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Did Masisi Withhold Vital COVID-19 Info from the Public?

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A REFINED READ STAY HOME : @THEBWRBOTSWANA : FACEBOOK.COM/BUSINESSWEEKLYBW FRIDAY 03 APRIL 2020 - 04 APRIL 2020 VOL. 2 ISSUE #291 VAT#: C31201701111 PRICE: BWP 10.50 (Inc. VAT) Did Masisi withhold vital COVID-19 info from the public? THE CASE OF A RAMOTSWA GRANNY WHO WAS BURIED WITHOUT EVEN HER FAMILY KNOWING THAT SHE DIED OF THE CORONAVIRUS HAS LAID BARE BOTSWANA’s pooR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM AND THE COUNTRy’s fiCKLE STATE OF PREPAREDNESS IN THE FACE OF THE PANDEMIC. QUESTIONS ARE NOW BEING RAISED ABOUT THE RELIABILITY OF PRESIDENT Masisi’s adHOC COMMITTEE THAT SEEMS TO HAVE CONSPIRED TO WITHHOLD THE TRUTH ABOUT THE RAMOTSWA INCIDENT. STAFF WRITER KABO RAMASIA REPORTS. STORY ON PAGE 03 YOU ARE FIRED: Companies let go of workers amidst Covid-19 strife STORY ON PAGE 06 Up to Apply for a No Mathata P600,000 loan today. for a Personal Loan. To find out more about the No Mathata Personal Loan, call us on 361 5800. sc.com/bw Terms and conditions apply. THE BUSINESS WEEKLY & REVIEW 2 Friday 27 March 2020 - 02 April 2020 www.businessweekly.co.bw News PPADB jumps on the INSIDE News 2-9 Tax & your Pocket 10 cessation bandwagon Companies & Markets 11 Motoring 18 • Value of tenders in 2020 to significantly decline • Almost P2bn worth of tenders awarded in 2018 Sports 20 TEAM Editor Tshireletso Motlogelwa [email protected] Sub Editor Douglas Motheo [email protected] Editorial Coordinator Kitso Dickson [email protected] Graphics Guy Taelo Maphorisa [email protected] DISCLAIMER Commentaries, letters and columns present are the views of the authors and not necessarily those of PPADB Executive Chairman, Elijah Motshedi (Pic: Taelo Maphorisa) The Business Weekly & Review Kabo Ramasia and Education Manager, Charles registration and capacity adjudication and award of Staff Writer Keikotlhae has said. building, as well as tenders tenders will continue,” Keikotlhae PUBLISHED BY Only tenders related to administered by PPADB that are said, adding that the decision is in THE BUSINESS WEEKLY & REVIEW he Public Procurement emergency services related to the currently floating, both manual line with President Mokgweetsi Post: Post Net Kgale View 449 ADD, and Asset Disposal Board fight against COVID-19 will be and online. Masisi’s declaration of a 28-day Gaborone, Botswana (PPADB) has suspended all considered and processed. “In cases of emergency like state of emergency in order to TEL: (+267) 3170 615 T services until further notice, the The suspended services include those intended to address the Unit 16, Gaborone International organisation’s Public Relations but are not limited to contractor COVID-19 situation, evaluation, TO PAGE 4 Finance Park, Gaborone, Botswana [email protected] www.businessweekly.co.bw THE CORONAVIRUS DEATH – HOW THE CONNECT WITH US Follow: @TheBWRBotswana COUNTRY’S FIRST COVID-19 EXPOSED facebook.com/businessweeklyBW instagram.com/businessweekly_BW BOTSWANA’S WEAK RESPONSE STRATEGY • Low testing rate worries Masisi • Health committee chair decries delayed results Kabo Ramasia the World Health Organisation that shares the border with to think and plan ahead for the WEATHER Staff Writer (WHO) has labelled a pandemic. Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa pandemic. “Last night (Monday) Botswana and Namibia. The country’s risk “We are probably two MAUN TODAY (FRI) Botswana registered its confirmed with regret three is exacerbated by the flow of weeks behind the war on first confirmed 3 cases of the cases of the Covid-19 virus,” illegal immigrants who enter it Covid 19,” Tshere, who is o Covid-19 on Monday this the President said. “I have been at ungazetted points, especially the MP for Mahalapye West 35 week, raising panic and fear monitoring closely the situation from Zimbabwe. and a biomedical engineer Lo 12°C among Batswana to levels with keen interest and it has According to officialby training, said. “I will also not experienced since the become apparent that urgent and information, two of the people call the health committee of PLENTY OF SUNSHINE deadly disease struck China in necessary steps need to be taken who tested positive were a couple Parliament to take a position 3 DAY FORECAST December last year. to protect our country and its that had travelled to Thailand on on Covid-19 or (issue) a By Tuesday night, the Vice people from this deadly virus.” 10 March and returned on 20 statement and we will publish SATURDAY President, Slumber Tsogwane The President characterised March. The third was a 47-year it.” was announcing a fourth case COVID-19 as “an eminent old man had travelled to the UK According to the MP, it 37° and the country’s first death threat” to Batswana. “The threat on 29 February and returned takes a week for Botswana’s from the coronavirus, with on 21 March. In the couple, the Lo 12°C to Botswana has escalated results to be verified in South the patient - a 79-year old considerably in view of the man is aged 42 years and his 40- Africa that first clears its own SUNNY AND NICE woman in Ramotswa - having fact that our neighbouring year old wife. All three are in tests. “It appears the disease SUNDAY breathed her last on 25 March. countries have seen a rapid rise in quarantine. is a week ahead of us on The granny, Ms. Kwetsi confirmed cases, some of which Fear is mounting because account of delayed returns,” 37° Shelmida Magakwa, was have resulted in fatalities” he Batswana generally think their he emphasised. “We should Lo 15°C buried in accordance with said. “The return of some of our country is not ready to tackle intensify testing with the local MOSTLY SUNNY unknown rites last Sunday. citizens and residents from high the deadly virus and that the low machine and use the results MONDAY Earlier on Tuesday, President risk countries has also escalated testing capacity means there is for planning purposes while Mokgweetsi Masisi had made the threat to the virus in our much more than meets the eye. waiting for diagnostic results.” a televised address about country. The other challenge The Business Weekly & Review This publication is informed 39° Botswana’s readiness for is the low rate of testing of contacted the Chairman of that Botswana conducts Lo 13°C Covid-19. suspected cases in Botswana the Health and HIV/ AIDS tests at the National Health PARTLY SUNNY Masisi seized the and (the) cumbersome health Committee in Parliament, David Laboratory (NHL) and sends Source: www.accuweather.com opportunity to warn the nation protocols.” Tshere, who said the government the results to South Africa for about the virulent disease that Botswana is a landlocked is constrained by delayed results confirmation/verification. THE BUSINESS WEEKLY & REVIEW News www.businessweekly.co.bw Friday 27 March 2020 - 02 April 2020 3 Did Masisi withhold vital COVID-19 info from the public? The case of a Ramotswa granny who was buried without even her family knowing that she died of the coronavirus has laid bare Botswana’s poor healthcare system and the country’s fickle state of preparedness in the face of the pandemic. Questions are now being raised about the reliability of President Masisi’s adhoc committee that seems to have conspired to withhold the truth about the Ramotswa incident. Staff Writer KABO RAMASIA reports. resident Mokgweetsi Hospital while the man from (NHL) conducts tests for Covid-19 MP for Mahalapye West and a the results are out. This applies Masisi, Vice President the UK was quarantined at an but sends most specimens or tests biomedical engineer by training. even when conducting post- Slumber Tsogwane and the undisclosed location. to South Africa for confirmation. “We could test with the local mortems to prove causes of death. P The Business Weekly & Review machine intensively up to 600 In his latest report titled “The Minister of Health and Wellness But when Vice President Dr Lemogang Kwape may have Tsogwane announced a fourth is reliably informed that it takes a day, then while we wait for Economic Impact of Covid-19, misled the nation about the COVID-19 case on Tuesday, it was about 48 hours for the results to the SA verification, we could March 2020” that was published Covid-19 situation in Botswana, with the shocking news that the be out in Botswana before being be having something to use to last week, the Managing Director especially regarding positive cases woman, whose identity was not shipped to SA for confirmation. plan for something else. We are of E-Consult, Keith Jefferis, said recorded, The Business Weekly & revealed, had already succumbed While it is not clear if the probably two weeks behind the the disease would overburden the Review has learnt. to death from the virulent disease state concealed the details of war on Covid 19.” healthcare system. “No cases have As details begin to emerge on that is at once infectious and the woman’s death, sources say He said he intended to pursue yet been reported in Botswana, the real state of affairs in Botswana contagious and had already been the Covid-19 disease must have the matter when Parliament but it is inevitable that Covid-19 regarding Covid-19, it has come buried. long arrived in the country assembles in an emergency will eventually appear in the to light that the state secretly “We now report a fourth but remained undetected due session called by the President country,” Jefferis wrote. buried a 79-year old woman in Covid-19 case,” the Vice President to the country’s poor health next week. “I will call the health “When it does, it will impose Ramotswa over the weekend said. “This case is of a 79-year infrastructure and suspect testing committee of Parliament to take a considerable burden on both without anyone knowing that old lady from Ramotswa who capability.
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