa & The Middle East, Cushman & Wakefield, 2011]

Sectional Titles Explained by Boidus Admin / SOURCE: www.standardbank.co.za

The sectional titles laws of Botswana are now in full effect and selling prop-erty by sectionalizing is a well-known lucrative practice. As new phenom-ena in our market, not many consumers are aware of the full potential this law. BHC and some private developers are however jumping to the opportunities. Below we feature an abstract from Standard Bank in South Africa which explains the basic principles of sectional titles.

All Text below an abstract from Standard Bank (SA) Home buyers’ guide (www.standardbank.co.za). Note therefore laws mentioned herein are SA Laws, but the principles of Sectional Titles is the same.

WHAT IS SECTIONAL TITLE?A sectional title development scheme (usually referred to as a scheme) provides for separate ownership of parts of a property by individuals. These schemes are governed by the Sectional Titles Act, No. 95 of 1986.Residing in a sectional title scheme is a commitment to form part of a com-munity that is bound by rules and the Sectional Titles Act.

THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SECTIONAL TITLE PROPERTIES:• Semi-detached house: This is two houses attached to one another.

They may be on separate stands and bonded individually as ordinary houses. They can also be on one stand and bonded together under one bond or they can be sectionalised and sold as separate units.

• Townhouse or flat: A townhouse or flat unit must be in an approved sectional title complex. These may include both retail and residential units as well

• Duet house: Two houses attached to one another on the same stand, bonded separately. This must be in an approved Sectional Title Complex.

WHAT TO CONSIDER BEFORE YOU BUY A SECTIONAL TITLE UNIT> What will I own?When buying into a sectional title building, you will secure ownership of a section/s of a building in terms of the agreement of sale and an undivided share of common property, which is collectively known as a unit. In other words, a section is usually a flat, apartment, townhouse, simplex or duplex> What is common property?Common property does not form part of a section. However, as an owner you may enjoy exclusive use rights that may have been allocated to your section. Driveways, gardens, swimming pools, corridors, lifts, entrance foy-ers, parking bays, outer walls, foundations and the roof are all part of the common property. Although you may have been allocated exclusive rights to the use of any of the above, it does not mean that you own that part of the property. The only time you own the exclusive use area is if it is regis-tered at the Deeds office.> What is a levy?At the inception of a scheme and again before every annual general meet-ing (AGM); the trustees have to prepare a budget for the following year. This budget is presented to all members of the body corporate at the AGM. The body corporate can either accept the budget or ask for changes to be made. Once the budget has been accepted, the total cost is divided into a monthly amount, that is a levy.> How is the levy calculated?The levy is calculated depending on various costs of the body corporate. The levy should incorporate the following:

> Who are the managing agents?Most bodies corporate appoint managing agents to collect the monthly levies due by owners to the body corporate. Managing agents also keep accounting records, recover unpaid debts, prepare the annual budgets, ar-range quotes for repairs and maintenance, and distribute important notic-es. There must be a written contract in place for one year with the manag-ing agent with a notice period. The contract will automatically be renewed if the body corporate does not give notice to cancel in the notice period.> How can I determine the financial state of the scheme?You should ask for a copy of the financial statements. This is the only way to establish the financial state of the scheme. You should closely exam-ine the size of the reserve fund that has been created for future repairs and maintenance. If the reserve fund amount is low, major repairs/main-tenance will require the implementation of a special levy to cover these expenses. Examine the accounts receivable to ensure all owners are up to date with the payment of their levies, also examine the accounts pay-able to ensure all body corporate creditors’ accounts are up to date; these include municipal accounts for the common property. Ask the seller or the trustees to confirm this information.

Administrative costs• Insurance on the building

to its full replacement value

• Salaries/wages for staff employed by the body corporate

• Managing agent’s fees• Auditor’s fees• Annual general meeting

expenses

Maintenance costs• Buildings• Cleaning• Security• GardensMunicipal charges• Rates & taxes for common property• WaterReserve Fund• Maintenance of buildings (lifts and

painting)


AdvertisingPage 15


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Documents

Boidus Focus - Vol 1, Issue 5 [Dec 2011]