Boidus Focus - Vol 4, Issue 3 [Apr 2014]

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BOIDUS EXCLUSIVE >BOIDUS FEATURE >

BOTSWANA’S BUILT ENVIRONMENT NEWSPAPER | Vol 4, Issue 3 | APRIL 2014“Repressed Birth” public art installation enhances architectural heritage

The Art Room[by Sophie Lalonde, Sophie Lalonde Art]

Lifestylenoted: Expert Home Owner...Rethink your space! [by Keshia Mogopa]

Building North of the Border: A guide for building outside Botswana [by Euan Massey]

18110702

by Keeletsang P. Dipheko / HK Mokwete

>>> CONTINUED PAGE 05

Is Property Ownership an Investment or an Illusion?


IN SEARCH OF A LASTING LEGACY-MIST UNDER HON. JOHNNIE SWARTZ

William Shakespeare once said “No legacy is so rich as honesty.” For Hon. Johnnie Swartz, the man at the forefront of a ministry that has been faced with myriad challenges, trials and tribulations, his quest to leave a lasting legacy at the Ministry of In-frastructure, Science & Technology seems impossible.

The ministry he has headed for the past four years has seen its darkest days, and there may yet be more to come. Who can forget the numerous projects lying incomplete across the country, cordoned off or pitifully falling apart brick by brick only a few years after

being officially opened to fanfare?

The Dibete Police Station was classi-fied uninhabitable within three years of completion. The National Stadium, although now open, took three years to renovate when initial projections had put the project at under a year while the Sir Seretse Khama Interna-tional Airport is still cordoned off and late last year the roof was blown off by mild strength winds before it was even complete.

So to hope for a lasting legacy or to even be remembered positively un-der these trying conditions seems a tall order even for a Minister known

for his honesty, openness and readi-ness to admit mistakes, something unheard of for most of our politi-cal leaders. Swartz is notorious for memorable candid moments such as his repeated admissions that some in his ministry were colluding with contractors to defraud government of millions. It therefore seems that if there is anything to remember him by, it is his honesty, which makes for a distinct and potentially game chang-ing legacy by our industry standards.

Johnnie Swartz came into the Ministry to discover a building on fire that he has been trying to put out ever since

OIDUS FOCUSwww.boidus.co.bw

Registered at GPO as a Newspaper | Volume 3, Issue #2

Botswana’s Architecture design & Urban Landscape Newspaper | M A R C H 2 0 1 3NEWS | page 02

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Disentangling the Web – A Look at Infrastructure Project Management

PRACTICE | pages 14, 18

Buy or Build a new Home: The Pros and Cons

HOUSING | page 16The Idea of Eco Cities: Need for harmony between policy and green initiatives

BUILDINGS | page 06A Luta Continua on the Land QuestionAirport Roof Gone with the Wind


BOIDUS EXCLUSIVE >BOIDUS EXCLUSIVE FEATURE >

BDC FAIRSCAPE PRECINCT, The Realm of Splendor - Live, Work & Play With Breath taking Views

by HK Mokwete

by Kibo Ngowi

by Kibo Ngowi & HK Mokwete

FNB’s CBD HQ – Intelligent Corporate Architecture

“Public Piazza, Mixed Use Podium and Sky gardens coming to Gaborone”

>>> CONTINUED PAGE 04>>> CONTINUED PAGES 08, 13

First National Bank (FNB) has moved into its newly built headquarters in Gaborone’s rapidly developing Cen-tral Business District (CBD). Located in plot 54362, the Head Office called First Place, boasts the banks’ “one-stop-shop” capability. With an expansion of

The current debate in parliament over a budget allocation request of P195 million for the purposes of augment-ing funds to either- acquire or build a new office block to house the Office of

With stakes high in Botswana of-fice market, Botswana Development Corporation’s Fairscape Precinct is set to raise the bar of what quality office space is by delivering an A-grade mixed use development which will see work, play and live become

the office facilities accommodating all the Bank’s divisions such as Electronic Banking, Private Banking, Property Fi-nance, WesBank, Firstcard to mention but a few, customers get a full bouquet of FNBB products under one roof.

reality in one area.

The Iconic tower which has been slowly emerging off the skyline of Fairgrounds is setting unmissable view of a gleaming honey comb lattice structure with unparalleled

views from across the City. Boidus was recently given exclusive tour of the construction site to experience first hand this exciting project as it becomes reality.

The Relocation of the Office of The President - Is it the Right Move Or Not?

the President (OP) is missing the big-ger picture of what should be debated when procuring the office space for the ‘Highest Office in the Land.’

Office of the President

Public Piazza

Birds-eye view



NEWS | page 02


Botswana’s Architecture Design and Urban Landscape Newspaper | J U L Y 2 0 1 3

How to Start Your Own Archi-tecture Firm: 12 Tips From The Experts

EDUCATION | pages 15

The Role of Architecture In Humanity’s Story

PROF PRACTICE | page 16Sustainability Today - David Lessolle on Climate Change

EDITORIAL | page 06Regional News Feature - SA Property 3rd on Earth


Botswana’s architecture profession has come of age since the first qualified Motswana architect returned home in the early 1980s. The second genera-tion of qualified architects, who were all trained abroad in Canada, USA and

UK is slowly taking shape and mak-ing its presence felt in the local scene. These architects, confident and ready to raise the game, have started their own design firms and are slowly mak-ing landmarks across the Botswana >>> CONTINUED PAGE 14>>> CONTINUED PAGES 04, 08, 13

by Kibo Ngowi

Bold, New, Fresh Design IdeasNdaboka Mothobi’s final year thesis project was not only graded the best, but it presents a breath of fresh air to the creativity that defines the best of what architects can do. JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE once de-scribed architecture as ‘frozen music’ and for those who share this icon’s view of architecture as an artform, Ndabo-

ka’s shattered rock layered building is a perfect example. Often the best time for unfettered creativity is when there are less and less barriers to imagination and school project design provides a haven for this. Boidus Focus sat down with the talented ‘Ndaks’ to discuss his exciting fresh thinking to architecture.

H. Killion Mokwete

>>> CONTINUED PAGES 07, 18

Guide to developing your multi-residential investment

Investing in multi-residential develop-ment is becoming the next big thing in Botswana’s residential property market. Landowners and homeown-ers are realising that the bulk residen-tial demand is in the middle-income bracket of earners, with income be-tween P5, 000 - P15, 000 per month.

Meet Botswana’s Young and Rising Star Architects

by Kibo Ngowi & HK Mokwete

Vincent Moapare, founder of Architects Collaborative; Pedriel Mokwadi Nyame, founder of Architects International; Moemedi Gabana, founder of Gabana Architects; Gorata Bontle Kgafela, founder of GBR Architects

Reviewing the best UB Graduating student 2013: Ndaboka Mothobi

built environment landscape. Boidus Focus sat with some of these ris-ing star architects to find out what drives their design philosophies and to showcase designs from their firms.

From top left, going clockwise: Moemedi Gabana [Gabana Architects], Gorata Bontle Kgafela [GBK Architects], Vincent Moapare [Architects Collaborative], Pedriel Mokwadi Nyame [Architects International]

Demand is good, rentals are good and finance available. So here is how to develop.

Top Left: Vincent Moapare, Top Right: Moemedi Gabana, Bottom Right: Pedriel Mokwadi Nyame, Bottom Left: Gorata Bontle Kgafela

Q&A- Financier: We finance up to 80% of the open market value, this depends on the valuation report con-tents and the location of the property. The deposit requirement is 20%.

Q&A-Realtor: Demand is good for rentals with range of P2500pm to P4500pm for 2-beds units. Two beds units in areas like Ext. 5 or 11, Block 8, G west Phase 1 can go for as much as P6500pm (not furnished).



NEWS | page 02


Botswana’s Architecture Design and Urban Landscape Newspaper | J U N E 2 0 1 3

Guide to School Programmes: 2013 Built Environment Ca-reers Guide

EDUCATION | pages 15

How ready is Botswana for the Inevitable Change towards Global Decarbonisation targets?

SUSTAINABILITY | page 06Government to Promote Intro-duction of Residential Develop-ment into the CBD

EDITORIAL | page 04Letlole Larona Breaks Ground at the Kromberg and Schubert Botswana (Pty) Plant


>>> CONTINUED PAGES 08, 13, 18

The Boidus Media, State of our Cities- CBD Executive Seminar recently held at Masa Centre was by any measure a resounding success. The Seminar event brought together for the first time ever in Botswana, key stakehold-ers of the New CBD development such as investors, development own-ers, government, industry champions

and the public in sharing of ideas and opportunities about our upcoming CBD. Envisaged as the future heart of Gaborone City, the CBD is slowly tak-ing shape and the seminar sought to make it a centre stage focus of discus-sions and professional deliberations. In this Boidus Focus Special, find event abstracts:


by Boidus Admin

Government to Promote In-troduction of Residential Development into the CBD

IntroductionThank you to the organizers for inviting DTRP to contribute to this important and highly topical seminar.

In organizing it, BOIDUS have directly responded to our concern that it is easy to be critical and identify perceived

failings of the CBD concept but more challenging to come up with solutions where problems have been identified. That is what we hope the seminar will concentrate upon.

From a DTRP standpoint, the forum

by Kibo Ngowi / H. Killion Mokwete


Red East Construction: Award Winning Chinese Contractor Boidus Focus sat down with the Manag-ing Director of Red East Construction, a Subsidiary of the Zhengtai Group Mr Zhu Dexiang to try and understand what has set this Chinese construction

company apart from its counterparts and defied the perception of poor con-struction workmanship as a uniquely Chinese problem.

Event Feature: State of our Cities- CBD Executive Seminar Eventby Kibo Ngowi & HK Mokwete

Bringing together key CBD stakeholders such as landowners and develop-ers to engage on issues that affect their developments and investment

Top: Guests and delegates at the CBD EventBottom: Architect and Urban Designer Jo Noero from Noero Architects and University of Cape TownRight: Hon. Assistant Minister of Trade and Industry, Keletso J. Rakhudu, officially opening the event

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As you reflect on the ‘challenges and opportunities’ of devel-oping a CBD, I would like to encourage all of you to think of this as what our generation will be remembered for having done, not only for this City, but for the nation, albeit through the toughest times.Assistant Min. of Trade & Industry, Hon. Keletso J. Rakhudu

A Successful CBD represents among other things; • A success CBD Image of the city and the country • Generation of the country’s prosperity• Successful partnership between the Government & PVT sectorDimitri Kokinos: Portfolio Structuring Manager (Stanlib)

Extract Seminar Paper Presentation by Jobe Ofetotse, DTRP

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>>> CONTINUED PAGE 13by Boidus Admin

Shopping for Mortgage that works for you-What to ask

STATE YOUR MORTGAGE GOAL

Main Objective• Total cost. The total mortgage cost (principal, interest, closing cost, etc.) over the projected life of this loan (10 years) should be minimized.

Mortgage Constraints• Upfront payment. The total upfront payment (down payment, points, settlement costs, etc.).• Monthly mortgage. Over the projected life of this loan, the monthly mortgage payment (principal plus interest).• Rate stability. Over the projected life of this loan, the interest rate in any single year should be no more than 10%.

by Othata Batsetswe / Financial Inclusion Specialist & Project Coordinator / Principal Finance Administrator

Of late there has been public debate about affordable housing with several newspapers running with the idea of housing purchases, all inspired

by the local housing corporation and this suddenly fashionable concept was made even more exciting by the argu-ment that those purchasing houses

Challenging the conventional thinking on Affordable Housing

Award winning Affordable housing project, “The Guts” in New Islington, East Manchester, by Mansell

BOIDUS FOCUSApril 2014

Local NewsPage 2

Botswana Innovation Hub Embarks of Growth Strategic Plan

Bashi Gaetsaloe Appointed BDC Managing Director

by Boidus Admin

by Boidus Admin

The Ministry of Infrastructure Science and Technology has recently pre-sented their budget proposal for the financial year 2014/15. Botswana In-novation Hub has the second largest share with P150 million or 35% of the development budget. Boidus Focus asked BIH about the prioritization of accomplishments in the projects.

Even before construction of the Bo-tswana Innovation Hub Science and Technology Park the company has al-ready began the following key strate-gic objectives: • Promote networking and collabo-

ration between academia, public and private sector in order to en-hance innovation capacity. Already BIH is in partnership with Microsoft Corporation and the collaboration has resulted in the establishment of the Microsoft Innovation Centre. BIH is also in partnership with the Southern Africa Innovation Support

(SAiS) Programme which is aimed at developing a strengthened and well-functioning national innova-tion system. Another partnership that BIH has entered into is with the Council on Health Research for Development (COHRED) where the parties strive to mobilize regional and international networks to sup-port collaborations for research and innovation for health.

• Provide incentives to attract high technology investments into Bo-tswana Innovation Hub. Already Botswana Innovation Hub has 9 partner members, 24 fully regis-tered members and 21 networks members.

• Offer physical infrastructure with a range of specialized innovation support services. Botswana Innova-tion Hub has established First Steps Venture Center (FSVC) a technolo-gy entrepreneurship development programme for start-ups

by Keeletsang P. Dipheko

‘Repressed Birth’ public art installation enhances architectural heritage‘Repressed Birth’ is an art installation within our urban landscape which sets a platform to encourage, de-light and illuminate the presence of public art in our civic environment.

Cities gain value through public art – cultural, social, and economic value. Public art is a distinguishing part of our public history and our evolving culture. It re-flects and reveals our society, adds meaning to our cities and uniqueness to our communities.

Recently the Gaborone old city station bridge has ex-perienced the art work by 20-III architects and pub-lic arts. Instead of building designs by architects, the three young architects Beullar Serema, Eric Johane and Pilang Rapalai found it fit to inform Batswana about a different kind of installation art and to try and preserve architectural heritage.

According to 20-III architects, Architecture is not about building only, it connects engineering, archi-tects and arts, and it comes as a unique art. The art humanizes the built environment and invigorates pub-lic spaces. It provides an intersection between past, present and future, between disciplines, and between ideas.

“We read a couple of articles mentioning that the old bridge is going to be demolished because of the new bridge at Rail park so we tried to do something excit-ing and engaging so that people can try to appreci-ate it more and not abandon it,” said Beullar Serema.

Serema said they looked for abandoned buildings, to do the art just to show the public that old buildings has an important part to play in our urban spaces.

“The reason why the bridge caught our eyes is be-cause of the economic factor associated with it, it can be a historic monuments because that was the first bridge and it acts as a connection between Gabo-rone and Botswana that’s why we chose the bridge,” Pilang Rapalai

The team concludes that Public Art Installation is about the configuration of the subject in place, it is different from our traditional art work where we are more used to paintings and sculptures because here its different as the figure has to enter into a space to engage with it and the configuration of the object is in a way that the person in that space use the five senses whereas our traditional artwork only engages one visually. The public art is expected to inform Batswana with the new kind of art, different from sculptures.

As it re-positions itself as the premier business and development financier in Botswana and the region, the Botswa-na Development Corporation (BDC) has appointed Mr. Bashi Gaetsaloe to the position of Managing Director.

Mr Gaetsaloe joins BDC from Ac-centure Botswana where he was the Country Managing Director. As a busi-ness leader he is expected to bring to BDC a wealth of knowledge and ex-pertise which will benefit the corpora-tion. Bashi has held several Director/CEO positions of growing responsibil-ity and profile for the past 18 years initially as a Director of HRMC Man-agement Consultants and later as a Managing Director of two global enti-ties including KPMG Consulting.

Furthermore, Bashi has advised and consulted Botswana Government as well as to Botswana’s leading compa-

nies across the banking, telecommu-nications, insurance, manufacturing and mining industries.

During his previous employment at Accenture, Bashi was responsible for developing local competitive strate-gies based on the overall global direc-tion and policy of the firm. He has held leadership roles in South Africa where he was appointed Head of Manage-ment Consulting for the Public Sector serving both national and provincial clients. He also worked as part of a wider geographic team reporting to Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) where he has developed strong inter-national networks and business rela-tionships.

Bashi has specific experience work-ing across various sectors covering business strategy, organizational transformation, business startups and business turn-around, change man-agement, and financial management. Through these experiences, Bashi has developed an invaluable understand-ing of Business in Botswana and the factors that ensure business success across various sectors. In particular he has demonstrated the competencies required to transform and grow both private and public enterprises.

Mr Gaetsaloe holds an MA in Eco-nomics from Yale University, New Haven, USA and a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Connecticut College, New London, USA.

www.bdc.bw

Ms Montle Nicola Phuthego

General Manager (GM) - Business Development

Botswana Development Corporation (BDC) Limited is happy to announce the appointment of Ms Montle Nicola Phuthego as the Corporation’s General Manager (GM) -

Business Development with effect from 1st May 2013. As GM - Business Development, Ms Phuthego deputizes BDC’s Managing Director and becomes a member of the Corporation’s Executive/Management Committee. In her new role Ms Phuthego is tasked with the responsibility of strategically guiding the corporation in terms of its business operandi as well as developing and implementing a robust and competitive business model that would ensure early identification of investment opportunities, growth of the company and creation of wealth for the Corporation, its subsidiaries and the economy of the country at large. Ms Phuthego will oversee the following Divisions: Marketing and Research, Agribusiness, Property Development and Management, Industry, and Invoice Discounting.

Ms Phuthego joins BDC from the Botswana Trade and Investment Centre where she was Executive Director, Export Promotion and Development. She holds a Master of Science degree in Economics from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom and a Bachelor of Art Degree in Economics from the University of Botswana. Ms Phuthego started her career at Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis where she held positions of Assistant Research Fellow from 1997 – 2001 and Associate Researcher from 2001-

2002. In 2002, she joined the Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency in a leadership capacity as head of the Research and Strategic Linkages Department. She has held various leadership positions within Botswana Export Development and Investment Authority (BEDIA). She joined the organization in 2003 to start the Research Department, a position she held for four years. In 2007, she moved to the BEDIA London office where she developed and implemented successful investment and export promotion strategies for the European Union, Russia and Israel.

In her research capacity, Ms Phuthego has completed several studies, including a study on the viability of a the transport and logistics hub, raw material assessment and viability of the glass industry, performance and future scope for the textile and apparel sector, viability of call centres, a study on beef and beef by-products and market profiling of the African region for export potential. She has also published papers on export competitiveness, World Trade Organisation negotiations and opportunities offered by the African Growth and Opportunities Act.

Ms Phuthego brings to BDC a wealth of experience accumulated over time in strategic leadership and derived from complex and challenging export development and investment environments.

Ends ….

Press ReleaseNew Managing Director -

Botswana Development Corporation

BDC is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Bashi Gaetsaloe to the Position of Managing

Director.

Mr. Gaetsaloe joins BDC from Accenture Botswana where he was the Country Managing Director. Bashi has held Director / CEO positions of growing responsibility and profi le for the past 18 years initially as a Director of HRMC Management Consultants and later as Managing Director of two global entities KPMG Consulting and most recently Accenture Botswana. He has advised and consulted to the Botswana Government as well as to Botswana’s leading companies across the banking, telecommunications, insurance, manufacturing and mining industries.

In his capacity as Country Managing Director at Accenture, he was responsible for developing local competitive strategies based on the overall global direction and policy of the fi rm. He has held leadership roles in South Africa where he was appointed Head of Management Consulting for the Public Sector serving both national and provincial clients. Bashi also worked as part of a wider geographic team reporting into Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) where he has developed strong international networks and business relationships.

Bashi has specifi c experience working across various sectors covering business strategy, organisational transformation, business start-ups and business turn-around, change management, and fi nancial management. Through these experiences, Bashi has developed an

invaluable understanding of Business in Botswana and the factors that ensure business success across various sectors. In particular he has demonstrated the competencies required to transform and grow both private and public enterprises.

Bashi is a respected business leader and brings to BDC a wealth of knowledge and expertise which will benefi t the Corporation as it re-positions itself as the premier business and development fi nancier in Botswana and the region.

Mr. Gaetsaloe holds an MA in Economics from Yale University, New Haven, USA and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Connecticut College, New London, USA.

Mr. Bashi Gaetsaloe


AdvertorialPage 3


Boidus FeaturePage 4

CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE

IN SEARCH OF A LASTING LEGACY-MIST UNDER HON. JOHNNIE SWARTZ

Hon Johnnie Swartz Legacy at MIST - Regulating the Construction Industry

and which he will leave still engulfed in flames if he does not make it back to the ministry after this year’s election. To add to his woes, he also inherited a ministry with a history of massive ex-penditure just as the global economy was going into recession. MIST has seen its budget dwindle significantly in recent years, a situation worsened by the fact that the budget is shared by MIST and at least three other Ministries.

The government’s total freeze on all new projects meant Swartz had to somehow use a shoe string budget to keep an overly government dependent industry afloat while also trying to bring under control costly corrupt practices and an ill-suited procurement and project management system which relied on private consultants to undertake almost all public projects. As Swartz told us dur-ing an exclusive interview with Boidus Focus, “We had to change the whole system, take the powers of managing projects back and show them (the private consultants) who the boss was”. These efforts to take back control from the overzeal-ous private consultants created the need for a new project management strategy based around project audit committees to be formulated and fast track implemented. He points out that these Audit comities have saved government millions of Pula in public funds.

The Project Management Office will soon be ex-tended to the private sector again but this time around it will be through an Agency within the Ministry which will oversee coordination of all government construction projects. All this is part of an ongoing restructuring of the Ministry to en-

sure its execution of projects is well coordinated with all other ministerial stakeholders and is done in conjunction with the private sector. For the past three years government has turned its focus, as far as the construction industry is concerned, to maintenance work but one has to wonder at what the overarching basis behind these maintenance projects could be. Is there any policy on maintenance or ambitions beyond just physical upgrades of existing buildings? Are there any other intended benefits apart from ‘repairing’ buildings, such as perhaps skills base development or the sustainable upgrade of gov-ernment buildings?

True to his nature, Swartz quickly acknowledges that there probably ought to be some guiding principles on the maintenance focus and high-lights that he hopes the current review of build-ing regulations by his ministry will bring out solutions to some of these issues. He also notes that his ministry is working with PEEPA to review government’s project procurement systems. Cur-rently, government ministries’ stakeholders oper-ate in silos, with each ministry procuring its own projects and assistance in putting in place mea-sures for guiding any maintenance of projects to safeguard our building heritage and conserve of our culture in buildings.The main challenge that has hampered the main-tenance drive thus far has been a lack of over-sight on exactly how many and to what extent government buildings need maintenance. Swartz reveals that his Ministry has engaged Deloitte and are also working with BOCCIM to undertake stock taking of state government projects which need maintenance.

by Keeletsang P. Dipheko / HK Mokwete

Is Project Allocation through Rota System a Spoon feeding Culture?

The Chinese Contractors and the rampant corrup-tion in the Industry

Regulation OF ProfessionALs in the Construction Industry

The commencement of the maintenance projects has also seen the return of the infamous Rota-System of project allocation. This is a system where consultants are put on a rota form through which they get awarded work on a basis of their turn or a toss. We ask the minister why this system is back in use after its previous misgivings and also whether he doesn’t think it promotes a spoon feeding culture?“Honestly I wouldn’t know. Maybe it’s spoon feeding because people don’t have go to great lengths to get work. We look at the register to select but then the selected consultant would still have to qualify for the work. Even so, we all have our own interpretation on these things.”He also discusses the need for local contractors to help themselves grow and develop necessary skills to compete for bigger jobs. He wonders why local consultants are not forming alliances and consortiums in order to amplify their skills pull and compete for bigger projects.

He highlights that although as government they can assist the industry by making basic work available, local contractors have to aspire for less dependency on government support. He notes that in regards to procurement of the so called mega projects, the long awaited unbundling of these projects has started and the first projects to be unpacked under this system include projects in Mmadinare and Mahalapye.

He also notes that his Ministry has started assisting youth owned construction companies with the hope of building their skills base and assisting them grow into reputable companies. “To date, we have disbursed P100 million worth of projects to youth owned constructions companies and this year P32 million worth of projects h already been awarded to youth owned contractors so far.”

We put it to him that there is concern that the arrival of Chinese Contractors is seen as the root cause of most of our industry’s failures, including corruption and failure to complete projects. The number of projects that have been awarded to Chinese Contractors only to run into problems is scandalous; these projects range from airports to schools to stadiums to police stations and many others.

Swartz responds thusly: ‘The Chinese came as contractors and not necessarily as consultants so we can’t now think that it’s only the Chinese. They might have seen a little loop hole and used it and maybe we didn’t really do our work which we have now taken back control of. And then ‘yes’ when the Chinese came they got most of the jobs because they were lower than others in cost. But you must remember that it can’t be the Chinese alone involved in this mess, as they say it takes two to tango’.

Hon Swartz speaks most passionately about his work in trying to bring the construction in-dustry into a professionalised and regulated sector. Earlier on when discussing issues of alle-gations of corruption and professionalism, he delves into tactics he has had to use in efforts to get the industry in line and bring to him a draft guideline for a Construction regulating body. “As a farmer who is used to saying things as they are, I sometimes had to use direct language in face to face confrontations with contractors to express my frustration at the slow pace of the formation of the envisaged construction industry regulatory body.”

The formation of an industry body is a task that has over many years eluded every minister that has attempted to do so. As far back as 2008, a report by the University of Botswana, commissioned by BOCCIM outlined in no ascertain terms that a Regulatory body was a critical component in bringing the industry’s challenges under control. Hon Swartz warmly implores that if there is anything he should want to be remembered for having achieved at the Ministry it is bringing regulation and self accountability to the construction industry. “I want this to be my legacy. If BOCCIM and the steering committee were to put the com-plete document which I know they are currently finalising, I will be taking it to the Attorney General for fine tuning and proceeding to present it to parliament. I will be presenting the amendments to the Architects Bill to Parliament this week; the Quantity Surveyors we have started and the Engineers Registration Board is already operational.”For a man who prides himself as a farmer, one has to agree that should he see through the regulation of the construction industry, Swartz would have achieved quite a milestone that shall leave a long lasting mark on the industry as it tries to find its way back from the brink of collapse after the recession and attempts to wean itself off of government dependency. However, the challenges, problems and real rot of the construction projects and manage-ment systems of public projects will however need more than honesty and openness to solve. They will need even more than just a professionalised industry.

At best as a start, Minister Swartz would eclipse himself if he was to convince government to institute a commission of inquiry to investigate the true extent of the industry challenges including corruption, collusion and lack of professionalism, and public funds lost in all incomplete and abandoned projects. The inquiry would of course not only look into projects procured under MIST, but broaden its scope to include all public construction projects including civil structures and local Government projects. The inquiry would provide a clean slate on which the industry can move forward, put into perspective the Minister’s successes and failures during his time in charge of MIST and perhaps give him the lasting legacy he desires.

Do we really need 50 architecture firms, and this many consulting firms in such a small economy as ours? Maybe consultants need to come together and form consortiums.

‘ ’



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CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE

will be extended a 10% discount, a move which has optimistically been described as ‘making property ownership affordable’. First and foremost, we need to have an under-standing of what affordable housing is and move away from marketing gimmicks. Afford-able housing refers to; a reasonably adequate in standard and location property for a specific income group; the property should not cost so much that a household is unlikely to be able to meet other basic needs on a sustainable basis. This then implies that affordability in housing is

relative to income, not price and availability. The fact that BHC has built houses in Serowe, Phaka-lane, Mahalapye and Molepolole that no one is interested in purchasing is due to that one as-pect – Income. This therefore calls for all those involved in estates development to develop an affordable housing index that will be location specific whether it’s rural, urban, peri-urban etc. The index computation will factor three key vari-ables: home prices, borrowing rates and average incomes. Affordable housing looked at in the short term will most likely prove to be costly in the long run.

The current call for acquisition of property is misleading because as soon as interest rates start rising again, affordability is going to de-cline at a considerably faster rate and we know that in the past our bank rate has gone all the way to rates higher than 14% and if history is a predictor of the future especially in the finan-cial sector, then we are most likely to experience failing mortgages and rich financial institutions. Our market does not operate in isolation so the current slow growth on the global economy will have an impact on the future bank rate. Instabil-

ity (though diplomatically controlled) in the EU/USA as they react to annexing of Crimea, can lead to challenges in energy provision which can change prices and therefore affect administered prices. A slowing Asian growth (India & China) can have a bad impact on financial markets in the long run and we will not be immune.Affordable housing looked at in the short term is myopic. It requires more than a sale of a house. Government has to move in deliberately to amend polices that promote exclusion to af-fordable housing. These polices border on the land tenure and the access to affordable finance. By affordable finance we refer to finance that a median income family can afford and still not compromise on consumption and affordability of other basic needs. Housing as a basic need simply means housing should be looked at as a right since it borders on dignity.

Affordable credit can come about in so many basic ways; one of them is for government to-gether with the pension funds to set up a risk mitigation pool of funds where, say an amount is injected to offset the risk amount that banks charge to consumers/borrowers. This can lower mortgage rates by about 300 points basis. Pen-sion contribution can also be structured such that first term years provide a savings mecha-nism that can be used as leverage to borrowing and facilitate asset financing. The second phase can be aggressive on medi-cal and high risk investment portfolios, while the third stage can focus on preservation of value and medication because after retirement old age has its own medical challenges which may require specialised treatment.

Affordable housing also has an element of af-fordable rent. It should be clear that people don’t rent houses because they are lazy to buy but rather due to prohibitive costs both from acquisition and monthly loan maintenance. A low cost BHC house valued at P400, 000 will cost P600/m rental and a loan repayment will cost P5000/m. At the end of the day it makes more sense for BHC to provide accommodation to low income tiers in the form of rent to buy rather than straight away purchase, contrary to the thinking by Real Estates Institute of Botswana (REIB) Chairperson, which rather makes the view a REIB position. When you make money off in-flated prices it tends to get you divorced from the reality and therefore ignorance grows at the expense of the people that need the service the most.Affordable housing provision cannot be done in isolation from a housing authority whose func-tion will be to monitor and track the cost, man-agement and standards in housing. A closer look

or rather a visit to the different websites reveals that real estate agents employ predatory pric-ing strategies for housing. I’ve had dealings with about four valuation companies and the prices I got on one property were quite interesting. They ranged from P535, 000 to P950, 000. This lack of standardisation and analytical tools by the REIB in property valuation has if anything escalated the cost of property and in the process made it unaffordable to most Batswana earning average incomes. If one property can have such a wide range in value, then there is something totally wrong and therefore may require a customised valuation property for the Botswana market. Since most Batswana nowadays have discovered the East for finishing’s then there is also reason for the properties to be even more affordable since the materials are much less costly than those acquired locally or in the region. To further demonstrate the lack of consistency in valuation, I would urge the reader to visit a few sites and look at the price offerings for the Louisville Es-tates in Gaborone and appreciate the inconsis-tency in pricing.

Is property ownership an investment or an il-lusion? The answer depends on where you are seated. My boy Kops will tell you that setting up an SMME that generates income, then using the proceeds to buy your property cash and finally insuring it is the way to go. From a bank perspec-tive, getting a loan for P700, 000 will result in a total payment of P3.5 million over 25 years on current rates. From the two scenarios you wait 25 years to own equity while the other one is job creating and provides immediate equity upon purchase. Getting a mortgage doesn’t make you a property owner but a renter of debt. If property appreciated at the rate at which you pay interest then it would be a worthy investment but that’s not the case because property appreciates at around 1-2% annually and this is not forever as localities lose value as more people move in. The 2008 economic meltdown has proved that prop-erty is not such a huge investment.

Do you know that there is a correlation between unemployment and home ownership? If you are young then the best thing is to rent and someone has to provide that affordable start up house for rent. It’s cheaper to rent a house to buy than to rent debt. For the local corporation to assist in af-fordable housing, let’s focus more on rent to buy. You make the decision!The concept of affordable housing should not be treated as an opportunity to sell property but rather as a chance to improve welfare and dig-nity. A desire for the consumer to understand the mortgage contract should be the underlying fac-tor before a sale is made.

Is Property Ownership an Invest-ment or an Illusion?by Othata Batsetswe / Financial Inclusion Specialist & Project Coordinator / Principal Finance Administrator

Pictures top and Bottom: The $6,000 House, CapetownMMA Architects of South Africa took the top prize of $100,000, which was announced today by the school. The firm, based in Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Berlin, won for their 10X10 house, an extremely affordable structure built using sandbags and timber. It requires no tools or advanced construction knowledge and can be built for slightly more than $6,000, while still presenting a striking, modern design.


SustainabilityPage 6

by Phenyo Motlhagodi

Financial Incentives and Investment in Forest Conservation – Part 1

SUSTAINABILITY TODAY

In a recent United Nations Environment Pro-gramme Finance Initiative [UNEP FI] report, there appears to be a strong argument that the lack of a clear price signal to use forests in a more sustainable way is the key reason why deforesta-tion and forest degradation continue unabated. The report also indicates that changes in finan-cial incentives are needed to tackle commercial activities, taxes and subsidies that lead to forest loss (the “downside”) and to stimulate activities and initiatives that promote the protection and sustainable use of forests (the “upside”). Stimu-lating the sustainable use of forests is a world-wide challenge.

If you look at Botswana specifically, the existence of Forest Conservation Botswana (FCB) seeks to deal with this challenge directly. FCB is mandat-ed to promote activities that maintain, restore, protect and ensure sustainable utilisation of Bo-tswana forests by prudently managing the Tropi-cal Forest Conservation Fund (TFCF). The TFCF is intended to strengthen civil society by giving small grants to NGOs and local communities to carry out beneficial projects to communities and their environments. Citizens and institutions such as NGOs, including Village Development Com-mittees, Parent-Teacher Associations, and edu-cational entities, alongside economic, scientific, and professional organisations are also eligible for grant application. This has been the first of its kind in Africa, coming into formation in 2006 as a result of the Governments of the United States of America and Botswana signing the first Tropi-cal Forest Conservation Act and forming Forest Conservation Botswana.

In view of the financial incentive (grand offered by FCB) for which the UNEP FI is advocating, the success of FCB has been unremarkable, with just over 23 projects in about 20 locations. The fund itself will tell you that it struggles with enticing uptake of funded sustainability projects among communities and relevant organisations. It could be argued that our culture as a nation may need to shift to accommodate sustainability in its modern day needs.

Surely to address this situation some sort of a systems approach is needed in which the eco-nomic system, social-political system and eco-system can be embedded within each other, and then integrated through the governance system that holds all other systems together with a le-gitimate regulatory framework. Sustainability implies the continuous and mutually compatible integration of these systems over time; sustain-able development means making sure that these systems remain mutually compatible as the key development challenges are met through spe-cific actions and interventions to eradicate pov-erty and sever inequalities. This is as such the SA Sustainable Development definition, used as the bedrock of addressing the issue of sustainability. Botswana itself is a ready market for forest-based mitigation with a financial play and has all the elements in place i.e. the societal need, FCB, Pov-erty-Environment Initiative (a joint programme by UNDP and UNEP to work with Governments towards the integration of pro-poor environ-mental considerations into national and district planning processes) and now most importantly multi-national corporations who elsewhere have CSI policies in place to be engaged in such ini-tiatives, particularly in the areas of construction,

mining and energy. The “Why and How” are out-lined in a study produced by the UNEP FI’s Biodi-versity and Ecosystems Work stream and Climate Change working Group which states that:

There are many reasons why forest-based miti-gation should be interesting to the private sector generally and financial institutions specifically. However, in order to mobilise this private sector capital at the required scale, it is paramount that policy makers:i. Offer avenues and formats for the private

sector to invest and engage in the protection, rehabilitation and creation of forests;

ii. Increase the financial competitiveness and attractiveness of forest based climate mitiga-tion investments and;

iii. Reduce the investment risks involved.

It is therefore essential that:i. Financial institutions fully understand the

nature of the commercial opportunities, and potential investment avenues in the area of forest-based climate change mitigation; as well as the public mechanisms and risk miti-gation instruments available for such invest-ments.

Policymakers, including in particular the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiators understand the needs, priorities and views of the private sector investors, lenders and insurers in relation to the specific characteristics of forest-based mitiga-tion opportunities, so as to facilitate their in-volvement. Without such involvement, it seems likely that the effective implementation of forest-based climate change mitigation at the needed scale seriously risks remaining an idea rather than becoming a reality.

In conclusion, this is a clarion call for all con-cerned Government entities, academia, civil soci-ety and the private sector to each take their place at the table where the dire needs of the environ-ment can be addressed.

To be continued with investment examples in next issue

ENERGYLeaked Global Warming Report Warns Time is Running Out[Source: guardianlv.com/2014/04/leaked-global-warming-report-warns-time-is-running-out/]

A leaked report from the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reportedly warns that time is running out to meet the “2 degrees target” that was previously set. The two degrees Celsius target comes from a promise that nearly 200 countries made in 2010, which promises that those nations “will limit global warm-ing to less than two degrees over pre-industrial times.” The leaked draft by the IPCC offers solutions on how to curb the ever-worsening consequences and conditions of global warming by greatly lowering greenhouse gasses around the world.

Starting on April 7 and ending on April 12, the IPCC is to meet in Berlin, as expert climate scientists and government officials will discuss global warming and climate change. The main task at hand is to edit and review a 29-page draft that estimates the cost of low-carbon and “clean” energies “between two and six percent of world output by 2050.” On April 13, the draft is to be finalized and formally released to the public.

Since 1900, temperatures across the globe have risen by around 0.8 C (1.4F). Actual temperatures across the world are closing in on the two degrees ceiling temperature that climate scientists are aiming for; this may not be a realistic goal, however. If projections hold true, then the temperature will rise above the 2C mark in the next decades. Raising the goal temperature is a possibility, which is being debated. There will be a question of whether the world can adapt to two degrees, or even three or four, above pre-industrial times. But rises of temperatures of these magnitudes could cause “irreversible damages,” as well as causing “risks to food and water supplies.” The IPCC’s leaked report about global warming ultimately warns that time is running out to meet the 2C goal, because anything over that may cause dangerous and impactful environmental changes.

The top two emitters of greenhouse gasses are China and the United States. China has some of the worst pollution in the world. This has led to consequences such as smog blocking out the sun and breathing and heart problems for some of its citi-zens. However, environmental legislation of the nation has recently been proposed by China, which would make big businesses, who do most of the polluting in the country, pay a compensation fee. While pollution is not as vital of a concern in the United States despite many environmental laws, the nation as a whole still releases a significant amount of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.

Lowering overall greenhouse gas emissions could greatly help the environment with the two degrees target, but it is projected to “reduce economic output” of the world economies. Meeting the two degrees Celsius goal would cause nations to contain energy systems that are cleaner, although pricier. Coal would likely be largely discontinued as an energy source, even though it is a cheaper and plentiful alternative to the expensive capturing of carbon dioxide. According to the report, low-carbon energy sources need to greatly be increased if the target temperature is to be attained. These are “clean” energy sources such as “wind, hydro- and solar power, nuclear power” that could produce energy, as well as being much kinder to the environment than burning fossil fuels.

Global warming has become a serious problem due to steadily increasing tem-peratures around the world in recent times, and the IPCC’s leaked report warns the world’s powers that time is running out to meet the two degrees Celsius target. Ultimately, the report is a strict reminder that the world needs to greatly decrease its reliance on fossil fuels to avoid drastic consequences or great changes that could be the result of global warming. Time is running out in more ways than one on global warming impacting the world.

By Glen Parris @DoctorGlenbo

Leaked Global Warming Report Warns Time is Running Out Added by Glen Parris on April 6, 2014. Saved under Climate Change, Glen Parris, Science, WorldTags: Global Warming

A leaked report from the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reportedly warns that time is running out to meet the “2 degrees target” that was previously set. The two degrees Celsius target comes from a promise that nearly 200 countries made in 2010, which promises that those nations “will limit global warming to less than two degrees over pre-industrial times.” The leaked draft by the IPCC offers solutions on how to curb the ever-worsening consequences and conditions of global warming by greatly lowering greenhouse gasses around the world.

Starting on April 7 and ending on April 12, the IPCC is to meet in Berlin, as expert climate scientists and government officials will discuss global warming and climate change. The main task at hand is to edit and review a 29-page draft that estimates the cost of low-carbon and “clean” energies “between two and six percent of world output by 2050.” On April 13, the draft is to be finalized and formally released to the public.

Since 1900, temperatures across the globe have risen by around 0.8 C (1.4F). Actual temperatures across the world are closing in on the two degrees ceiling temperature that climate scientists are aiming for; this may not be a realistic goal, however. If projections

Phenyo Motlhagodi is a seasoned Radio Per-sonality and a St Louis Top 40 under 40 finalist

Facebook: Phenyo MotlhagodiTwitter: PhenyoOnRadio

Urban Forestry as Urban Recre-ation and Connectivity

Urban Forestry as part of Urban Metropolis


Guest ColumnistPage 7

by HK Mokwete

Architects Registration: What is at stake?

Last week the Architects’ Registration (Amend-ment) Bill was presented to parliament to pro-vide a subvention to the original act of 2008 which will allow for government funding to the beleaguered profession. At the heart of the changes, the Bill amends the Act by extending revenues of the Architects’ Registration Coun-cil to include annual subvention or grants from government until such time that the council is able to source its own funding. Other amend-ments include:

• Incorporation of minimum qualifications for registration for architectural technolo-

gists and draftspersons.• Introduction of practicing certificates and

to provide for annual fees for practicing certificates.

• To provide for submission of architectural drawings for local authorities approval by registered architects only.

The first Act of 2008 provided for self regulation and independence from government but after spending most the time working voluntarily the interim Architectural Registration Council quickly ran into the same challenges that the engineering profession ran into. The establish-

The works that architects undertake span a wide spectrum that ranges from the ordinary house, hospitals, schools, airports, and bridges to fur-niture, transportation systems, and recently the design of space crafts and ships as is the case of Norman Forster’s design of the Virgin Galactic Spacecraft and the London Route master bus. The role of architects in a society is therefore undisputed. With such responsibility comes ac-countability to the public and the profession. This is what is at the heart of the regulation of architects and indeed other professions; to safe-guard the building consumer, maintain integrity of the profession and promote good standards in the education and professional practice. What has been happening in Botswana since independence has been a crude process of un-dertaking architecture in an environment where anyone can call themselves an architect and take on work that would ideally be reserved for a professional architect with the required skills.

ment of such a complex, time consuming entity cannot be undertaken without funding and even if it could be its operation would still require a good source of revenue above subscription fees.

But why is the regulation of architects so impor-tant? What is at stake?Public/consumer protection Architecture is the second oldest profession after medicine (even though some would say it’s the 4th after medicine, law and church), and forms an integral part of life as it creates the spaces in which human beings live in every part of the world. Architects, in their role at the centre of most of what is built up, carry a lot of responsibility as their work is essential to the well being of people. In value terms global archi-tecture firms’ turnover is in the billions per an-num. The largest architectural firm in the world, the interdisciplinary AECOM GROUP turns over US$400 million a year and employs 1,370 people worldwide (The WA100-2013). >>> CONTINUED PAGE 17

by Sophie Lalonde

The Art Room

Pablo Picasso and Henry Matisse have been widely documented as being influenced by African art. Africa was a mysterious continent that intrigued them and other artists at the time and from then on. For centuries, Africa has been a source of creativity to other art-ists. Nevertheless, art from Africa was, in those days, classified as craft rather than art. It was a source of inspiration, not a credited art from.

For a long time, art from Africa was controver-sially referred to as ‘primitive art’. This old and tired way of perceiving African art is chang-ing and most dramatically in the 21st century. Even as close as the 1980’s and 1990’s views of African art were often problematic. Susuan Vogel, curator and African art expert, ex-plained at a 1991 seminal exhibition ‘Africa Explores’ that the problem African artists face is the lack of commercial space to exhibit their work as well as an underwhelming number of African patrons.

Since 1991 a lot has changed. In the last 20 years or so there have been a growing num-ber of internationally acclaimed artists from Africa as well as a growing number of suc-cessful visual and cultural arts centers on the continent. Nigeria has the most rich art scene to date with a large amount of international exposure and relationships growing.

Last year in Johannesburg the first Museum of

African Design on the continent opened. The museum is located in the Maboneng Precinct in Johannesburg, a small area, which is be-ing revived into a cultural hub, dedicated to young creative talent.

However, it is not only within Africa that the dy-namics of African art are changing. African art is increasingly being included in international art fairs, museums and galleries. Art Dubai, the leading international art fair, in 2013 invited Lagos based Bisi Silver to select work from West Africa to be represented at the fair.

In November 2012 the Tate Modern, London launched ‘Across the Board’, a two year proj-ect which consists of a number of events fea-turing emerging African artists.

Possibly most impressively African art held its own international fair in London last year at Somerset House titled 1:54; fifty-four repre-senting the number of countries in Africa.

African art is ridding itself of the ideas of the old Africa. Artists are making their mark in Africa and in the world, contradicting thoughts of any conceptual and continental boundaries there were in place. Still an in-spiration to the rest of the world, it is also an inspiration to our African artists. Africa is bright and creatively, has something very different to offer.

About Sophie Lalonde

Sophie Lalonde is the owner of Botswana's first commer-cial and contemporary art gallery, Sophie Lalonde Art. Currently the gallery is exhibiting a solo exhibition with French artist Catherine Timotei.

Tracy Rose ha held solo exhibition in South Africa, Europe and America and has participated in a number of interna-tional events including the Venice Biennale.Detail from Tracey Rose’s Maqueii 2002. Lambda print 118 x 118 cm Edition of 6. Courtesy of Goodman Gallery

Ghanaian, El Anatsui is at the forefront of contemporary artists of his time and has received large amount of interna-tional attention for his work. El Anutsai, Nukae (detail), 2006. Image courtesy of cliff1066/WikiCommons

Angola exhibiting for the first time at the Venice Biennale were awarded with the prestigious Gold Lion Award for the best pavilion.



by Jan Wareus / Architect & Town Planner

The game of sustainability[New version 25/03/2014]

The topic implied in the flippant heading above is so important that I have to take a deep look into myself and my experiences – so, here we go…Arriving in Gaborone in January 1979 (in an old DC-3) was quite a mind changing experience. The town (as it was then, before hubris set in – in ef-fect, Serowe was and has always been the capital I learnt later) was a new model “garden city” as per my university text books – a charming, tiny, green new-town with curving streets and functional en-vironmentally friendly roundabouts perfectly ser-vicing the traffic volumes planned for at the time.Where did the concept that this little garden city of 20 to 30 000 inhabitants could forever grow without denying its origin come from? Instead of, as per the book, be repeated at some distance and conveniently connected with public transport? Sorry to say, my predecessors - planners from Europe (and Sweden) - should have known bet-ter. Gaborone quickly became unsustainable! The interested reader must know that the so called Gaborone Growth Study of 1978 was the probably the least convincing growth plan a capital ever had. The murky side of aid dependency is not so much the aid money spent as it is the intellectual capacity of the supporting expats!

I soon discovered a western, “proper” Mall and an “indigenous” African Mall in the small garden city. The functional reasons for this were quite confus-ing to me, until I realised that the “letting” of retails in the proper one were skewed. The proper Mall had no possibilities for traditional low income out-lets! It was fine spun for high income inhabitants north of the Mall! Why? Because the garden city was made by planners from a very class-minded country and the implemented concept from the (British) books indicated the same!

Astonishingly, the initial garden city concept was familiar to me. The neighbourhood housing con-cept used by the first planners of the 1963/64 lay-out was as per the planning concept “invented” in the western world and frequently used in layouts for suburbs, new towns and expansion areas there. But soon and to my surprise, I discovered that it was not new to the Tswana tradition. Most rural towns and villages had a similar concept for creat-ing living space. This point became a strong point in my later layouts (this is Tswana tradition!) so I wrote a paper about it and the response was – JW want us to put on traditional skins and dance for him (uttered by a Director of Town And Regional Planning in front of a Minister and Sandy Grant mentioned this in his ETC column later). Botswana Society was equally less interested, but a few like Prof. Mason were, indeed. Likewise was the tradi-tional housing mix Sir Seretse Khama directed the

planners to adhere to in the 70’s – it was functional and made possible future upgrading and even ac-cepted as such by CEO’s from Britain (e.g. Dir/BHC and Dir/Surveys and Lands). The upgrading and cross-subsidy issues were so important that it was supported even by these CEO’s.

Most astonishing though was the fact that the small capital of Gaborone had its own power plant in 1979. In the old industrial area with coal from the north regularly delivered by train on its own side-spur. A solution that nowadays many cities are longing for instead of long, impediment creat-ing power lines from far away (loosing 1/3 of the expensive energy in the transmission and another 1/3 in the local wiring). The same for domestic connections, unfortunately, and we pay the full costs for this inefficient delivery. I’ll be back to this fact, later.

We are now into “Small is Beautiful” and we need some explanations:It’s the title of a book from 1973 by E F Schum-acher (EFS); “Small is Beautiful – A Study of Eco-nomics as if People Mattered” and it became one of the 100 most influential books published since WW2 (Wikipedia). He was a Keynesian economist that for many years was an important member of the British Coal Board. His economic and techni-cal experience convinced him of the importance of “appropriate technology” congruent to the gener-al experience (and skills) by people and their lead-ers in some third world countries (e.g. Papua New Guinea). He died in 1977 already well aware of the first oil crisis and the limping steps into the “digi-tal, electronic society”. But his thinking was taken further by the Schumacher Centre for New Eco-nomics. Books and papers have been produced in large numbers and it is astonishing that he is almost totally unknown here.

EFS clearly saw the future of third world econo-mies and their inherited dependence on cheap oil and energy as he had experienced the finite coal resources in Britain and the so called first oil cri-sis. Furthermore, he didn’t see any lasting bless-ings in the petrol and electronic high tech as it was also based on finite and increasingly expensive resources. It also depended to a high degree on very skilled and specialised engineers, resulting in alienation for the ordinary mechanics and the us-ers of the digital apps and not being able to main-tain the “blessings” themselves.

Interestingly, Botswana had its own EFS working, preaching and starting up “appropriate tech-nology” projects since the 60’s. I’m referring to Patrick van Rensburg. He was somewhat in the

background and very neglected by the western orientated part of the establishment. His educa-tional and practical concepts were highly appre-ciated, though, by the Scandinavian governments of the time prior to the neo-liberal paradigms. Prophets at home are never admired, they say! True, but recent problems for the educational arm of the government were earlier pointed out to no avail.

I’m perplexed when noting that there is a kind of two tier system being allowed to evolve here – a privatised quality and a government quantity education. A socio-economic recipe for disaster – bankruptcy comes step by step and then, all of a sudden! However, there is hardly any discussion about this double system today, evidently a seri-ous part of the problem!

As a retired architect/physical planner I will now on the basis of my experiences noted above, go into the devastating state of our infrastructure and concentrate on the power delivery system as it is currently the most discussed problem.The “modern” power delivery concept for Bo-tswana is forced upon us by the western, now post-industrial countries. The technological side of it has been developed over a century marked by cheap, abundant fossil fuel. Thus the effective-ness of the system was not a serious question until today when fossil fuel is peaking and economy decreasing. Even the western countries can’t pay the bills! But this is what they have developed and must face and the same for us – we have to main-tain the dubious concept we have, at least for a generation.

How do we do that? Well let’s see if the wasteful-ness of the system can be corrected, at least par-tially – the price of power depends on this!If you don’t know it by now (you will never, never…) I will tell you that already in the 90’s it was clear that there was a problem with maintaining the in-frastructure given to us, based initially on cheap fossil fuel and money in abundance, the basis for mimicking western developments in Africa. And their industries were spitting out products, more or less obsolete to them but “needed” for devel-oping countries that didn’t have economy to buy at shop/prime price but so called Aid Money (their tax money) could pay for it.

Now you know why so called “legitimate expecta-tions” by African countries were met by obsolete products and technology from west. Let’s call it neo-colonialism supported by local, in-house co-lonialism. And we must face it – there are mighty corporate interests behind the power solutions we decide to implement!

For instance, we know now that modern econo-mies run at less than 5% for the full chain from extraction to delivery (“Factor Four” by Weisacker, Lovins and Lovins 1998). So, there is a consider-able scope for advance. The book also tells us that we can do everything we do on a quarter (1/4) of energy and materials now used. Remember, long-haul electricity loses about 1/3 of energy in the transmission and another 1/3 is lost in the local wiring and plugs. Inefficiency, yes! And totally un-acceptable but might be improved (and must be) as we have to pay for this inefficiency. However, according to many scientists that’s not enough for a truly sustainable future – at least a factor 10 will be needed to avoid further climate change and surviving on resources available. Now you know the song!

And, according to a very fine blogger, John M Greer (The Archdruit Report), whose posts I read every week: “It’s no longer necessary to speculate about what kind of future the end of the age of cheap abundant energy will bring to the industrial world – the package has already been delivered.”

As ex-president Masire pointed out in a paper recently Botswana has signed the Kyoto Protocol regarding the use of solar power in the country. Furthermore, Vision 2016 is pointing out that Bo-tswana has a tremendous potential for solar en-ergy that must be exploited, especially for rural communities not catered for by national grid. Despite this, BPC (together with a few allied and alien corporations) goes and extends the national grid to more than a hundred rural settlements! My point of BPC being kidnapped by alien corpora-tions is a fact!

For a short while I was part of this conceptually imperfect project, helping the involved Swedish partner to BPC with surveys. And to my perplexed mind, some far away hamlets and villages had schools, clinics, administration offices and more with “defunct” solar power. I’m not an electrician but I could see that the wiring was for 220 Volts, i.e. tiny slim wires. As far as I know from my grand-father and my old father-in-law that had old kind of windmills for pumping water and charging bat-teries – wiring for low voltage (12 V) is quite dif-ferent from high voltage (220 V) tiny wires (as 220 can push through minimal wires with heat losses but 12 volt cannot). I’m not sure, but I think that as usual it was a management/supervision problem. I’m glad to be corrected if need be. Maybe, they didn’t know how to handle the batteries (read prof. Grynberg in Mmegi of March 28, 2014).

However, the new expensive grid was just replac-ing existing solar panels, probably wrongly in-stalled. Made right, the low voltage solar panels would have done a good job as most modern electronics work fine on 12 V and lights, too. There were very few households with money for BPC power. I hope some disused solar panels came into use by then!

However, don’t take my comments for being some death sentence to BPC and work done so far. I’m in full understanding of the working climate they are into and the lack of skills to supervise multimillion projects. Many fine engineers have never experi-enced the reality on the ground and big business due to a very forced and hasty localisation, so they are learning reality the hard way. But we now have to take a step by step walk away from the bank-ruptcy to a sustainable situation – the one we have signed treaties about.

There are similar problems for water and roads and I hope other “dissidents” can jump the confes-sion train. For roads, I’ve many times said – leave them out from “electrical upgrading” and don’t add more lanes for private cars – it’s like curing obesity by loosening the belt! Reserve one lane for public transport and kombis are necessary for the time being as grand scale public transport will never happen in times of descending economy.The man who never understand his defeats takes nothing with him into the future (Aksel Sandem-ose)

Jan Wareus/ Gabane

Gaborone now- Blighted by Urban Sprawl

View From behind Parliament 1966

ClassifiedsBOIDUS FOCUS 2014 Calendar Events | Tenders| April 2014

2014 CALENDAR EVENTS TENDERS

The African Construction Expo and Conference is the only forum that brings together construction professionals from the entire Afri-can continent. The event hosts a conference that addresses strategic issues around large scale construction and infrastructure projects.

An interactive exhibition showcases the latest products and solutions that help deliver projects on time and on budget. A free-to-attend workshop programme provides educational content and encourages a change towards a more sustainable approach to construction.

The event is designed for the industry’s senior level management, investors, government representatives as well as construction profes-sionals of all trades. MUST-ATTEND event will connect buyers, suppli-ers, manufacturers and service providers, providing a platform to:• Stay on the cutting edge with the latest in new products and

equipment• Find everything your company needs in one place with experts on

hand to answer questions• See products in action and other live demonstrations• Gain access to experts in education, training and other profes-

sional services

27-28 May 2014Seminar day: 26 May 2014

Site visits: 29 May 2014African Construction Week: 26-29 May 2014

Sandton Convention CentreJohannesburg, South Africa

AFRICAN CONSTRUCTION EXPO - MAY 2014

2014 IASP AFRICAN DIVISION CONFERENCE

The conference will feature presentations on the following sub-themes:• Science Parks and Economic Diversification• Africa and Innovation• Science, Technology, Innovation & Sustainability

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April 2014 | Home Improvement Ideas

Sponsored byDIY Projects - How To Stamp a Concrete Porch Floor

Use overlay and a pattern stamp to rework a cracked and peeling concrete porch floor. The result is a stylish porch surface resembling slate at a fraction of the cost. [Source: diynetwork.com]

water ratio used for the skim coat. The texture pave is mixed similarly, but will be thicker – to create a stamp-ing layer, mix four quarts of water per 55 lb. bag. This mixshouldalsobethoroughlymixed first,allowedtoset for fiveminutesandmixedagain.Becauseseveralbatches are required make sure the four quarts is exact to ensure consistency.

Step 7: Apply Thin Finish & Texture PaveWet the concrete substrate thoroughly. Leaving dry spots will create puddles when stamping. Squeegee off excess water (image 1). Squeegee on a layer of Thin Finish. Work in small sections, and apply the Texture Pave. Set the gauge rake to 1/4 of an inch. Pour out the Texture Pave and spread one bucket at a time. Use the gauge rake to spread and always keep the handle at the same height so the product spreads at the same thick-ness.Smoothoutthelinesbyfloatingasqueegeeacrossthe surface (image 2). Don’ t forget to paint the sides, and allow the texture pave to set up before stamping.

Step 8: Stamp the ConcreteAllow the Texture Pave to dry according to the manu-facturer’s recommendations to the point it is stampable. Start at the outside edge of the concrete area and work

Step 1: Clean the surface This project must begin with a completely clean con-crete surface. The overlay will chemically bond with the concrete so any paint on the concrete must be re-moved. Using a grinder with a diamond blade, grind in smooth circular movements until the concrete is the only thing left (image 1). Use a 3000 psi power washer to clean the newly exposed surface and get rid of dirt and debris (image 2).

Step 2: Etch the Concrete Porch FloorIn a clean bucket, mix eight parts water to one part mu-riatic acid. The acid will etch the concrete, exfoliating it and opening its pores. In a separate bucket mix eight parts of water to one part ammonia. Flood the porch withtheacidsolutionfirst.Spreaditwithabroomsoeverythingiscovered.Oncetheacidstopsfizzing,floodtheporchwiththeammoniamixturetoneutralizetheacid and adjust the pH. The ammonia reacts immediate-ly, don’t wait to let it take effect. Power wash the porch again to rinse excess acid and ammonia from the porch.

Step 3: Prep the Porch for the Skim CoatPrep the house for the skim coat by taping the door jambs & edges of the house with painters tape. This step ensures that the skim coat doesn’t bond to the house.

Step 4: Mix the Skim CoatTomix the thin finishskimcoat,useamixingpaddleand heavy duty mixing drill and place it in an empty fivegallonbucket.Addseventoeightquartsofwatertothebucketfirst,andthenadda55-lbbagofthinfinish.Wearamask,andmixthefinishsothattheconsistencyisverysoupy,withnolumps.Letthematerialsetforfiveminutes and then re-mix.

Step 5: Apply the Skim CoatMake sure the concrete is wet, but with no puddles. Pour the skim coat out in sections and spread it in U-shaped motions with a squeegee (image 1). Start at the edge and work away from the house (image 2). Spread the skim coat evenly and without lines. Use a paint-brush for the edges, since the squeegee is too big. The skim coat should dry for several hours before beginning to apply the next stamping coat.

Step 6: Mix Thin Finish & Texture PaveFor the stamping layer, apply a thin bonding layer of Thin Finish®, and a thicker layer of Texture Pave®. To mix the Thin Finish, follow the same instructions and

towards the opposite end. Spray a liquid release agent on the bottom of the polyurethane stamp and the area of the porch to stamp. Apply the stamp to the concrete, and press down with hands or feet starting at the out-side edge of the stamp and working towards the center. Setthenextstampadjacenttothefirstandoverlaptheedges by three to four inches. Alternate the orientation of the stamp to enhance a more random pattern. Allow it to dry for six to eight hours.

Step 9: Smooth any BumpsUse a rubbing stone to take out all the divots and lumps of concrete that have dried overnight. Rub the edges and clean the dust off.

Step 10: Color the SurfaceProtect the house with paper and tape (image 1), and apply the stain by using a pump sprayer (image 2). Two coatsareusuallyrequiredwiththefirstbeingaprimerandthesecondbeingthefinishcolor.Waitatleastanhour between spraying coats. Use a broom to push any color out of puddles and keep a rag handy for any spills.

Step 11: Apply the SealerApply sealer according to manufacturer’s instructions. Usually application can be done with a paint roller.

ClassifiedsBOIDUS FOCUSDIY | April 2014

Lifestylenotedby Keshia Mogopa, Interior Designer

Expert Home Owner... Rethink your space!

Every time you rethink your space, you are rethinking your life. 10 ways to get the best out of your space

Decluttering and getting rid of unnecessary junk. A clean and uncluttered space looks more inviting and easy on the eye. Clean lines and an uncluttered look are the main-stays of modern minimalist interior designs. Warmth is created through the use of texture, and stainless steel or chrome is often used on furniture, with Artwork kept to a minimal.

1

Loft beds/bunk beds are not just for children. Whether its combined with a cozy sofa, workstation or another bed space, the double height feature can be extremely space enhanc-ing. This is especially true if you live in a small studio apartment or a cool bachelor pad that has limited square footage.

2

The guest room doesn’t have to be underuti-lized. Maximize storage potential with clever bed-and-shelf furniture that can interchange between the two easily.

3

Does your home look too dull and crammed? Try covering one wall with full-length mirrors to visually enlarge and brighten the space. The good thing about mirrors is that they can open the available space and give the illusion of a more expansive setting without changing a single thing. One good place to start is your dining area

4Multi-purpose furniture are a key to maximising a petite home, so try a chest for storage, coffee table and sit-ting bench all in one.

5

6 If your dining table is catering for more space than it usually requires, consider switching it up for a smaller but extend-able one. This way, you can free up some space on usual days and extend it to accommodate more only needed. Expandable dining tables are available in various finishes so could suit for any interior design. Just pull up a couple of foldable chairs and you’re set!

Rearranging and experimenting with he configuration of your space can be a refreshing change. With a clever arrangement, you might be able to fit more into your space, like a petite work desk beside your sofa in the living room. Or perhaps a lovely organizational storage space above a well fitted petite work space within the kitchen.

7 Instead of cluttering desk with cork-boards or whiteboards, consider paint-ing a section of your wall with chalk-board paint or stick on a chalkboard decal to utilize wall space instead.

8

You’ll be surprised at how clearing the clutter off your floor can make your home look and feel much more spacious. So go ahead and mount your TV, console and cabinets on the wall and keep the bulkiness off your floor. Having shut-ters (as opposed to curtains) also does the trick!

9 Make the most of the space under your bed. Bed frames with integrated storage are incred-ibly useful, but if you don’t have one, your can always organise your knick-knacks into boxes ad keep them out of sight with a bed skirting.

10

10 ways to get the B E S T out of your S PAC E

ClassifiedsBOIDUS FOCUSApril 2014 | Property

Shopping for your Home Loan, what you need to ask?

Trying to buy your own home is a difficult and stressful process and one of the most important purchases you’ll make in your lifetime. With so many different products on offer and different types of mortgage to understand, it’s no wonder that getting the right mortgage can be a time consuming and lengthy task.

InBotswana,wheretherearenoprofessionalandregulatedMortgageAdvisors,itisimportant then that when approaching financing institutions, you should have done your homework in order to get the best deal.

Here is list of checklist processes you might want to go through to smoothen the process:

Obtain All Important Cost Information InBotswana,HomeLoansareavailablefromseveraltypesoflenders,commercialbanks, parastatal institutions, and micro lenders. Different lenders may quote you different prices, so you should contact several lenders to make sure you’re getting the best price.

Make sure you obtain information about mortgages from several lenders. Know how much of a deposit you can afford, and find out all the costs involved in the loan. Knowing just the amount of the monthly payment or the interest rate is not enough. Ask for information about the same loan amount, loan term, and type of loan so that you can compare the information. The following information is important to get from each lender and broker:

Rates• Ask each lender for a list of its current mortgage interest rates and whether the

rates being quoted are the lowest for that day or week. • Ask whether the rate is fixed or adjustable. Keep in mind that when interest rates

for adjustable-rate loans go up, generally so does the monthly payment.

by Boidus Admin

ECO-INSULATION TESTIMONIALSThe demand for electricity or gas usage has reached its peak thus price increase. In today’s times of rapidly rising energy costs it pays now more than ever to insulate and make your home an energy saving home.

Eco-Insulation offers Ultimate Climate Control. It creates an eco-friendly, fire-safe and non-toxic barrier that assist in con-trolling the temperature in the building all year round. Insulate your home above the ceiling, under the floor or even inside the walls, to keep cool in summer, warm in winter and save energy, which means savings in your pocket.

For many years insulation in Botswana has been seen as a luxury or not needed when building houses. With the extreme summer heat a house that is not insulated will be extremely hot in summer and very cold in winter. The heat from the sun builds up in the roof space and with no thermal barrier between the ceiling and the rooms of the house below the heat pours into the building. By installing a thermal barrier on top of the ceiling most of that heat is stopped from entering the building, therefore the rooms below are naturally cooler (up to 10 degrees C) without having to use electricity and money to cool them. In the winter the warm air on the building is trapped inside, it cannot escape from the room through the ceiling, so the rooms stay warmer.

By using Eco-Insulation up to 91% of the heat flow coming into the building from the roof in summer is reduced and up to 93% of the heat flow going out in winter is reduced. Enjoy living more comfortably in your home and save money with Eco-Insulation.

Here is what the experienced customer says:

“I have used the product, it is good. Definitely cooler in summer and warm in winter, indoor air quality and comfort is better. The reduction of energy consumption is presumed to be better but not measured. The product was neat and tidy finished.” - Mr Blair HammondAnother customers says

“I used roof insulation from Eco-insulation. It was my first time using the product, and they gave a good service. The product adapts to weather changes, when it is hot the house is cooler and when cold the house is warm.” - Thato Modisenyane, FNB.

• If the rate quoted is for an adjustable-rate loan, ask how your rate and loan pay-ment will vary, including whether your loan payment will be reduced when rates go down.

• Ask about the loan’s annual percentage rate (APR). The APR takes into account not only the interest rate but also points, broker fees, and certain other credit charges that you may be required to pay, expressed as a yearly rate.

FeesA home loan often involves many fees, such as transaction, settlement, and closing costs. Some fees are paid when you apply for a loan (such as application and apprais-al fees), and others are paid at closing. In some cases, you can borrow the money needed to pay these fees, but doing so will increase your loan amount and total costs. “Nocost”loansaresometimesavailable,buttheyusuallyinvolvehigherrates.Bankcharges are listed in the comparator ranging from 1% -1.2 % of the loan amount.• Ask what each fee includes. Several items may be lumped into one fee.• Ask for an explanation of any fee you do not understand.

Deposit and Private Mortgage InsuranceSome lenders require 20 percent of the home’s purchase price as a deposit payment or borrowers contribution. However, many lenders now offer loans that require less than 20 deposit, sometimes 100% funding. If a 20 percent down payment is not made, lenders usually require the home buyer to purchase private mortgage insur-ance (PMI) to protect the lender in case the home buyer fails to pay. Ask about the lender’s requirements for a deposit, including what you need to do to verify that funds for your deposit are available.

If PMI is required for your loan• Ask what the total cost of the insurance will be.• Ask how much your monthly payment will be when the PMI premium is



CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE

Find a Mortgage that works for youby Boidus Admin

DISCLAIMER: Boidus Focus does not provide financial advice services. Information contained here is for comparison purposes only and its validity should be confirmed with respective financial instutions.

LENDER SCHEME TYPE APR (Annual Percentage Rate)

MAXIMUM LOAN TO VALUE

YOUR NET INCOME MONTHLY REPAYMENT

LOAD DEPOSIT

REPAY-MENT PERIOD

LOAN SECURITY

BANK CHARGES REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION

BARCLAYS BANK

BARCLAYS HOME LOANSBarclays Home Loans, purpose is for building, equity release, outright purchase, refinancing or take over

11% up to P999,999.00 then

P1mill and above is 10.5%

90% on purchase

85% on refinancing and equity release,

80% on building

50% of the net income, can also take 70% of rental income into consid-eration where applicable. Joint income applica-tion available for married couples

anything not financed the customer would need to contribute as deposit

Min in 1 yr and Max is 25 yrs.

the property financed to be security required

1.12%, max is P7,207.40

Building Requirements• Approved council plans• Valuation of plans.• Title deedBuying house Requirements• Sale agreement from the seller• Title deed• Valuation of the house Re-mortgage Requirements• Balance of mortgage • Title deed• Valuation of the house (see website for more details)

This is a secured loan which gives customers an opportunity to be a home owner. The loan is available for purposes of: Building Requirements, Buying house Requirements, Re-mortgage Requirements, Bridging loan facilityNote: Barclays has preferred list professionals, check with your local branch

BANC ABC HOME LOANA loan offered to customers to purchase for residential purpose.

Variable interest rates

Lending rate and moves with the Lending rate.

100% of the Value of the property (Terms & Conditions Apply )

RTI/ DSR is 40% of Net Free Cash Flow

0% of the purchase or building price

20 years (240 months)


1% of the loan amount. • Quotation from three contractors Architects profile

• Soil analysis report• Approved building plans including Building permit• Bill of quantities• Desktop Valuation • Building contract • Contractors all risk policy (see website for more details)

Note: Minimum loan amount - P100, 000.The Loan term is selected by the customer (minimum repayment term being 7 years and maximum being 20 years). The monthly installment is deducted directly from the current account or by direct debit from another bank.Benefits: Variable interest rates / Flexible repayment periods / Option to re-mortgage your property

BOTSWANA BUILDING SOCIETY [BBS]

MORTGAGE LOANSThis is when the borrower ap-plies for a loan to develop or extend an existing property.

10.80% - Variable Rate Mortgage

11.35% - Floating Rate Mortgage

To confirm with Bank

25% of their monthly gross earnings


30 years for individual borrowers

5 years for companies

To con-firm with Bank

5% of the price in excess of P20 000.

Security Documents• Copy of title deed/deed of transfer, agreement

of lease• Bills of quantities• Structural survey report where applicable• Valuation report• Approved building plan by Council, building

permit and 3 quotations• Offer of purchase or deed of sale(see website for more details)

There are various types of loans that the Society may consider: Free Hold Land Financing, Ordinary Loan, Building Loan, Commercial Loan, Industrial Loan, Equity-Further Advance, Mortgage RequirementsThe maximum loan any borrower may qualify for depends mainly on three factors: (1) Borrowers gross income / (2) The assessed value of property to be purchased or developed / (3) The age of the ap-plicant

BANK GABORONE

MOSASANA HOMELOANS We offer competitive financing options to help you own the home that will suit your particu-lar circumstances.

Finance is offered in selected areas

Variable Prime linked(9.00% pa)

We price for risk with each deal as-sessed in its own merit

90% of the Open Mar-ket Value or the Purchase Price or building price which-ever is the lesser

50% of indi-vidual or joint net monthly income

Min-10% maximum 25 years

fixed property

0.56% of loan amount • Title Deed• Deed of purchase• Valuation report (not more than 2 years old)• Building loan documentation (e.g.. approved

building plans, building permit. Three building quotes, bill of quantities, soil analysis report

• Architect and Engineer and Contractor’s profile, etc)

• House-owners and mortgage insurance cover is compulsory

(see website for more details)

Vacant landBank Gaborone also offers financing for the purchase of vacant land at 75% of the open market value or purchase price, whichever is the lesser.• The minimum deposit required is 25%• Maximum repayment period is 60 monthsContact: For more info please email us at [email protected]

STANBIC BANK

HOME LOANSBuying, building or improving your home by designing many different options which will make the process of house hunt-ing and buying easier.


90% of the Open Mar-ket Value of the property, or of the purchase price

45% of your net income and / or other income (individual / joint)

minimum deposit of 10% of the purchase price

maximum loan period is 25 years

10% deposit

• Transfer duty• Surveyor’s fees• Architect’s fees• Valuation fees• Arrangement fees/bank

charges (1.08% of loan amount + VAT)

• Bond and other legal fees (inclusive of VAT)

• House Protection Plan in-surance premium (inclusive of VAT)

• House Loan Protection Plan insurance premium (inclusive of VAT)

• Formal property valuation • Certified Copy of the Title Deed • Letter of offer to purchase plot/property• Proof of income • Certified copy of Identity document• Certified copies of work & residence • Affordability statement - income and expen-

diture • (see website for more details)

The loan amount can only be repaid when the property has been transferred into your name and the bank’s bond has been registered.In the case of construction, the borrower is required to collect a statement from Stanbic Bank and service the interest during the building period.Contact: 0800 600 675 | +267 3618071 3618464 | [email protected]

NDB BONNO HOME LOANNDB promotes home owner-ship for all citizens, and hence we have very exciting loans to cater for any project related to property or home ownership.

Equity Release also available to attain additional income through existing properties

Prime to Prime plus 2.5% de-pending on loan amount.

(floating)

100 % Including Transfer Duties, Fees And Vat

60% of the client’s gross income.

0% of the purchase or building price

25 yrs Maximum ad loan must be settled before age 65 for individuals

15 years for companies


Minimum loan fee is P600 and maximum 1.5% of loan amount

• Valuation Report by any of NDB’s preferred valuators.

• Approved plans for property construction/development

• Bills of quantities for construction of properties in excess of P500, 000.00

• For Construction Loans above P500, 000.00 the contractor to attach registration docu-ments with PPADB

(see website for more details)

Companies and Individuals can be offered property purchase and property development for office space, Commerce and retail space, Industrial space and commercial residential space. Contact: PALAPYE (T: +267 492 0552 / F: +267 492 0551) FRANCISTOWN (T: +267 241 6044 / F: +267 241 6065) MAUN (T: +267 686 0316 / F: +267 686 0645) GABORONE (T: +267 395 2801 / F: +267 397 4446); Website: http://www.ndb.bw/

STANDARD CHARTERED

HOME LOANS• Purchase for self occupancy• Investment property• Refinance• Construction loans • Debt consolidation• Renovation/extensions

All loans are pegged to the prime lending rate

85% Min income: P3000.00 net


25 years Bond reg-istered in favour of the Bank

0.75% of loan or minimum 900 +VAT

• Identity document• Payslip• Proof of residence • Offer letter• Valuation report

• Mandatory SCB account• Other sources of income: 10% commission and 40% rental earned in an SCB accountContact: For more information, Please call: 361 5800

Based on 2013 Data: Confirm Current Offering with Barclays Bank

Based on 2013 Data: Confirm Current Of-fering with Barclays Bank


Local NewsPage 14EducationPage 14

Built Environment Programmes currently offered at Ba-Isago University Collegeby Boidus Admin

Programme Objectives

Certificate in Real Estate is designed for pre-service and in-service candidates already in employment in the real estate industry, who are keen to acquire knowl-edge and skills in order to acquire formal qualifications. Practicing individuals, from both private and public sectors, will merge the practical knowledge they have gath-ered with up-to-date global trends in the Real Estate Industry.

Knowledge gained will enhance pro-ductivity and professionalism, and allow graduates to gain recognition from the Real Estate Institute of Botswana (REIB),

as per the Real Estate Professional Act of 2003. The programmes act as a foundation and entry level qualification.

Career OpportunitiesUpon completion, graduates will be able to work competently in the real estate Industry as:• Property Valuers• Facilities Managers• Property Managers• Real Estate Agents

Programme DurationThe programme is divided into two semesters which start in January and July each year.

CERTIFICATE IN REAL ESTATE (CRC)

The programme is designed to enhance the competencies and upgrade the knowledge of Property Managers; Owners; Consultants and Practitioners. Changes in socioeconomic and political environment make it essential for Real Estate Practitioners to stay abreast with developments in the property industry, specifically relating to marketing, laws, social dynamics planning and develop-ment, property management, financ-ing, and investments. At the end of this programme, participants will have an extensive overview of the real estate industry and be knowledgeable in real estate laws and regulations.

Entry Requirements1.1 Candidates must have obtained at least four (4) credits at BGCSE (or equivalent) including a pass in English language OR1.2 Candidates must have successfully completed the Certifi-cate in Real Estate from BA ISAGO or its equivalent OR1.3 Special entry: Candidates who do not have minimum aca-demic qualifications stated above but have a minimum of three years uninterrupted work experience in any real estate industry or related fields will be considered.1.4 All pre-service applicants must successfully complete the BA ISAGO six month Foundation/Access/Bridging Courses.

Career Opportunities• Real Estate Agent• Facilities Manager• Estate Manager• Real Estate Auctioneer

DIPLOMA IN REAL ESTATE

Programme ObjectivesReal estate is increasingly becoming an established discipline in Botswana, as infrastructural development progressively be-comes a national priority. However training in real estate in Botswana has not had the at-tention it deserves to match the skills require-ments of developments in the sector. This Degree programme is designed to respond to this need. The Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Real Estate is conferred upon a student who successfully completes 31 mod-ules and a compulsory project in the final year. The Degree will provide an opportunity to undertake complementary modules that are relevant in every work environment along with studies in real estate making the gradu-ate highly flexible in terms of placement in the 21st Century work environment.

Career Opportunities• Property Valuer• Property Auctioneer• Property Developer• Facilities Manager• Estate Agent

BACHELOR OF COMMERCE IN REAL ESTATE

Programme ObjectivesThe Bachelor Of Science Degree in Quan-tity Surveying is designed to cover a whole range of skills and knowledge that modern quantity surveyors require to perform their work efficiently and effectively. All the basic skills of the quantity surveyor in commercial management of construction, quantification & costing of construction works, procure-ment & tendering, construction technology, contract administration & practice and project final control and reporting are dealt with in sufficient detail to meet the required competency levels of students and ensure they are employable graduates.

Entry RequirementsCandidates must have obtained at least five (5) Credits at BGCSE (or equivalent) includ-ing a pass in English language, Mathemat-ics & Physics.Special Entry: Candidates who do not have the minimum academic qualifications stated above but have five years relevant work experience in a related field, will be consid-ered upon satisfying the requirements of the Academic Affairs Board that might include an entrance interview.

Career Opportunities• Construction Project Manager• Project Consultant• Project Contractor

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN QUANTITY SURVEYING

• Estates Officer• Property Manager• Real Estate Con-

sultant• Educator


EducationPage 15

Today marks an important chapter in our effort to trans-form the concept of ‘office’ or ‘work’ in our city. It’s a jour-ney that started 12 months ago with a bit of travel to more developed cities to benchmark and ensure that our product is to international standard.

We are a coworking office space. The question then is what is coworking and why do we believe our city is ready for it?

Coworking is an innovative office solution tailored for freelancers, small businesses and startups, to form a community of professionals that work from the same place with shared facilities. Their key objectives are to establish professional relationships, cut operating costs and broaden general business knowledge and skills. The result is a kind of work environment that is inspiring, col-laborative with potential to grow one’s professional de-velopment.

I have been a freelancer for the past twelve years. I know the advantages and disadvantages of being an indepen-dent professional. The fact that you don’t have a proper professional structure means you lose out on ever grow-ing corporate trends. Icowork will therefore fill that gap as you continue to work for yourself but not by yourself.

One of our services is that we will have monthly business talks where we network in a casual setting and discuss various core issues that affect small business such as tax, financial planning, and business development.

The world is collaborating more than ever before. Amer-ica, Europe, and Asia are big on coworking spaces. Africa has been slow but there has been an upsurge in recent years in South Africa, East and North African countries. This is due to the increasing complexity of city econo-mies and the recent economic downturn which led to more innovation and creativity to remain relevant.

The knowledge economy and smart cities that we all wish to attain do not just come about because of fancy buildings and infrastructure, but rather by creative and innovative city residents who choose to push boundaries and solve the ever complex challenges of the city. Man-agement of Icowork has decided to go where the world is going and we believe our city is ready given the good

by Kibo Kgowi

Ba-Isago University Pioneering New Frontiers in Botswana’s Built Environment Education

BA ISAGO University College is a relatively young institution in Botswana’s varied tertiary education sector. The College was established in 2001 making 2014 its thirteenth in existence. As a growing private tertiary institution, the leadership under-stood and appreciated the stiff competition from the more es-tablished institutions, offering traditional programmes and the needs of the future economy of the country. In this context the College adopted a strategy is to innovate and venture into ar-eas not yet explored by other education centres in the country.

“The future needs of the Botswana’s economy are changing,” President of BA ISAGO, Dr Roshen Kishun, told Boidus Focus in an exclusive interview. “What this economy needs in the fu-ture is not the traditional careers such as teachers and nurses; these are still important but the country moving into a differ-ent phase, away from being dependent on diamonds, into creating new enterprises and where knowledge workers are needed. So you don’t want to train people to continue doing what they have been doing in the past.”

BA ISAGO has three campuses in Gaborone, Maun and Fran-cistown. The College comprises of four academic faculties including the Faculty of Commerce, the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Law & Paralegal Studies and the Faculty of the Built Environment, Arts and Sciences. The institution also runs courses at the Serowe College of Education where they have introduced an important new programme the ‘Bachelor of

Education in Early Childhood Development’. More interesting though are the programmes they are offering in their Built Envi-ronment Arts and Sciences Faculty. BA ISAGO emerged as the first institution to offer professional programmes in real estate, offering a certificate, a diploma and a degree in the discipline.

Dr Kishun emphasised the fact that the introduction of each new programme is informed by a thorough needs analysis carried out through consultation with the industry profession-als who will ultimately hire the institution’s graduates. Real es-tate emerged as a particular avenue of interest because the profession has long struggled with people operating as real estate agents, informally without the proper qualifications. Real Estate is offered on both a full-time and part-time basis through evening classes to accommodate those already active in the industry.

In July this year the College will introduce a degree pro-gramme in Quantity Surveying, another first in Botswana, and likewise this programme introduction was informed by industry research:

“The needs analysis we do for each programme is very thor-ough. We will not offer courses unless the key industry people have told us that there is a need,” says Kishun. “We know from industry players that there is a big need for QS professionals. The government has stopped sending people outside to study QS so we’re confident there’s a gap we can fill by training QS students locally. Government already recognises the need for these professionals they have assisted us by providing bursa-ries for our students.”

Also in the pipeline are programmes in landscape architec-ture. The landscaping programme – which will be offered as a certificate, a diploma and a degree – is at an advanced stage and will soon be submitted to the Botswana Qualifica-tions Authority (BQA) for approval. In explaining the rationale behind introducing a landscaping programme Dr Kishun en-thuses “Local people need to appreciate and realise that you can have gardens in the city. While it requires a lot of effort, such as the use of grey water, it’s possible to have beautiful and productive gardens in the city.”

The institution’s Built Environment ambitions are not confined to the academic programmes they offer. The College has plans to extend its infrastructure development. Plans for six-storey academic complex buildings and a sporting facility have been approved for the Gaborone campus of BA ISAGO. Dr Kishun is hopeful that the bulk of these structures will be constructed within a year and is confident that these will house the addi-tional laboratories and other facilities that will make both the existing and upcoming programmes a success.

“The focus is clear and the growth plan is there,” Kishun says assuredly. “The government of Botswana is quite clear that when we train people they should be able to get jobs abroad so while our priority is to fill the gaps in industry here at home we keep in mind that we are a regional institution. We strive to produce graduates not just for Botswana but for the southern African region as a whole.”

The needs analysis we do for each programme is very thorough such that we can’t offer a course unless the key industry people have told us that there is a need, says Kishun

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AdvertorialPage 16

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Editor’s Note / Guest OpinionPage 17

by H. Killion Mokwete, RIBA Chartered Architect

Welcoming Sophie Lalonde to Boidus Focus and Four Reasons Why 2014 might just be a good year.

MANAGING EDITORH. Killion Mokwete

DESIGNBridget T. MacKean

JOURNALISMKibo NgowiKeeletsang P. Dipheko

SALESTebogo SekwenyaneThabo Sarona

DISTRIBUTIONMartha Rooi

ACCOUNTSNgwewabo Mokwete

GUEST COLUMNISTSEuan Massey Jan WareusKeshia MogopaOthata BatsetswePhenyo MotlhagodiSophie Lalonde

BOID

US

TEA

M

Boidus Media is this month welcoming an Art Expert, Gallery Owner and Artist to its guest editorial space. The critical importance of art in the built environment is unquestionable. In fact some of the finest works of architecture take direct inspiration from art. Historically art was inseparable from archi-tecture. The works of the Churches of Florence and Venice by masters of art such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci were all taking influence from the art movement of the time which dominated the public discourse. We therefore recognise the value that art can add to our built environment and therefore Sophie will not only bring her expertise as an expert in the history of art but also as a collector and curator through her commercial Gallery at the prestigious iTowers in Gaborone’s rising CBD. We invite our readers to engage with her writings on Boidus Focus and also to visit her gallery, Sophie Lalonde Art, to view contemporary art.

IMPORTANT ACT CHANGES SHOULD MAKE OUR BUILT ENVIRONMENT BETTER: As it turns out, the year 2014 might just be a good year for the broader part of the built environment. There is a flurry of activity in Parliament with a host of Act amendments which overall should help improve aspects of our built environment. Some of these legal amendments to watch out for include the following;

• Married Persons Property Bill, passed into law on April 2, 2014: The Act will allow a person, whether married before or after the commencement of the union, to apply if they so wish, to the High Court for leave to change the property regime which applies to his or her marriage. Contrary to the old Act, the new Act will also see the introduction of a form as proof of an out of community of property regime for those persons whose properties are not subject to customary law.

• Architects Registration (Amendment) Bill: If the amendment is passed in par-liament the Architects Registration Council will finally receive the financial support it needs to put the final pieces of the registration of architects in place. This will mark a major milestone in the professionalising of the indus-try. We also await finalisation of the Construction Industry Regulation Bill.

• Property Transfer Duty for First Time Home buyers: Pronounced by Minister of Finance and Development Planning Hon Kenneth Matambo in his bud-get speech, first time buyers will soon be exempt from Transfer Duty which should be good news to those seeking to take their first step onto the prop-erty ladder.

• Planning Tribunals and New Development Control Code: The Town and Country Planning Act has long been revised and a New development Con-trol code is now in place. This means new building regulations and a new planning application system and structure will be put in place. The constitu-tion of the Planning Tribunals will put the final piece in place which will see a radical departure from the old planning control systems.

This free-for-all scenario has meant that the unsuspect-ing public has been left exposed to fraudulent elements which see architecture as an opportunity to make a quick profit. With no protection, the public has in return failed to recognise the critical role that architects play in society. Because there are no ethics enforceable by law, the archi-tecture profession has struggled over the years to rid itself of undesirable elements that have developed expertise on winning tenders in spite of possessing none of the neces-sary skills and knowledge. The regulation of architects will mean that a comprehen-sive register of all architects practicing in Botswana will be kept and continuously reviewed and updated. Anyone seeking the services of an architect will be able to choose from the list and as such have a place to lodge a formal complaint should they feel aggrieved by the conduct and/or services issued by the architect. This way, the consum-ers and the professionals will be able to maintain a healthy relationship based on openness and trust. Accessible service and complaint channelsAs a profession with varying potential projects and scopes, architecture always relies on a relative pricing model for its services. As such, the pricing of work and the expected standard deliverables of a typical stage of architectural

work will be clearly defined. Consumers will be able to ac-cess publicly available information on what scales archi-tects use to charge fees, such that the dreaded practice of under cutting can be easily detected. The regulation of architects will include ethics and a code of conduct which will bind all registered architects. Where there are proven cases of misrepresentation or transgression of the profes-sional ethics, the Board will be mandated to investigate and prosecute accordingly. Promotion of good standards in Education and profes-sional practiceA profession is as much defined by the image it presents as by its standards in practice. Architects undertake a long and expensive education path which when left ungov-erned can be reduced to a mockery and benefit institu-tions rather than students, the public and the consumer. Part of the key component of a regulated architecture pro-fession will be its promotion of high quality education and also promotion of good professional practice which will include guidelines on Continual Professional Development (CPD). Quality assurance of education especially across all schools where architects are trained will also mean quality assurance of graduates will be of our own making rath-er than the current inherited mixed bag of professionals trained across the world.

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Architects Registration: What is at stake?CONTINUED FROM PAGE 07

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Professional PracticePage 18

by Euan Massey – MDA Abdulla Consulting (Pty) Limited

BUILDING NORTH OF THE BORDER:What developers and contractors need to know about their rights when it comes to building in parts of the continent outside Botswana

With the present economic growth and extensive opportuni-ties in Africa, many developers, contractors and consultants are finding work outside of Botswana. Contracting in another country other than the one where you are resident brings with it a host of potential issues from taxes and customs to the impact of local employment legislation. In this article Euan Massey takes a broader look at the various laws which impact on your rights when contracting in another African country.

Contracts, and the rights and obligations which flow from them are influenced by four potential areas of law. These are the law applicable to the contract (or governing law), the law of the courts which have jurisdiction over the contract, the mandatory law and the law of the arbitration agreement (if applicable). Considering these four potential areas it is quite possible to have a contract between a Botswana developer and a Brazilian contractor for the construction of a new de-velopment in Angola where the applicable law is that of Por-tugal, it is agreed that the Swiss courts have jurisdiction, the mandatory law is that of Angola and the law of the arbitra-tion agreement is Swiss. This potential minefield introduces a myriad of rights and obligations and requires extensive con-sideration before diving headlong into a new contract.

The applicable law is the law which is applied to the interpre-tation of the contract and the rights and obligations contained therein. It is always advisable when contracting in another country, or with a party from another jurisdiction, to agree on an applicable law with which you are familiar. There is a tendency to automatically choose the law of Botswana when contracting in another country, or with a party from another ju-risdiction, but often this is not acceptable to the other party. This leads to the option to either accept the other party’s proposed applicable law or to propose a “neutral” applicable law. Ac-cepting a law with which you are unfamiliar can have disas-trous consequences. For example choosing French law, or a derivative of French law (such as the law of Mauritius), as the applicable law may have unintended consequences for at least one of the parties. The Napoleonic code introduces decennial liability into construction contracts which is effectively a 10-year warranty period over the works furnished by the contractor.

Outside of having knowledge of the applicable law, it is usu-ally advisable to select the law of one of the common law countries (on the basis that these laws will share common characteristics as ours). Countries like South Africa and Na-mibia have legal systems and laws similar to ours. “Neutral” jurisdictions such as England also provide well-recognised laws and a familiar legal system.

The issue of jurisdiction is vitally important. A number of ju-risdictions present logistical challenges and legal hurdles when it comes to enforcing your rights under a contract. Even though you might agree to arbitration, you may still require the assistance of the courts to enforce your rights. An excel-lent example of this is where the parties to a building contract agree to refer disputes, in the first instance, to adjudication. No country in Africa has introduced a statutory adjudication system which allows for adjudicator decisions to be enforced through the courts. Despite this, the South African courts have illustrated a robust willingness to enforce adjudicator deci-sions on the basis of the parties’ contractual agreement (see Stefanutti Stocks v S8 Property [2013] ZAGPJHC 249). There is no similar certainty that a court in another country will en-force adjudicator decisions on the same basis, particularly in civil jurisdictions such as Angola. Again if you are unable to

agree to the jurisdiction of the Botswana courts then it is advis-able to consider agreeing to submit to a “neutral” jurisdiction such as that of England and Wales.

The mandatory law is the law where the works are to be ex-ecuted. No matter what you agree in your contract, you are unlikely to avoid the obligation to comply with mandatory law. The mandatory law includes the laws relating to em-ployment, health and safety and the environment. With most African economies becoming more sophisticated it is impera-tive for the mandatory law to be understood before conclud-ing the contract.

The law of the arbitration agreement is the law which is ap-plied to the arbitration process. In Botswana this law would be the Arbitration Act [Chapter 06:01]. This piece of legis-lation, like many others in Africa, has fallen behind modern developments in international arbitration. The upshot of this outdated legislation is that it may allow the local courts to in-terfere extensively in the arbitration process and may limit the parties’ rights to interim and conservatory measures, thereby blunting the effectiveness of the agreed arbitration process. Where contracting outside of Botswana, parties should con-sider agreeing to an arbitration law which is likely to assist the arbitration process. Good options here include Mauritius (which has recently opened a satellite court of the London Court of International Arbitration) and England and Wales.

When contracting internationally, arbitration is still the “only game in town”. Despite the process being expensive and time consuming, the New York Convention ensures that the holder of an arbitration award can enforce such award in countries who are signatories to such convention. It is therefore impor-tant to ensure that the party with whom you are contracting is a signatory to the New York Convention. Notable omissions include Angola and Swaziland. The full list of contracting states can be found at http://www.newyorkconvention.org/contracting-states/list-of-contracting-states.

If the parties to an arbitration agreement do not expressly agree the law of the arbitration agreement then there are a number of possibilities which could apply. A court may de-cide that the law of the arbitration agreement is the same as the applicable law (Sonatrach Petroleum v Ferrell Internation-al [2002] 1 All ER (Comm) 627) or the law of the arbitration agreement may be the seat of the arbitration (Dubai Islamic Bank v Paymentech 1 Lloyd’s Rep. 65). It is therefore recom-mended that this be dealt with in the arbitration clause.

As is clear from this article, the legal considerations to be taken account of when contracting in Africa, as with any other country internationally, are vast and should not be lightly considered.

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