Sex Workers Face Harsh THE AFRICAN STORY Impacts On The Face Of A Pandemic page 4 How Africa Risks Reeling ISSUE NUMBER 717 VOLUME 2 27-APRIL - 3 MAY 2020 From A Health Crisis To A Food Crisis page 6 LESOTHO: THABANE ‘DIGNIFIEDCORONAVIRUS: EXIT’ DEAL SEALED 2020 2 Echo Report Echo Newspaper 27 - April - 3 May 2020 THE AFRICAN STORY News, Finance, Travel and Sport Telephone: (267) 391 2305 E-mail: [email protected] Advertising Telephone: (267) 3922 655 E-mail: [email protected] Sales & Marketing Manager Ruele Ramoeng [email protected] Editor Bright Kholi [email protected] Content Strategist David Moepeng [email protected] Head of Design Karabo Tau [email protected] Distribution & Circulation Mogapi Ketletseng Jeff Radebe [email protected] Mokgweetsi Masisi Echo is published by YMH Publishing YMH Publishing, Unit 3, Kgale Court, Plot 128, GIFP, Gaborone Postal address: P O BOX 840, Gaborone, Lesotho Prime Botswana Telephone: (267) 3922 655 E-mail: [email protected] www.echo.co.bw DISCLAIMER: Echo Newspaper welcomes Minister’s Dignified concise letters from readers. Letters must carry the full name and address of the sender. Letters must conform to the laws of Botswana and to the Press Council of Botswana’s Exit Sealed Code Of Ethics. Letters will also be edited for length, libel and language. BY THUSO MOTSHEGWE Radebe had prior to his meeting The embattled Thabane is initiate Legislation. with Masisi been in Zimbabwe being accused of playing a role Radebe was swift to allay fears South African President Cyril the previous day, where he met in the murder of his estranged that Thabane will not go back Ramaphosa’s Special Envoy to and briefed President Emmerson first wife. This has plunged the from his promise of going back Lesotho Jeff Radebe has said a Mnangagwa, the Chairman of the country into a political turmoil, from his promise, as he has peace deal has been brokered Organ for Politics, Defence and and Thabane has been under done before. with the Lesotho government Security about the developments tremendous pressure to step Meanwhile, Radebe added for its Prime Minister, Thomas in Maseru. down. that the meeting had to be held Thabane to step down. Ramaphosa’s special envoy on between him and President Radebe was addressing the Lesotho, Radebe told the local Masisi amid the novel coronavirus media in Gaborone on Friday press that the deal brokered pandemic. He said the Covid-19 after meeting the incoming early this week has promised restrictions such as wearing Chairman of the Organ for Thabane a “dignified and secure” of masks and exercising social Politics, Defence and Security “Thabane was exit from office. distancing were adhered to (Organ) and President of “Thabane was intending to emphasizing that there was intending to resign Read more Echo Botswana, Mokgweetsi Masisi. resign end of July depending no need to use technology to The meeting was meant to give end of July depending on the parliamentary process to hold the meeting. stories on our Masisi an update on the progress amend the constitution to allow The accusation on Thabane for Facebook page by made to bring peace to the on the parliamentary a resignation or retiring of the his alleged hand in the murder of scanning the QR mountainous nation of Lesotho. process to amend prime minister” said Radebe at his then wife Lipolelo Thabane in code below with The SADC organ was launched ‘‘ Botswana’s State House gardens. 2017 has plunged the mountain the constitution to your mobile phone in June 1996 as a formal institution Radebe said the national Kingdom into a political crisis. of SADC with the mandate to allow a resignation or assembly has passed the Recently, Thabane deployed support the achievement and constitution amendment and the army in the streets, accusing maintenance of security and the retiring of the prime the SADC is waiting for the law enforcement agencies in rule of law in the SADC region. minister” said Radebe Lesotho Senate to convene in the kingdom of undermining Following a closed-door the next week to finalize the democracy. Mediators from meeting with President Masisi, at Botswana’s State parliamentary process. The South Africa intervened to calm the SADC Chairman’s Special House gardens. Senate in Lesotho examines, tensions. Envoy to Lesotho, Radebe told and reviews draft Legislation/ the media that the Prime Minister Bills passed by the National Thabane will step down soon. Assembly, however, does not Echo Newspaper 27 - April - 3 May 2020 Echo Report 3 climate change is the biggest threat facing humanity over the Here’s what COVID-19 Teaches us about long term.” The acting executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity put it ‘social learning’ and the Environment bluntly: “The message we are getting is if we don’t take care of nature, it will take care of us.” Madhur Anand Sustainable Development Goals. over the past year by many communities in India are able to Right now, we are learning Human wellbeing, the economy institutions, we have not seen see the snow-capped Himalayas valuable lessons in resilience The dire social and economic and the environment are all these recommendations being for the first time in their lives. and human adaptability. We are impact of COVID-19 could interrelated, and the pandemic is implemented. However, these changes are learning how quickly humans worsen environmental certainly not helping us achieve And yet, COVID-19 has also revealing the magnitude of can respond when faced with destruction in the long run. our goals for protecting them. forced us to make dramatic these chronic problems, and the a common enemy, be it a novel - But the pandemic is also However, the pandemic is changes in every area of life in importance of tackling them. virus or the well-established teaching us how to use individual teaching us lessons in human the space of only a few weeks. As the pandemic limits access physics of climate change. choices to tackle a global disaster. behaviour that could bring us Cities and entire countries to green spaces such as parks Let us examine these lessons, - “Social learning” is a closer to these goals in the future. were shut down overnight, and conservation areas, many reflect on our new respect for powerful tool for lasting change. A mere year and a half leaders declared national and are becoming painfully aware of the natural world, and consider It involves people learning from ago, in October 2018, the international emergencies, how fundamental these natural what enabled us to adjust to each other and adapting their Intergovernmental Panel on people and institutions adapted oases are to their wellbeing. such profoundly challenging behaviour as a result. Climate Change (IPCC) published to unprecedented societal It appears that in times of and unfamiliar new norms. Let The horrors of the global an alarming Special Report on change. crisis, we connect even more us take note of how some of the human death toll of COVID-19 Global Warming of 1.5 degrees C. COVID-19 is also transforming strongly with our natural ideas put forward by different confront everyone daily in the It started with a quote from The our relationship to the surroundings. In the short term, countries now are very much news. The economic and other Wisdom of the Sands, by Antoine environment. The origins of this may well have a beneficial in line with UN sustainable hardships so many are facing due de Saint-Exupéry: “Your task emerging infectious diseases, impact on some aspects on the development goals, such as to physical distancing measures is not to foresee the future, but including COVID-19 but also environment. However, in the the elimination of poverty, good also deeply us. Moreover, as a to enable it.” HIV, Ebola, Nipah, SARS, long term, the picture is more health and wellbeing, reduced global change ecologist whose The report called for “rapid, pandemic influenza and others, complex. Economic recession inequality, and responsible lens has been the whole wide far-reaching, and unprecedented are at least partly linked to the could exacerbate environmental production and consumption. world and everything in it — changes” in all aspects of society growing human impact on the degradation, as resources are And let’s imagine how we might the millions of other species, to avert the worst disasters of environment. Acknowledging diverted from efforts to protect be able to harness these lessons the air we all share, and the climate change. It predicted this is crucial as we try to and restore habitats. It could to reduce the risk of catastrophes water we all depend on—the dire consequences for human address the root causes of also worsen existing poverty - disease, climate change or environmental dimensions of well-being, the economy and the pandemics. These days, many traps. As the UN Climate other threats - in the future. COVID-19 are impossible for environment if those warnings cities are reporting cleaner air Change Executive Secretary me to ignore. were not heeded. Despite the and lower pollution. In some said: “COVID-19 is the most (World Economic Forum.) COVID-19 itself is not good shift in language from “climate places, this is literally changing urgent threat facing humanity for any of the seventeen UN change” to “climate emergency” how we perceive nature. Some today, but we cannot forget that +(267) 7641 5742/5735 +(267) 7641 5806/5755 Email: [email protected] 4 Echo Report Echo Newspaper 27 - April - 3 May 2020 protocols. This has also taken a access to medication during toll on their income as they can the period of the lockdown.