Boidus Focus - Vol 6, Issue 4 [June 2016]

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BOTSWANA’S BUILT ENVIRONMENT NEWSPAPER | Vol. 6, Issue 4 | JUNE 2016 LOCAL NEWS

www.boidus.co.bw

EDUCATION

ARTS

Thoughts on the Paris Agreement: Interview with David Lesolle p2

ARCHITECTURE AWARDS

Maitisong Festival:

How far has it come?

p7

Student profiles & project features

p12

WOMEN IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Tebogo Modisagape, Lucia Lenong, Nomsa Moyo

By Tlotlo Tsamaase

A general look at “Sectional Title” properties and how they fair in comparison to “Freehold” and “Leasehold” properties (Part 1)

By Neltah Mosimanegape This three-part article looks at sectional title developments and the “management” and “tenancy” dynamics that differentiates it from other forms of developments. The second part of this article will compare “sectional title,” “freehold” and “leasehold” properties to give the reader an opportunity to see which of the properties would best suit them, either as an investor or as tenant. p6

“As a designer, you don’t say, “I’m a designer, I sit in front of the computer.”

You go all out, and you get yourself dirty. That is how you learn.

“Construction has been done by men all this time.

I cannot say that just because you’re a woman you should be given any sort of special treatment.

The only thing is when it comes to projects, a lot of Batswana rely a lot on foreigners. They don’t believe in their own people. That’s the only thing I have a problem with.”

You need to put your foot down because sometimes you’re the only woman, you’re probably the youngest....It does put you off, but you need to have fire in your belly.”

Gender equity still maintains its presence in the built environment. The built environment has often been regarded as a male-dominated and sexist world, but women training in these fields have perservered. For those who are interested in pursuing a profession in this industry, or interested in initiating their own start-up businesses or curious about women—or shall we rather counter to feminism—in the built environment, this article will offer a detailed exposure of what it takes to survive in the built environment. Most of the women in this list (some who have started their own

“Coming back home and looking at my age at the time [23], I was fairly young. Being young and female, it was a challenge.

People wouldn’t take you seriously, or felt you’re too young to take on such a responsibility.

There was a lot of doubt. I persevered. Wherever I was given an opportunity, I proved myself. I gained the confidence, or the respect of men within the industry.”

companies from their homes to a fully-fledged firm) talk about their days from university life, to life in the industry and the struggles of being self-employed. They address identity, individualism, the benefits of the diversity pool of their class environment and the importance of culture-influenced designs and the significance of travelling. They offer consensual commentary as well as recommendations to remedy the disturbing gaps and atrocious educational issues they identify in the local institutions.

p4,5,11

Where do Suppliers of Goods and Materials Fit in the Web of a Series of Construction Contracts?

By Natalie Reyneke

I have recently come across suppliers of goods and materials to their clients (who are employers, contractors and sub-contractors alike) who have been faced with the requirement by such client, that the suppliers sign a “construction type contract” for the supply of such goods and materials.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS / GUEST COLUMNIST P2

BOIDUS FOCUS JUNE 2016

Thoughts on the Paris Agreement Interview with David Lesolle

New Africa: Eco-architecture

by Lorraine Kinnear

By Tlotlo Tsamaase

Climate change has had an adverse effect over the planet. Climate change is the combined contribution that global warming and other elements add to the increased levels of greenhouse gases, and such measures which are carried out over a lengthy period are an environmental concern. The greenhouse gases are more detrimental than any other pollutions as they distribute across the globe—which why is this has called for a global response.

United Nations Framework for Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) formalized the decision-making body, Conference of Parties (COP), which initiated its first meeting, COP1, in Berlin, Germany in 1995.

This meeting was then annually rotated throughout the UN regions. The COP21— convened in Paris, France signed on April 22, Earth Day—differs in that the previous COP meetings set targets that systematically addressed climate change problems.

Whereas, in COP21 the countries are given the freedom to determine and submit their own quinquennial-updated climate plans termed the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs converted from INDCs which is Intended Nationally Determined Contributions), which fundamentally address the need to reduce emission and tackle climate change. In addition, countries won’t be sanctioned for not complying with their stipulated climate plans. The international environmental treaty, The Paris Agreement, consists of 177 signatories and 17 parties. The failure of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, adopted at the COP3 meeting, which was initiated with the sole reason to have the richer nations reduce their carbon emissions gradually over time, failed due to the incompliance of China, India with USA following suite. Therefore, remedying the fallouts of another treaty, the Paris Agreement mandates that global temperatures must be kept below 2 degree Celsius or kept to 1.5 degree Celsius; these figures have been argumentatively been construed to be seen as infeasible, but limiting global temperatures could be successful with the concerted action of

countries nationwide as this is a pandemic issue. Rising temperatures will impact the ecosystems, food security and sustainable development etc. It has been recorded that temperatures recorded from 1880 to 2012 show the climate has warmed 0.85 degrees Celsius since Industrial Revolution, and there’s an expected incremental rise due to the current ongoing pollution thereby making the 2 degree Celsius an ambitious target. Therefore, greenhouse gas emissions would need to be cut down 80 – 90% by 2050.

The richest, developed nations considered to be the major polluters, such as U.S., China, EU, are legally obliged to contribute climate finances to developing countries (who, in order to adapt to this climate change, require a substantial amount of resources that have estimated to run the cost of $50 billion by the year 2050) to aid in developing technologies that help curb carbon emission every five years at an annual rate of $100 billion—that is, prior to 2025, which is the year upon some countries have established as their target time to collectively review their progress accordingly; the other established target year is 2030. This type of process is known as the polluter pays principle; the major emitters, who have profited whilst poorer nations have suffered, account and take responsibility for the damage they’ve incurred to the world. Any participating country has the freedom to withdraw from the agreements with no binding consequences. African nations, which are the least emitters of CO2, are affected more, due to their reliance on the agricultural sector. The adverse effects of climate change could place North Africa and Middle East in a deplorable state, whereby its citizens could become climate refugees as the land becomes uninhabitable.

Naturally, human beings are constantly finding viable methods of evolving without ageing our home planet so future generations can continue life on the planet. For this reason, a great part of architecture and design houses are finding new methods of creating structures that cause less harm to the planet, and this is being done without taking away the basis of architecture – aesthetic appeal.

There has been a number of models and building trends that are created to make use of materials that have been used before.

Recycling them into something trendier that can continue to be used for another hundreds of years, if not more, can increase the life cycle of an alloy/piece of wood, which could have contributed to water or earth-surface pollution.

Part of the United Nations Environmental Program’s sustainable development mandates that “development [must] meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Incorporating design models that support the collective responsibility of caring for the planet should be a thing that appeals to creative minds. It has now become a growing trend in Africa’s cities, especially with regards to the major ones, to build some of the most fascinating structures out of recycled materials, which help protect earth from pollution caused by bad waste management. These designs are applied to an

array of structures from malls to market areas (in terms of smaller architectural designs), also in interior design. In Botswana, there is a major growth in the use of recycled-wood furniture that local restaurants and resorts are in support of. This move is not only creative, it is also a responsible way of making money out of raw materials that cost way less. For instance, a hand-crafted recycled wood setup is an economically smart decision for businesses to make as opposed to buying from a long fleet of factory manufactured furniture, which is normally from companies that will be selling at high prices so as to cover the costs of their factory line, the maintenance of their machines, salaries of their employees and all the other costs.

In highlighting some of the major cities that are applying more and more of this eco-conscious design approach, Johannesburg has to be one of the greatest contributors. An impressive grand structure made out of old shipping containers stands in the middle of the suburb, Melville, an entire mall of fancy restaurants, hand crafted clothing shops, gift and art shops, and a generally nice space to relax in. Other genius ideas by Johannesburgers include old caravan gourmet food shops; also the recycled wooden furniture is greatly popularized in the City of Gold, as well as using scrap metals in sculpturing, which is something the international art community is

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Below is an interview with David Lesolle offering commentary on climate change and the Paris Agreement, for which Botswana recently became a signatory of.

David Lesolle and his thoughts on the Paris Agreement: I think one of the things that we should always remember is the Paris Agreement says all countries must reduce emissions. Some countries have nothing to reduce, and some countries have a lot to reduce. The Paris agreement is also saying we must report on what we’re doing. And when we do the review of the reports after some time, we must make sure that we’re building on from the past, which means whatever we have done this year and the next year should be incremented on every year as we move forth.

p7

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BOIDUS FEATURE / GUEST COLUMNIST P3

BOIDUS FOCUS JUNE 2016

Bontleng Futsal Park Project

By Tlotlo Tsamaase

FNB Foundation; Kabelano Trust; TIME Projects; Plascon; Mega Pave; Sanitas; Excavator Hire; RSC and Chasa Designs.

The project was initiated by Pula Sports Development Association team, which consists of: Swift Mpoloka, the chairman; Malebo Raditladi, the vice chairwoman; Matshidiso Kimwaga, the secretary; Sobukwe Mothobi, the vice secretary; Taryn Dirks, the treasurer; Wame Chiepe, executive member; and Nathan Dirks, the Project Manager. Below, we talked to those involved with the conception of the project.

Can you provide background information about the project?

An exciting self-sustainable green community project lies in the Bontleng neighborhood, nestled next to a bar. One might think this an atrocious place to situate a community park next to, but the park offers not only green and creative solutions, it offers pride, encouragement and confidence to the community. The park is an educational tool that uses recyclable materials in part of its construction with aesthetical results.

In addition, it takes those thrown-away bottles from the nearby bar to emulate a stained-glass wall effect by introducing those bottles into the wall’s construction. More so, it will offer descriptions staged at each section of its site explaining how these sustainable methods work.

So there’s more than recycling that the sustainable park offers.

The park avoids displacing the current vendors’ informal micro-markets and instead includes them into its design by adopting an uplifting strategy. Ultimately, this makes for a healthier

neighborhood with sustainable hopes to revitalize what was once Kofifi: the social-gathering mecca for the community and elders alike. The street acts as a gallery space allowing visual access, which acts as a security system for the park, and it also encourages socialization and human interaction. Because of the intense community involvement, the park has become a pride to the neighborhood. The park is meant to sustain itself with no operational costs of water, electricity or sewage. This ambition will be attained through sustainable methods implemented in its design such as aquaponics, which is a closed-loop system involving fish and vegetables; rainwater harvesting; solar power; and planting drought-tolerant trees. All these features are to cater to the sports development, environmental responsibility, community empowerment and sustainability aspect of the park.

The park, which is slated for completion this year in August, is generously sponsored by

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The idea of the park is that we opened up a sporting NGO called Pula Sports Development Association. The concept is, “Choose to be great, be the change you want to see.” So we said, “Let’s build a sports center to use sport as a pro-factor to address the social challenges in our communities.” However, it has to be environmentally friendly in order to empower the community. One of the problems that we found with other projects that have been done around Botswana is that companies will pay for a park, and it will cost them tens of thousands of Pula a month to sustain it with water. This park is self-sustaining. We want it to have very little operational costs. There’s a few things that we still don’t have funding for. But we have enough funding for everything that’s necessary for us to open by August this year. If we’re very blessed we’ll have funding for the eco-café.

This whole property has been given to us by city council. Even up to where the guys are washing and selling. That whole area is within our site, but we wanted to leave that open for those who are doing work here. We don’t want to take their spots.

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Our elders will remember that Kofifi was a very vibrant community and a market place. Over the years as the city has grown, it has been dilapidated to a certain extent. All we’re trying to do is build it up again especially with the market place. There’s small micro businesses who we’d like for them to have their stalls here so it can be a fully-fledged flea market. Instead of having flimsy sales, we build them proper structures, so whoever is working in there gives them a sense of pride.

Who was behind the design of the environmental park?

It was a group of us, but it’s fair to say that a gentleman called Nathan Dirks—he’s the construction and the project leader of this particular project.

What costs has the project incurred?

From the top of my head, 3 million. But, we didn’t pay for some of the services, the architectural services, because some of it came in the form of sponsorship. For instance, there are twenty-one trees that were planted by Sanitas.

Absolutely free. Plascon is going to paint the futsal court with a rubberized paint. Absolutely free. Financially speaking, it’s difficult to quantify because we have been given sponsorship for park development. There’s various things we’re looking to do. Once phase one is finished, we’re looking to have an eco-café. When that is finished, we’re looking to have free Wi-Fi for the entire place.

Can you give an elaboration of the eco-café and how the solar-powered Wi-Fi works?

It would be a Wi-Fi hotspot, so the people who are coming here for lunch find the Wi-Fi is powered by solar. In agreement with Sharp Electronics, they’re going to install solar powered lights.

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BOIDUS FEATURE P4

BOIDUS FOCUS JUNE 2016

Tebogo Modisagape of Val Interiors Can you tell us about your educational background leading to the time when you started your own company?

We started in Malaysia in 1998 where I did Interior Design. We had a class of less than twenty guys, mostly Chinese. It wasn’t as tough as Interior Architecture, the competition was very stiff.

Chinese are hard workers, so we used to benchmark with them a lot. From there, we went to Australia to finish off our degree in interior architecture, because a lot of interior designers in Malaysia finish at diploma level. We went to Perth at Curtin University where we continued our studies. I wanted to return to Malaysia as the environment and the people (in Australia) were not welcoming. We felt they were racist, but we didn’t really say much. I then went to Melbourne at Deakin University to finish off.

But I was doing another course at Melbourne University. In class, the lecturer would address us as men—it’s an environment where there are mostly men. And he warned us that when we go out in the industry—we shouldn’t be upset or angry at the fact that we’re being addressed as men. I came back after I passed my degree B.A in Interior Architecture. It was in 2004. I only stayed almost a month, and I got a job. During my first three months (which is probation), I impressed my boss because I behaved like a student where deadlines were very important so I’d make sure I’d impress her. I came up with all sorts of ideas, presentations and mood boards. I remember my first project we did, and she traveled to South Africa and I was left alone for the first time and I was like “What am I going to do?” And I remembered my university days where I had to do it for myself. And I did it. She came on Monday, and she was impressed. She took the presentations and she went to present and we got the job. I told my friends that in our industry you become a student for the rest of your life, because you work with tenders that take two to four weeks for submission and we sleep in the office sometimes.

Within my first year, people used to say “Tebby, you can do it. Why don’t you open your own company?” And I said, “I’m not ready.” Ready as in not to start my own company but to get to understand the lifestyle of Batswana because I’d been away for some years. So I wanted to understand the industry, suppliers, materials—everything. It took me four years. Within my four years, I was doing part-time lecturing at Limkokwing. I was also part-time at Val Interiors. I registered my company in 2009. Starting my company, I started from my pocket. I didn’t go and get money from the banks. I started from a rented room, because I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on rent. I was part-time at Limkokwing so my salary was divided into two: for the company and for myself. I was alone and doing designs for small projects. I got an intern in 2010, and it was the two of us for quite some time. I realized that I was getting busy. It wasn’t hectic, so I took a part-time job at the University of Botswana. I was teaching architecture students interior design. I think when you’re passionate about something, you don’t even think about working overtime, for me it was about the passion in interior design.

So as soon as I realized that the business was growing, I stopped teaching at Limkokwing and continued with UB. The good thing with UB was it came once a year. I didn’t have to think about what to teach [my students]. I would take a project that I did or take them to my clients’ site. That’s what they liked about it. It was practical for them. In 2013, I decided to go to

Francistown to open another branch. I just decided that there’s potential in the Francistown market—but we have to be very patient for a very long time because they are very relaxed.

But one day, I know it will pave ways.

What are your thoughts regarding your education in comparison to the local education? That is, have you noted any gaps in the local institutions?

The unfortunate thing about Botswana is that we don’t have landmarks. We don’t have beautiful buildings where students can go and benchmark or use as precedents. We used to travel a lot in both Malaysia and Australia. We had a lot of heritage buildings, because for interior architecture you do a lot of heritage buildings. There were a lot of suppliers selling a lot of materials.

We learned a lot. The industry itself understands interior design. Unfortunately, I feel sorry for the students who are studying in Botswana because there’s nothing at all. A good example is CBD. Where can you go at CBD? Because I’m the industry advisor for Limkokwing, I’m always telling them they should try to visit South Africa, because there are a lot of exhibitions: you’ve got Decorex, Indaba [Design Indaba Expo] where there are a lot of interior designers or suppliers or manufacturers where they can collaborate or get materials from them. So I always tell them that they need to go across and learn from them.

What can students do to help themselves progress in school and their career?

I don’t wait for people to spoon-feed me. I don’t wait for somebody to give me money to travel or to do things that are important for the business or for my development. I feel as an individual, or as an aspired interior designer, interior architect, interior decorator—in the built environment they have to do everything by themselves. If it means getting a bunch of friends to go to South Africa, it doesn’t take much. Sometimes, I think we’re so used to government giving us everything, and we want everything done for us.

Do you think women and men receive the same chances for professional development in this profession?

I never think about dividing men and women. I don’t think too hard about women and men in our built environment, because if I do I won’t do myself justice. The only thing is when it comes to projects, a lot of Batswana rely a lot on foreigners. They don’t believe in their own people.

That’s the only thing I have a problem with.

Most often, as established from statistics, there’s a great discrepancy between the number of female graduates and those practicing or who own their own firm?

That is, most don’t stay in the profession.

Why do you think that happens? And where do you think those women go?

I’ve got a son who’s turning four in October.

Yesterday, I was talking to a gentleman who has a wife who’s been in the house for five

years without working, because she’s taking care of her kids. I said that she needs to go out and get a job. I think it boils to the fact that she says she’s the wife, the mum, the friend and she needs to take care of these people.

What about yourself? So for me nothing really changed. I remember when I was in Bokamoso having my baby—I had my work! It wasn’t a good thing but I had to, because I’m running a business that needs to be taken care of. It’s my first baby—a bigger baby—that’s going to feed us with the small baby. Also: women are strong.

It’s amazing what we do out there. Sometimes I become selfish; I need my me time. I work hard, and I play hard. I’m a happy person. Don’t undermine the power of a woman.

Do you have any fond memories of any projects you have accomplished?

When I used to work for Nomsa (Nomsa Moyo of Sasa Interiors), the Botswana Book Centre in the Main Mall, I had to do a presentation when she was away. She was impressed and we got the tender. The second one: I did Debswana Communications Centre in Jwaneng. I was the designer, the messenger—everything in the project. As a designer, you don’t say, “I’m a designer, I sit in front of the computer.” You go all out, and you get yourself dirty. That is how you learn. You don’t just sit and say, “I’m going to design beautiful buildings,” but you don’t know how practicality works. So for me to learn and be where I am is because of the projects that I did at Sasa Interiors. Because I didn’t become an employee, I was the boss, I was the designer, I was everything — jack of all trades. You can’t be sitting in front of the computer the whole day.

You need to benchmark with other designers.

BOIDUS FEATURE P5

BOIDUS FOCUS JUNE 2016

Lucia Lenong Lucia Lenong came to Botswana immediately after completing her studies at University of Cape Town (UCT) and worked for nine years at Mmile Mhutsiwa & Associates.

Can you tell us about your educational background in regards to quantity surveying?

I was in UCT. That was 2002 – 2006. In engineering, the ratio is bound to not be as equal as we would like it to be. Once you get into the field, it’s that much harder. You have to prove yourself that much better than the guys. Varsity days were quite difficult and quite challenging. Naturally, the girls were lesser. But when you look at the results, you couldn’t say girls or guys are passing. It’s just as you would be in Commerce, Humanities etc. Some of us chose it because we wanted it. At the time, it was still the buzz of the World Cup. It was a very opportune moment for a girl to come and make a mark in Botswana. That was our vision. You wanted to pass at school and come here and be the first quantity surveyor, because construction was booming at that time. So that was the whole point of why we chose the career in the first place.

What do you think about quantity surveying in Botswana?

The first thing that I noticed about Botswana is that we’re not global yet insofar as accreditation. The first thing that we were taught at UCT is we need to charter with RIQS (Royal Institute of Quantity Surveyors). Here, there’s recently the IBQS (Institute of Botswana Quantity Surveyors) but it’s not really globally recognized.

Though we have capable people who can do the work, we’re not globally representing ourselves. It sort of stopped me from being able to charter, which is why I have decided to relocate to speed that process up.

What are your thoughts regarding your education in comparison to the local education? That is, have you noted any gaps in the local institutions?

Generally, the work ethic of international education is always a little bit above par. There’s something different about how we manage business locally and how other people outside manage it. I’ve had a chance to work on projects locally, and I’ve also had a project outside. From the benchmarking process, you can tell there’s a little bit of a difference. I could also maybe say the type of client that you get—if it’s a private client, you tend to find the timelines are a lot tighter, the urgency is a lot firmer. If it’s government, there’s a lot of red tape that’s involved.

Did you always know that quantity surveyor was the right profession for you?

When I did matric in Cape Town, I was a little fuzzy about what I wanted to do. It was something to do with science or engineering, I wanted to create something, to see something from scratch and be able to say that that’s something I did. With the World Cup—that was in the pipelines during the time—it became very clearer that that was the booming market at the time. I found out about it and I got interested in it.

Have you experienced gender discrimination during your education as well as the industry?

With men, there will always be some territorial issues. When you sign up for something like this, you kind of are aware that’s what’s going to happen. Construction has been done by men all this time. I cannot say that just because you’re a woman you should be given any sort of special treatment. However, because of those natural things that men have, the testosterone levels, you are bound to be a little bit tougher than you’re normal woman in another normal work space. You need to put your foot down because sometimes you’re the only woman, you’re probably the youngest. Naturally, they’re sizing each other in that kind of atmosphere. It does put you off, but you need to have fire in your belly.

Most often, as established from statistics, there’s a great discrepancy between the number of female graduates and those practicing or who own their own firm?

That is, most don’t stay in the profession.

Why do you think that happens? And where do you think those women go?

At some point I didn’t have a social life. Sometimes the pressure is so much, you end up feeling like you’re not coping. The natural reaction of a woman is we tend to blame ourselves as soon as there’s a problem before you analyze the problem in its entirety. Sometimes, you will have a situation where you can’t differentiate whether you don’t like the career—as in QS—or the job as in where you’re working because the pressure is so much. So you start thinking, “Maybe, I’m not capable,” and you start exploring other avenues. Only to find out maybe wherever you are next you are not fully fulfilled or if you are lucky you are fulfilled. But I have other people who have shifted jobs entirely and then they became grumpy where they are, realizing then that, “I left the career instead of just leaving the job.” The industry will make you feel like you’re not capable. With construction, there’s a rawness about it. You can be in a meeting and bombs will be thrown; people lose their tempers. A woman doesn’t do that, generally. So I think we will give up in the industry because of those things, not necessarily that you’re incapable. If you’ve managed to get a degree or even an honors and you passed, surely, you can be able to apply yourself in the work place. Like for me, I got to a point where I also doubted whether I was good enough or not, so even while I was working here, I enrolled to do my Masters in Strategic Management (during her fifth year working at the firm). I

didn’t run away. I, instead, empowered myself.

I finished my masters, and I did a few short courses in project management. I took Strategic Management as a contingency plan, because when you have QS it just narrows you down to just that. So I did that to try and broaden my scope in case I decided I wanted to leave.

What is your philosophy in life and what advice can you give someone who wants study quantity surveying?

It’s not even about quantity surveying, and it’s not about being a woman in engineering—it’s about being an individual, generally. You don’t do things if you do not have a passion for it.

You need to fully introspect about “what is it that I wake up in the morning that makes me feel happy about myself.” We tend to jump into decisions that actually will cost us the most part of our lives trying to fix. Gap years are very important. I don’t know why we haven’t introduced them in our system in Botswana.

But I see it happening a lot in South Africa.

I had a friend who studied at UCT, and he decided to take a gap year before he started work. He found a completely new passion, opened a burger house and he’s thriving now.

Sometimes, we have to step out and just take a breather, pause for a year—go out and do community services if that’s what you’re passionate about. Go out and meet people. You’ll get different ideas, different perspectives of how the world is to be viewed. Do not cocoon yourself in one place and think that you’re going to have a revelation about your life. As a Motswana I feel that sometimes we are very complacent when it comes to exploring. We watch the world on TV and think we know it.

2016 BIHL TRUST THOMAS TLOU SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS DEADLINE NEARS 9th June 2015 GABORONE – BIHL Trust advises members of the public to ensure all applications for the Thomas Tlou Scholarship Programme for the year 2016 be submitted ahead of the 24th June 2016 deadline. Applications beyond this date will not be accepted.

For more information, please contact: Taazima Kala, HOTWIRE PRC, taazima@hotwireprc.com, +267 3923579

Said BIHL Trust Administrator, Tebogo Keepetsoe, “As the deadline nears, we want to encourage Batswana to make the most of this opportunity to make their dreams of further education a reality. The BIHL Trust Thomas Tlou Scholarship benefits talented young Batswana with aspirations to pursue postgraduate studies in any discipline aimed at contributing to Botswana’s socio-economic development, and it is our hope that more young Batswana seize this opportunity for advancement.”

ABOUT BIHL TRUST

All citizens of Botswana who wish to pursue a Masters programme on a full time basis in any discipline at universities in Botswana are eligible for the scholarship. Applicants must hold a recognised first degree at the time of the application for the scholarship and must fulfil the criteria below: • • • • • • •

Applicants must be between the ages of 18-35 years; Have between 4.00 – 4.60 GPA at undergraduate level; Have 2 years work experience, post undergraduate qualification; Should not be a recipient of another scholarship; Be studying on a full time basis; Should provide a motivation letter that highlights community service involvement undertaken; and Applicants must have an acceptance letter from the university in order to be considered and produce certified copies of their Omang.

Applicants need to request an application form via the BIHL Trust Facebook page (www.facebook. com/pages/BIHL-Trust). Completed forms along with supporting material such as acceptance letter, CV, national identification and any reference material can be sent to gsechele@bihl.co.bw. Where an application does not include all required supporting material, the application as a single submission, the application will not be considered. The closing date for applications is midnight on 24th June 2016.

• BIHL Trust was established in 2007 • The Trust aims to pioneer and support development initiatives across Botswana for Batswana.

• The Trust’s areas of interest include: poverty alleviation; economic empowerment projects; development of human resources through education and training; social welfare services, including youth development; public health; public recreation including sports; rural development and conservation of the environment.

• Through various initiatives the BIHL Trust aims to ultimately build stronger communities for a better tomorrow.

• The subsidiaries in the Group dedicate 1% of their profits after tax to the Trust every year.

• BIHL Trust aims to play an active role in the development of the country’s future including in the area of education.

• BIHL Trust together with the Tlou family, led by Professor Sheila Tlou, conceptualised the BIHL Thomas Tlou Scholarship named after the late Professor Thomas Tlou.

• Professor Tlou greatly contributed to the development of our country both as a noted international historian, scholar and diplomat.

• His works continue to provide much needed insight to Batswana to this day.

BOIDUS FEATURE P6

BOIDUS FOCUS JUNE 2016

A general look at “Sectional Title” properties and how they fair in comparison to “Freehold” and “Leasehold” properties (Part 1)

By Neltah Mosimanegape Continued from the FRONT PAGE In comparison to “sectional title ownership,” the Botswana property market mainly consists of “leasehold ownership” and “freehold ownership” properties. The former has not reached the similar level of popularity as the latter two.

In simplified layman’s terms, sectional title ownership can be defined as the combined ownership by various owners of a property development. For example, a multi-residential property can have many owners by them purchasing a unit or more of that building. Sectional title developments and freehold developments have the aspect of “ownership” in common. Conversely, it is imperative to note the significant difference between “sectional title ownership” and “freehold property ownership.” The latter is the ownership of stand-alone properties, including the actual building attached to the land and the land itself. For example, a BHC residential house in Block 9, Gaborone. This property is solely owned by the purchasing party.

“Sectional title” ownership in Botswana is not as common of an avenue for investors wishing to purchase property, as they typically prefer “freehold property” for reasons such as privacy and whole/ individual-ownership. In the case of sectional title ownership, the management style will differ significantly from those of leasehold properties and freehold properties.

Management discrepancies between “Sectional title” ownership and “Freehold ownership” The complexities that arise in managing sectional

title developments stem from the fact that each “section” owner has the right to consent on how the property is operated. As a result, conflicting commentary on the operations of the building may arise from different sectional holders. This is unlike “freehold property” whereby only one party owns and operates the entire property occupied. This gives the property owner the liberty to single-handedly make decisions affecting his/her property without the need to consult others.

PLANTING NATIVE PLANTS IN PUBLIC AREAS In our last issue we discussed about plants in the office space, we elaborated on their benefits to the workers in that environment. In this issue we look at public areas and we scrutinize the need to plant trees on such places. Furthermore we look at the advantage that native or indigenous plants have over exotic plants especially if they are to be planted in public areas. It is obvious that there are countless reasons why we need plant in public areas but in this article only a few will be mentioned.

It is with this regard that “home owners’ association” committees or “Board of Trustees” are formed as per the particular “purchase agreement” contracts between buyers and owners in sectional title properties. These “associations” are a fundamental aspect of sectional title developments as their main objective is to make decisions that are in the best interests of all owners of the sectional title building.

The differences in management governance of “sectional title” developments and “freehold” developments The management of sectional title developments is, therefore, governed by “Home-owner associations” or “the Board of Trustees.” The appointed property management company is responsible for the implementation of the property’s “rules and regulations.”

On the contrary, the management of freehold developments is less complex as its governance is solely on at the owner’s discretion.

The diagram below outlines the transfer steps of a sectional title development to the sectional holder. It also briefly highlights the managerial roles involved.

REDUCE HEAT

1. A property developer initiates the development of a property with the aim of 'build to sell'

2. ‘Sections’ of the property are sold to different purchasers under a ‘purchase agreement’. Property agents can be contracted to market the various units available.

With the high heat that we experience during most of the year in Botswana, trees have become very important features along our streets and in malls, parks etc. Trees work as air conditioners by shading and also reducing the heat through transpiration. By planting trees in public areas one can significantly reduce the heat level in these surroundings. Trees also shield us from harmful ultra-violet rays which, in access, damage our skin. They provide comfortable shade which people can seat under.

PROMOTE BIODIVERSITY AND IMPROVE OUR SURROUNDINGS

3. A property management company is appointed to oversee the general operations of the property as a whole.

5. The management company is typically responsible for the collection of service charge levies, enforcing the property rules and regulations of the property. The maintenance and repairs of each sold piece of property are the responsibility of the purchaser.

Parks and urban green spaces attract wildlife, which both increases the natural beauty of an area and contributes to biodiversity. Maintaining urban biodiversity is an important aspect of keeping a city environmentally friendly. Biodiversity is sustained through the balance between ecosystems, populations, and their habitats, and ensuring that local animal populations have a place to live is a key aspect of sustaining this biodiversity.

REDUCE SOIL EROSION AND WIND BREAKER

4. Once property rights and ownerships have been transferred from the developer to the purchasers, ‘home owner association’ or ‘Trustees’ are appointed as representatives of all the property owners.

A simplified ‘process chart’ highlighting the development of sectional titles properties and the management involved.

In the next article, an overall account on freehold properties and leasehold properties will be given. Also, pros and cons of the above stated properties will be scrutinised in an effort to equip both investors and tenants with the necessary information to consider when purchasing property and/or entering a lease agreement, respectively.

Trees and urban green spaces reduce the amount of soil lost due to erosion from rainwater and blowing wind. This helps to preserve landscaped areas and keep the ground healthy. Planting trees and cultivating landscaped areas is an effective way to reduce the amount of soil lost due to erosion. Plants also help to block and absorb wind, which helps preserve natural environments, reduce wind-related erosion. Plants reduce the harmful effects of wind in cities, trees and other ornamental shrubs by slowing the wind down and greatly diminishing its strength.

NATIVE PLANTS OVER EXOTIC PLANTS Native plants are best suited for public areas because they have adapted to the local conditions. Once established, native plants need less care and attention than exotic trees. Not only is this good for the environment, it saves time and money. The native plants increase our connection to nature, help educate our neighbors, and provide a beautiful and peaceful place to relax and enjoy.

Visit us for all your gardening requirements Gaborone Dam site, Machel Drive Call us: +267 393 1358 www.sanitas.co.bw

GUEST COLUMNISTS P7

BOIDUS FOCUS JUNE 2016

Thoughts on the Paris Agreement Interview with David Lesolle

By Tlotlo Tsamaase

Continued from PAGE 2

What do you think Botswana should work on?

Botswana has lots of coal, and unfortunately coal is one of those fuels that is not climate-change friendly and not global-warming friendly. It emits greenhouses gases that cause global warming. One of the important things is that you should not just imagine that these things are going to happen overnight. Botswana has been a lot of things: there’s a lot of solar water heaters that are installed. I don’t know if there’s any latest estimate of the amount of electricity of that installed capacity of the solar water heaters, but it’s very substantial. For a very long time it was about 10% of the national production electricity generation. That was in the past. Incrementally, one assumes it’s been growing. Where do you find these solar water heaters?

It has been a very long government policy that governmental institutional houses, like the police, and secondary school that are far away from electricity should use solar water heaters. There’s things like solar lighting, streetlights, etc. The problem with these technologies is they are still in the making. The tendency is that because you’re still getting this development. There’s good technology and bad technology.

What are your thoughts on the Paris Agreement for Botswana?

One of the key things about the Paris agreement is it’s a challenge for Batswana, but it’s a very important challenge in the sense that that’s where Botswana has wanted to go, towards green. If you recall, a few years ago, Botswana hosted the Sustainable Green Economy Conference. But you can only go green if everybody else in the world is going green, because Botswana’s contribution to the global problem of climate change is so miniscule. Even if we stopped all the cars today, all the Morupule today, we wouldn’t have an impact on the environment, on the global warming.

So it is important that we’re in it all together. So the Paris agreement is so important for Botswana because it gives Botswana the opportunity to grow into sustainable development and adopt green growth strategies. But it is also a challenge because our economy is dependent on electricity-generating coal.

We must use coal for that because the alternatives are out of reach or too expensive—they’re still being developed. Even when you’re buying solar lights, they last for two months, and the system is down; the battery is dead, and it’s got all sorts of problems. How do we move from this coal into greener technologies within the context of development? One important question is “Why should I really use my own money?”

For an ordinary person who is struggling to buy a

MAITISONG FESTIVAL: How far has it come?

By Tumisang Baatshwana

solar panel, that is expensive, when in fact you could connect electricity with P3000 and solar power costs about P35,000 or P60,000. It’s those challenges—those developmental challenges.

The other challenge is that we have impacts that we must live with. The impacts of the results of increased global warming—increased concentration of greenhouse gases—are there. Science also tells us that it’s not the first time that global warming happens to the earth. There’s been a geological time frame analysis and analysis of past data, climate proxy and real data that shows that there has been this global warming phenomenon. It is a huge challenge to us as part of humanity in Botswana. First, what is going to be the impact on us as humans—and the biomes that impact us on health and climate change; malaria and health in climate change—so we don’t know those 3rd order, and 4th order impacts of climate change and how they are going to impact us, neither do we understand what the impact of global warming or the climate change will be on the ecosystem. But what we do know is that it looks like the number of times we have drought is increasing. So there are changes in the climate that we’re seeing.

What other challenges do you think Botswana faces?

The other challenge is that we will need to move fast because we have coal—that means we must align with the Paris Agreement that we will reduce. Another challenge is that Botswana is a huge country with a sparse population. Because we’re sparsely populated, a lot of our emissions are related to the transport section.

The emissions have escaped into the atmosphere.

Transport alone is almost 20% of our emissions in Botswana—it’s huge. A lot of electricity is lost through transmission and distribution. Let’s develop the possibility of bringing in new technologies deliberately. For example, there should be a law to bring in top-quality products. We should develop a technology standard.

Let us come up with regulations. There’s a lot of things we can do that are energy-efficient: walking and thinking green all the time.

Coping with the impacts, what do you think Botswana can do?

Whether we like it or not—we must cope with the impacts. Let’s share knowledge and experience. There are old people here who we’re not using. We must also bring these issues into our faculties and our academia schools. Tertiaries should develop methods and processes. There are opportunities and possibilities to reduce emissions just by using technology.

The annual Maitisong Festival ran from 09 - 17 April 2016 and, as always, provided audiences with a tasty and inspiring lineup of performances covering a wide range of drama, dance, music, poetry and workshops.

Audiences included international festival directors, local and international theatre goers, with students from schools such as Matsha Senior Secondary School, St Joseph’s College and Limkokwing University of Creative Technology’s performing arts students attending shows free of charge.

The festival had something for all and ensured that everyone engaged in this life-changing experience.

With an astounding lineup of local and international performances, it can undoubtedly be said that the festival has indeed grown in its quality, providing audiences with entertaining, emotionally charged and information-providing works. An unforgettable example is the ground-breaking and critically acclaimed Born Around Here - a play based on the historical events surrounding the 14 June 1985 bomb raids in Gaborone by agents of the South African apartheid regime.

In its twenty-nine years of existence, the Maitisong Festival has achieved great success and equally difficult times, as it is with any journey. With its Director, Gao Lemmenyane at its helm, it has indisputably been revived in its different areas and continues to carve a path towards international heights. With performers such as Presley Chweneyagae (of the Academy Award winning movie, Tsotsi) in Drama for Life’s Beautiful Things, to local attractions such as Pula by Mophato Dance Theatre, Elements by Folk Tale Theatre Company and the story of Dr. G.K.T Chiepe in A Woman of Many Firsts, the world will one day (and soon) scramble to be part of the Maitisong Festival’s lineup.

So how far has the Maitisong Festival come? It has reached the edge of completely breaking barriers and challenging audience expectations.

A point where international theatre performers, directors and goers descend on Gaborone every year to share their magic with the nation.

It is at a point where the Soweto Comedy Festival featuring astounding South African acts such as Kedibone Mulaudzi, Charles Mapane and our very own Bambino fill up Maitisong theatre. Where performers of various disciplines such as Leshie Lovesong’s poetry and song, OYO’s dance from Namibia and Miles Hodges’ poetry from the United States of America share their art under the same umbrella.

The festival has come to the point where it proudly showcases works that tell Botswana’s stories. And what better time is there to do it then now as the country celebrates its 50th year of independence.

Productions such as Baratani - The Hill of Lovers tell the stories of its people for the world to hear, and the Maitisong Festival is the platform for these stories. A local festival of international standards - this is how far the Maitisong Festival has come.

HOME IMPROVEMENT P8

BOIDUS FOCUS JUNE 2016

DIY Projects - How to Repair a Leaky Spigot [Source: www.diynetwork.com]

A dripping faucet quickly adds up to substantial costs on your water bill. Here’s how to repair an outdoor spigot that has a leak due to a faulty stem.

Sponsored by Sponsored by

Step 2: Cut off the Corroded Pipe

Use a pipe-cutter to cut off the length of copper supply-pipe that has become corroded (pictured). Use medium-grit sandpaper to rough up the ends of the replacement copper-pipe, and inside the new faucet fitting.

Step 5: Insert New Pipe Into the Wall

Step 3: Insert New Pipe Into Fitting Step 1: Remove the Faucet

First, turn off the main water supply to your home. Inspect the stem on the old spigot closely so that you can purchase a comparable replacement at your home center.

Locate the pipe that feeds the faucet from the backside of the wall. Use a hacksaw to cut the pipe at the bend, just on the other side of the wall from the faucet (pictured), allowing the faucet assembly to be removed.

Brush a coating of tinning flux to the outside of the end of the pipe inside the fitting (pictured). Tinning flux improves the adhering capabilities of solder. Insert the end of the new pipe into the new fitting.

Once the connection has been completely sealed with solder, allow it to cool, and feed the end of the new pipe through the hole in the wall (pictured). Once the pipe has been fed through the hole, and the new fitting is flush against the wall, cut off the excess pipe on the back side of the wall using the pipe cutter.

Step 7: Solder the Pipe in Place

Cut the appropriate length of pipe. Rough up the pipe ends, apply tinning flux, and solder the new length of copper pipe in place at the coupling as well as the new 90-degree fitting to complete the connection (pictured).

Step 8: Turn the Water Back on Step 4: Seal the New Joint

Use solder and a propane torch to seal – or “sweat” – the new joint. Use the tip of the flame to heat the joint – not the solder – to achieve the best adhesion (pictured).

Step 6: Install Fitting Onto Pipe

Using the same soldering technique, install a 90-degree fitting onto the pipe (pictured). Take a measurement from the new fitting to the end of the supply-line pipe to determine the length of new copper pipe that you’ll need.

Once the solder-seals have all cooled, and the connections been double-checked, turn the water main back on and check the new faucet for proper operation. You may want to apply a bead of caulk around the outer edge of the new connection to prevent water from leaking through the opening in the wall.

GUEST COLUMNIST P9

BOIDUS FOCUS JUNE 2016

Our Renewable Future [1]

By Jan Wareus

professionals and readers of Boidus – very condensed and abridged, of course, but hopefully enlightening for its readers.

Ugo Bardi, professor at the University of Florence in Italy and vividly writing and blogging about resource depletion, system modeling, climate science and renewable energy writes about this book: “The future of renewable energy is obscured by ignorance, noise, ideology, and all sorts of misconceptions. Our Renewable Future describes the reality: the transition is possible, but it wont be easy.”

This picture from a modern solar farm is borrowed from a very interesting new book: “Our Renewable Future” by Richard Heinberg and David Fridley, Fellows of the Post Carbon

Institute in the US. I find the book so important that I like to share some of its narrative with the development

According to the authors they have been ‘tiptoeing’ through the renewable minefield and consequently they are presenting the mainstream (boosters) as well as dissident views (critics) on the renewable energy complex that we must handle when heading to a renewable future, whether we are ready or not. Depending on how quickly and intelligently we move the transition along, daily life could improve or deteriorate

significantly, but will never be the same, we understand from the authors analysis. Energy is embedded in so many aspects of modern life and we need serious discussions about the future of economy, consumerism and economic justice and equity. And new skills and concepts are needed for the development professionals and physical planners re. buildings, construction, infrastructure, urban design and communication. It is also important to revise, change and transform contemporary technologies and its problematic footprint in the developed world - a tremendous task to reach a sustainable post-modern future. It must be remembered that all we in the industrialized world have built so far is to suit the characteristics of fossil fuel and a change of mind is needed!

Apart from these general basics, we have to make the transition away from fossil fuels that are soon depleted and on the way out (and nuclear power is not a realistic substitute) and successfully re-think and re-tool how we use energy – and how much we use – not just its source.

When bio-fuel is basically out (except for aviation and a few farmers with suitable waste) - you remember the report that stated the simple fact that even if every tilled field on earth is producing bio-fuel instead of food, it will only be enough for our present communications and fracking also soon out as hyped up way of “scraping the drums” (as oil professionals say – and delusions about Saudi America), leaves renewable solar and wind, for better or for worse, as society’s future energy sources. The inevitable transition of technologies and the fact that renewable energy will not possibly meet future ‘eternal growth’ but possibly a restricted but decent standard level of what we now have, will also force us to live differently – more sustainable and in accordance with the resources he have and can recycle for the future.

As I see it, a transition to a renewable future is necessary for the existence of humans and most life on earth. We are already experiencing the climate change with all its consequences, created by the blindfolded industrial society and already many limits are reached or are very soon reached – so called tipping points for continued safe life on earth. Unprecedented hurricanes, flooding and droughts are everyday happening where it shouldn’t happen, distress, calamity, hunger and death are everyday news and all created by burning of fossil fuel. We have a responsibility to arrest as much of this as possible. At least not enhance the problems we have created. But this is not an easy task as the decisions are political and unfortunately, the debate is already quite polarized and politicized. As a result, realism and nuance may not have much of a constituency. I guess it’s time for emergency committees and political crisis coalitions instead of the usual party overbids on eternal growth and progress.

However, everything is not well in the renewable energy field – the majority of the solar and wind supporters are delusive albeit they disdain fossils and nukes and are convinced that solar and wind have unstoppable momentum and will eventually bring with them lower energy prices and millions of jobs, contrary of those who say that intermittent energy sources are inherently incapable of sustaining modern industrial societies and can be build only with massive government subsidies as being “not bankable” any longer.

Despite the conclusions stated above, the authors didn’t set out to support or undermine these two messages. Instead they made a thorough account and analysis of what renewable energy sources are capable of doing and how a transition toward them is going – there were only two basic assumptions. Fossil fuels are soon history and nuclear power unrealistic in the long run.

p18

ADVERTISING P10

BOIDUS FOCUS JUNE 2016

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In 2014, GUC embarked on a P50 million project to build a campus on plot 6398 Brodhurst Industrial Area. The new GUC Campus is a four storey state of art building fitted with equipment and furniture to facilitate learning. The ground floor accommodates the administration offices, conference room, computer laboratory and staff room. The other three floors accommodate 48 lecturer rooms with a total seating capacity of 2500 students. A separate block has been dedicated for the physical and electronic library. A total of 800 computers have been networked within the campus to facilitate research and information sharing.

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BOIDUS FEATURE P11

BOIDUS FOCUS JUNE 2016

Nomsa Moyo of Sasa Interiors Can you tell us about your educational background leading to the time when you started your own company?

I studied B.A in Interior Design at an American university (American InterContinental University) in London. From 1996 to 2000.

Initially, my passion was to be a chef. I sort of see the synergy between the two. Interior spaces are about transforming, aesthetics and presentations. Through my education days, my course content was quite broad.

With my institution it was mainly arts-driven.

In fine arts, I got to develop my hand sketching presentations, which is quite essential for my interior design as a communication tool. We also did electives. I got to do languages, so I did a bit of Spanish.

I worked as a student in a kitchen company that had interior design services, but it was more of soft furnishing. The experience that I got was in detailing and project management, which is something that I do quite a lot. I oversee projects currently, so it was such a great foundation to have at the initial stages of my career. As part of my four-year programme, I worked part-time. I came back home, and I worked for a local company, Mukwa Interiors. I started the interior side of things, where I would assist clients in interior-related solutions. They had an inhouse factory, so we could create bespoke pieces for clients. It was a big responsibility at a young age (23 years old). I worked there for three years. Thereafter, I left and worked for an architectural firm called Mosaic Studio (for two years). It was a firm led by two women. Myself and another woman. She is an architect. She led the architectural side of the business. I was leading the interior side of the business. Interior design then in Botswana was nonexistent. It took a lot of hard work, in terms of making people aware of interior designers as professionals and exactly what we do. It’s still a struggle, although now it’s much better than back then.

I still feel we have a mammoth of work to do in terms of sensitizing the people about interior design. We play such an integral role in architectural projects. It was a good team, because we actually handled architectural work, so automatically we would then do interior design work within the projects that we were undertaking.

I started my firm, Sasa Interiors, when I was 29 years old. I started from very humble beginnings with a few people that I had convinced that I was a capable interior designer.

I say humble, because there was no capital injection. I didn’t have much overheads. My parents had given me a car; once in a while, I’d ask them for a bit of cash. I had a computer—the basic stuff to start off. All I needed to do was to sell my services. I operated from home. I took myself very seriously, because I wanted to develop a company that’s well-recognized that can be trusted within the built environment and help promote interior designer in Botswana.

What are your thoughts regarding your education in comparison to the local education? That is, have you noted any gaps in the local institutions?

There’s definitely a big gap. When you study design, you need exposure or access to certain facilities because there’s a whole

lot of research that you have to do. I think it’s a big limitation here because I literally had to walk the streets of London to collect my fabric samples, visit exhibitions, visit museums. Unfortunately, students here have zero access to anything. It creates a big gap in your educational experience. I don’t think Botswana produces well-rounded graduates because of those gaps. My recommendation would be for students to do a semester or so abroad in other institutions where they have exposure or access to such critical tools. It would be nice to see an affiliation with other institutions. In other countries, the area of arts is very well developed, whereas in our country it’s still emerging.

We do realize the gap when we take on interns. The knowledge of materials and how those materials can be used, their limitations—it’s very shallow. It becomes very frustrating to work with them because you’re literally starting from scratch (having to teach interns).

Have you experienced gender discrimination during your education as well as the industry?

During school, I studied in London, and of course, they are much more progressive in terms of having women participate in such professions. So there was very little discrimination. We had a good number of women studying interior design, and, it being an international university, we had people from all over the world. That was good for us because we got exposure to different cultures and how they actually influences their design approach. Coming back home and looking at my age (23 years old) at the time I was fairly young. When you’re young and female, it was a challenge. People wouldn’t take you seriously, or just felt you’re too young to take on such a responsibility. There was a lot of doubt. I persevered. Wherever I was given an opportunity, I proved myself. I

gained the confidence, or the respect of men within the industry.

what advice can you give women/men who want study interior design?

What are your thoughts about interior design in Botswana in comparison to international standards?

I’m a believer that passion should drive anything. Commitments, dedications, perseverance. If you’re running your own businesses, there’s a lot of sacrifices you have to make in order to achieve your dreams. I think I’d like to advice younger people, people who are studying and have ambitions of being self-employed, everything takes time. We have a tendency of just doing shoddy work or putting money in the interest of quality.

We should not be doing by money or wealth, we should be doing by that passion and wanting to build a reputation, build a brand.

Once you’ve done all of that, it will actually pay off.

I studied in a country where interior design is an established industry and I came to a country where it was not heard of. I had a mammoth of a task to explain myself of what exactly I do. Sometimes we were mistaken to be decorators where you just come in and do soft furnishing. It was really undermined. Even now, you do get the odd people still thinking interior design is still interior decorating. As part of this drive of awareness and sensitizing people of interior designs, we have formed an association (which is four months old) so that we can have a voice for interior designers. I happen to be the chairperson of that association. We’re making progress.

Although we play an integral role in architecture, we’re still specialists in the architectural fraternity. It is very difficult to sustain a business, because architects always come into our playing field although they’re not specialists. They won’t do it as well. But because they’ve had that first contact, met the client, the client is sold that they’re better-placed to do the work.

Do you think women and men receive the same chances for professional development in this profession?

In Botswana, I see that people are more lenient to dealing with women because interior design is seen as something that is “girly” or something that is more suited for women, because it has to do with colour combinations and aesthetics. It does come back from a home setup where the woman would basically drive the whole home furnishing and ensuring that things are well-coordinated. That’s why people would feel a bit more comfortable dealing with a woman than a man. I might be wrong, but it’s something that I’ve observed.

What is your philosophy in life and

You shouldn’t limit yourself to what you have or what you’re just accessible to. Interior design is about the use of different materials within an installation. The only way you can learn about this is through research, through exposure, exposure through exhibitions, and visiting suppliers. Yes, you might not have the means to but you have access to internet services, you can call up these suppliers, request some samples. If you can feel and touch, it’s much better.

Do you have any fond memories of any projects you have accomplished?

Botswana Oil (2014): Being an oil company we looked at ways of communicating environmentally friendly solutions within an interior space. The reception area was a successful one of how we were able to communicate the environmentally friendly approach.

For Debswana there was the expansion of the pit, and the relocation of certain services. Being a mining environment there were so many considerations. You just have to conform to health and safety issues. What we took away from that project is we then implemented our own health and safety policy in the company that we implement in projects. We have a compliance lady in the office who ensures that minimum standards are adhered to in our projects.

EDUCATION P12

BOIDUS FOCUS JUNE 2016

ARCHITECTURE AWARDS

Lorato Motsamai – 1st Year Student She believes that as part of the architectural education it is essential for schools to organize excursions to locations outside Botswana for students “to see architectural projects and maybe meet the architects beyond the locale in order to keep them open minded,” she says. Also entering into a dialogue with international architects will expand their architectural horizons, in addition to the valuable learnings from their local institutions. Therefore, they will be able to interrogate their world and other cultures, to see how spaces change outside borders. This will be informative to their educational journey.

Student Profiles

By Tlotlo Tsamaase

Architecture is often defined as the marriage between art and science, and those with an inclination toward art are drawn by its diverse nature.

Viewed as a demanding educational programme, it is time-consuming and saturated with sleepless nights and keeping up with core and elective classes whilst maintaining grades that are up to par.

The requirement to make one eligible for entry into the five-year programme at the University of Botswana is a minimum of 34 points in BGCSE/IGCSE results, and one must have an aptitude in the area of Mathematics, English and Physic (Grade C) and Art or D&T (Grade D), or a Grade BB in Science Double Award. The application is followed by an interview, which is conducted with a review of the applicant’s portfolio work. This aids in discerning the applicant’s line of interest.

In the architecture & planning department, initially, architecture students were awarded with their names being called out ceremoniously at assembly, and only those with high GPA’s (4.0 and above) received this attention. The only problem was that GPA didn’t reflect some of the top student’s aptitude in studio, which is a core course in the architecture program. The students believed they needed a more academically design-oriented award that would be a symbol and would correlate with creativity and design that epitomizes their education. Therefore, a group of students, spearheaded by student Estee Milambo, pitched the idea to lecturers for an award that would alternatively be an incentive to promote perseverance and workmanship in the class environment. This drive gave birth to the Award of Design Excellence. The award ceremony was hosted jointly with their end-of-semester exhibition on the 20th May 2016 and showcased on Property For You, a property TV programme on BTV. A student from each class year with the best design was awarded an architectural book. Below is a profile of a mix of young male and female students (three girls and two boys) who won Award of Design Excellence.

These students have a lot to say about what architecture means to them and juxtaposed to their profiles is their work that highlights their philosophy or architectural ethos.

Twenty-year-old Lorato Motsamai just recently completed her first year. Not only that, she won an award for best design in year one to which she was really awed about. Noting how particularly difficult it is to remain in the program, the award further encourages her to persevere. Her fascination in architecture arose from her constant-watching of TV programmes that showcased architectural works in Europe. In her senior year when she partook in art exhibitions, her attention magnetized to a student who was the sole person representing his work in the architecture category. “I always found his models quite impressive, which made my interest in the profession grow further,” she says.

As prefaced in the other students’ profiles, the experience in architecture school varies but it’s daunting for most students. When it comes to talking about her first year, Lorato mentions that “Architecture school can be plain torture. We can spend long hours working with no sleep and then have to attend other lessons without sleeping a wink. But at the end of the day when you look at the product of your work you realize that it’s worth it.”

Kefilwe Motsie – 5th Year Student 22-year-old Kefilwe Motsie’s interest in architecture came from the inability to pronounce the word “architecture.” She was fascinated by the word from such a young age. She further interrogated what it meant and grew this deep desire to design iconic buildings. She says, “I was a tiny person, so I always imagined I’d create something that was bigger than me. I had a dream board. I also had a passion for art. I took on art subjects from Form 1 until Form 5. I loved anything to do with drawings,” she says.

Most often, in regards to the degree, the class environment consists of a lower ratio of women to men. The experiences may differ, but Kefiliwe doesn’t believe in gender division in the field. “You can’t shy away from some of the heavy duty

work. If you’re not willing to work twice as hard, you probably won’t make it far. So it’s about sacrificing small things.”

The modest student reveals that during her first year, she found her colleagues above par. Instead, she found the experiences of school valuable, and she became a sponge to information and receptive to her lessons hosted by her professors.

She believes sketching is essential to exercise the muscles of imagination. “Carrying a sketch book is very important,” she says, “because it helps develop the skill of seeing. Because it’s a skill to see, and it’s a skill to interpret things.”

When it comes to her architectural styles she says it is planar composition. “I learned to become innovative, to understand what the Western world has to offer and what us as Africans have to offer as well. All of us are unique. So in the end I wanted to be, sort of, a neutral party to appreciate both ends and create something that could fuse the two.”

The most essential part of an architecture student’s education is exposure. Exposure to the world. Exposure to architecturally rich buildings. Exposure to experience. These inform their design process by understanding how the effect of those environments are attained (by understanding, feeling, touching, and smelling new environments) in different cultures. This broadens their architectural knowledge. In most architecture programs students venture on study abroad programs to allow them to expand their experience of the built environment. And this is what Kefilwe did. In third year first semester, Kefilwe took part in a study abroad program. For one semester, her educational journey took her to the University of Idaho. When asked to make a comparison between University of Idaho and University of Botswana she says, “We are pretty much on the same line. The difference would be is [University of Idaho] has more facilities than we do. And they are more exposed because they have those buildings. So most students are informed because they actually see these buildings and their surroundings. The

Her advice for those interested in architecture, or those already in their first year isbthey should be both mentally and emotionally prepared because studying this course is an emotional rollercoaster, and they really need to know what they are doing. When we first started, we could spend the whole night, without sleep, in studio only to be told by lecturers that we did nothing and we have to redo everything. Such things can really crush your confidence.

But we had to learn to deal with it.”

The studio culture can be a fickle environment, and she believes it’s essential for one to explore several areas until they have a grasp on their identity in order to demonstrate their unique quality. “Right now, I’m interested in deconstructive architecture, but I’m still open to discovering new styles. My goal is to be involved in green architecture to ensure that the building becomes more cost-effective and ultimately speeds up the rate in which Botswana is developing.”

When it comes to gender in the built environment, her viewpoint doesn’t flounder. “I feel that the issue of gender discrimination might have been eliminated by legendary female architects, like Zaha Hadid, who showed that it’s not the sex that matters but the work. So far I would say the challenges I have faced as a female student are the same as that of the male students.”

lecturers really engage with the students, perhaps more than what we have (in UB). Because when they say they’re working outside hours, a lecturer could be in the studio with us at 1:00 a.m. Facilities, like printing services, were available to us within the studio for 24hours. We had three computers per students, and the security system is high. In architecture, you stay up late, so they provided us with secure premises to a point where you could leave your laptop and go and sleep at your room and come back the next day and everything is still there and intact.

So students make the studio feel like their home. They came with furniture, like couches, because they needed to produce a high level work. For [UB] we have challenges with the security guards not understanding what we do and why we’re there.

So they don’t appreciate us being there for a long time, which means some of the students lose interest along the way of working in the studio.”

Her advice for aspirant architects or those interested in studying architecture is that passion is imperative to persevere in the program.

She interned at Pinagare Architects where she learned various software: SketchUp, Archicad, Artlantis etc. Her hopes for the future are that: “My wish is for someone to recognize me and what I’m offering architecturally to Botswana. At the end of the day, I want to build or give back to Batswana through architecture. And to fuse the traditional part of architecture with the modern part. If someone can give me that platform to design something like that—it’s my main aim, just to represent people through architecture. If that doesn’t happen, I could teach students to design for their environment. I love to teach.”

In regards to the architecture in Botswana, she informs that “we don’t have funding to build all these exciting buildings.

Most people rush to build something that doesn’t represent who they are. They are so fascinated by what the western world has to provide for them, that most people forget their roots. Architecture is about representation of the people throughout history.”

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ADVERTISING P13

EDUCATION P14

ARCHITECTURE AWARDS (CONT’D)

BOIDUS FOCUS JUNE 2016

Bosa Mochotlhi – 4th Year Student

Moeti Masiye – 2nd Year Student Growing up, Moeti Masiye would flip through journals and magazines, including browsing through television programmes that portrayed the aesthetic quality of architecture. Intrigued by the allure of the designs, he hoped to one day design something of such a high caliber.

“It’s a great honour and privilege to have won the award,” he says. “It has great meaning to an up-and-coming architect, like me. It shows that I’m moving in the right direction to achieve what I intend to be in the future.”

He finds his experience in studying architecture very enriching as it allows him to interact with different people from all walks of life. Furthermore, by listening in on their architectural perspectives, it allows him to evaluate his own opinions and formulate new ideas and a new way of thinking. “One of my goals in design is to come up with design that blends well with the environment,” he says. He values designs that are eco-conscious and responsive to the environment and climate conditions, as well as designs that will also serve their functions. In regards to this, he is inspired by international architects like Glenn Murcutt and Mies van der Rohe. “Most of their designs were designed looking at the climate conditions and the environment they are built in, which also encourages me to take the work I do seriously.”

Tlotlo Malakaila – 3rd Year Student When applying for university, Tlotlo Malakaila’s deep thirst for the arts wasn’t well quenched by the course outline of multimedia since he’d already taught himself most of the courses. He yearned for something more advanced and challenging: architecture.

The 22-year-old third-year student initially wanted to study animation. “I wanted to do animation, but I didn’t want to do it in Botswana. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough points to go outside to study in Johannesburg.” As an artist, he was drawn toward other artists, like Picasso. Realizing that most of his idols were also architects, Tlotlo decided to dip his toes into architecture, only to realize that he loves architecture.

He has big dreams for his future. “I hope to find myself recognized like famous architects, like Le Corbusier, having won a Pritzker Award, at least, having a book that’s based on some of the works I’ve done. Having a reputation for myself, as well as making my family proud. I hope to start my own firm and an animation studio.”

Tlotlo believes that his work is inclined to a minimalist approach, avoiding any ostentatious forms. This devout fan of Le Corbusier opts to push the boundaries with his creative streak to showcase the diverse narrative of the country’s architecture. He says, “We’re all in our safe places and we don’t want to leave them. We need architecture that stands out from the rest and that goes beyond the norm. We need someone who is not afraid to start a revolution.”

The 22-year-old was born and raised by her grandparents in Ramotswa. Projecting an altruistic persona, the observant and thoughtful student believes in an architecture that is representative of its culture—it’s identity.

Every semester, students are given a design brief that they are to creatively comply to with their designs. The brief elaborates the type of building as well as the spaces it will host. Alongside this, their sites are already selected, which require site analysis to inform their designs and adequately adorn it with the requisite facilities. Bosa is intrigued by the relationship between humans and the ecosystem, between humans and objects, whether it be of a materialistic value or symbolic in a cultural manner. She says, “I’m a humanist: I’m into the relationship between people and things. So it can go from architecture to product design, anything that is functional to humans. I’m observant of how people live and how people use the space around them. That is what inspires me to design.”

For you to house something, you need to know how it works, how it processes things, from the minute detail to its macro relationship with its context. In regards to this, Bosa says, “First year, we designed for a fashion designer. I learned that I needed to know how a fashion designer works. Second year, I designed at a botanical garden in Village. I wanted to transform the space into a journey. How to get one to experience the space with the environment.

As much as I believe that architecture can go beyond problem-solving, I also believe that it has to make a meaning out of our environment.

Bosa is versatile when it comes to the arts. Since primary school she was the top-achiever in her

art class. Since then, she’s dabbled in crafts, piano lessons, drawing, painting and quite recently graphic design. This devotion drew her towards architecture. The fascinating thing about architecture is that despite how challenging and complex it may be, bending you in every direction, it is quite a self-explorative degree that allows you to “go through different spaces of development. You discover yourself, you lose yourself, and rediscover yourself. Only to finally find some way of being your own unique individual,” says Bosa.

Her internship history dictates what she values about design school: projects are more hands-on whilst interning is software-led. “When we get to internship, we just sit down all day at the computer.

You’re not exposed to the same way of working at school. That was a challenge for me because working with one software blocks me, and it doesn’t fully allow me to express myself.” But the young woman is fully appreciate of the valuable lessons she’s obtained from the firms she’s worked at, like Agora Architects in Maun. Particularly she enjoyed site visits, as they offered a practical learning experience that demonstrated the transformation of designs from conception to construction. She later interned at Agolen Architects. This year she awaits for internship where she might be working for Cons-com.

For her future: “I want to run my own company, because I want to put my architecture out there. I want to see people’s lives changing because of my ideas. I would also like to tutor in (UB). If you stay in touch with design in school, you expand your thinking. I would like to further my studies, go for masters and PhD. I’m a creative person. I feel like I was created to create.”

GUEST COLUMNIST P15

BOIDUS FOCUS JUNE 2016

Easements

However, easements can be specifically granted as exclusive easements, allowing the holder of the easement right the ability to exclude others.

By Obakeng Andreck and Akheel Jinabhai

Ordinarily, any conveyance of an interest in property must be in writing in the form of a deed and must be recorded and registered to be protected against subsequent purchasers and mortgagees.

A conveyance is defined very broadly, to include every written instrument by which any interest in real property is created, transferred, mortgaged or assigned, or by which the title to any real property may be affected. This broad concept affects property issues in various ways and our interest in this column is whether it affects easements. The question is then posed, what exactly are easements...?

An easement is a non-possessory right in the holder of an easement to make some use of land.

In other words, an easement is a lesser interest in the fee estate that allows the party benefiting from the easement to make some use of the property, such as using it for access, installation of utility lines, etc. It is similar, but it doesn’t fall to what, in other jurisdictions, is called a usufruct.

A usufruct, or the right to use and enjoy (together with enjoying the fruits) of the property involved, is a right of enjoyment enabling a holder to derive profit or benefit from property that either is titled to another person or which is held in common ownership, as long as the property is not damaged or destroyed.

The holder of an easement right, or the party that is benefiting from the easement, is referred to as the dominant tenant. Likewise, the property benefiting from an easement is referred to as the dominant estate or dominant tenement. The party burdened by the easement is referred to as the servient tenant. Likewise, the property burdened by the easement is the servient estate or servient tenement. Because an easement right is non-possessory, it generally does not allow the party benefited by the easement to exclude others or to stop them from also enjoying the property. In other words, easements are generally non-exclusive.

The Types of Easements • An appurtenant easement is an easement that is intended to benefit a particular piece of land (dominant estate/tenement) rather than a particular individual. In this case, there is also a servient estate/tenement—the land over which the dominant estate has its easement rights. ◊ EXAMPLE: An easement is granted to a shopping mall parcel for access across the neighbouring property owner’s private road in order to allow shopping mall customers to get from the shopping mall parking lot to the street. This is an easement appurtenant to the shopping mall parcel, which is the dominant estate. The neighbour who has granted the easement owns the servient estate.

• An easement in gross is intended to benefit a particular individual regardless of whether she owns any land. The land over which this indi-

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vidual has her easement rights is the servient estate/tenement. In the case of an easement in gross, there may be no dominant estate/ tenement. The intent is to benefit the holder of the easement right, but the holder’s right to use may well enhance the value of the property she uses in connection with her exercise of an easement right. ◊ EXAMPLE: Thabo grants Mike an easement to fish in his pond, which is located on his privately owned property. As part of this easement right, Mike is also granted an easement to enter onto Thabo’s property to go to and from the pond. While Mike may live next door, he may move miles away, and the easement follows him; NOT the property. This is an easement in gross; Mike is the dominant tenant; Thabo is the servient tenant; Thabo owns the servient estate (with the pond on it). There is NO dominant estate.

• Easement by implication, or quasi-easement.

An implied easement can be created only when the grantor conveys a portion of the real estate he owns or when he divides a larger tract among separate grantees. In either case, a severance of parcels occurs, which is a necessary prerequisite to an implied easement. An easement can be implied at the time of severance ONLY if the easement use existed prior to the severance.

Gao owns 2 lots, one of which fronts on a street and one of which is landlocked. Gao’s driveway crosses both lots. Gao decides to keep the landlocked parcel and sell off the frontage parcel. Gao forgets to reserve a driveway easement for ingress and egress to her parcel. In order for Gao to establish that an implied easement should be created, one of the prerequisites Gao must prove is that she used the driveway located on the frontage property to access her property PRIOR to the conveyance of the frontage property; i.e., PRIOR to the severance.

• Easement by necessity.

When property is divided in a way that leaves a part of the property without access to a road (i.e., landlocked), an easement of ingress and egress (“way by necessity”) is implied across the other part(s). An easement by necessity exists only as long as the need exists. In other words, if the landlocked property later has direct access to another public road, the prior implied easement by necessity would go away.

• Easement by prescription.

An easement by prescription essentially follows the line of thought that it has been used for so many years for this purpose, an easement, though not expressly created, was created by prescription.

An easement is affirmative when it entitles the dominant tenant to use the servient tenement for a particular purpose. An easement is negative when it entitles the dominant tenant to prevent the servient tenant from using the property in a particular way. For example, if King gave Seo an easement for a view corridor across King’s property such that Seo’s view of the lake would never get blocked, King could not build a tall structure, wall or other obstruction, or allow an obstruction (such as a tree), to hinder Seo’s rights under her view corridor easement. This is referred to as a negative easement; Seo’s view corridor rights allow her to compel King to NOT do something.

Easements are created by express language, or grant. This is the most common method of granting an easement: by a deed or written conveyance. It can also be by reservation. In conveying land by deed, if the grantor wants to reserve certain easement rights, another way to

p17

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE P16

BOIDUS FOCUS JUNE 2016

Where do Suppliers of Goods and Materials Fit in the Web of a Series of Construction Contracts?

must pay to the employer when he is late in completing the works. These damages are a % of the total value of the contract and can be huge (and much more in terms of value that the cost of the supplier’s product).

By Natalie Reyneke employer and he may also act as the employer’s agent to manage the contract.

Continued from the FRONT PAGE The main ramification to such suppliers was the requirement to agree to “delay damages” being implemented on such suppliers, as well as terms such as the “defects liability period.”

The parties to a construction contract are the employer (who owns the project and is the one paying for the project to happen) and a contractor.

The contractor may employ subcontractors who will perform a portion of the works on behalf of the contractor. There is a subcontract agreement in place between the contractor and the subcontractors, which usually mirrors the main contract between the contractor and the employer.

There is another party that gets involved on the process of executing the works – the engineer (or the project manager, or the principal agent – depending on which contract form you use).

This party acts as an agent for the employer and manages the contract on behalf of the employer.

For those of you involved in the construction of buildings, there is often an architect involved as well. He performs the design of the works for the

The supplier of goods and materials that provides such goods and materials to be used by the parties involved in the execution of the works general sells its wares based on a simple supply agreement. The customer chooses the product required, the supplier delivers the product and the customer pays. Sounds so simple. But is it?

If that supplier delivers the product late, for example, there are ramifications to all of the parties involved in the execution of the works.

When the employer decides to provide goods and materials to the contractor for use in the execution of the works, this is termed “free issue.” The employer is required to deliver these free issue items to the agreed place and at the agreed time. Should the employer fail to do so, the contractor may be delayed in the execution of the works. This entitles the contractor to a claim for an extension to the time for completion of the works (normally subject to certain notification requirements having been fulfilled). The cost per day of the delay could have huge ramifications

on the employer’s budget – the contractor would be entitled to his cost plus a reasonable profit that he has incurred for each day of delay.

This is notwithstanding the fact that for every day the project is late, the employer may face penalties under any lease agreements he may have entered into for a failure to give his tenant beneficial occupation. One has to further take into account the claims that may be made by the subcontractors as well.

The employer takes the risk as a result of the free issue not being according to specification. If the supplier delivers the incorrect product, or if it is damaged, then any costs that the contractor incurs as a result may devolve upon the employer.

Another scenario for contemplation is that the contractor suffers a delay to the execution of the works because the supplier has delivered the materials that he is obliged to provide, late.

Obviously, the contractor cannot claim this delay from the employer as it was not the employer’s fault. Construction contracts almost always contain a delay damages clause, which sets out the liquidated damages per day that the contractor

It is for this reason that employers, contractors and subcontractors are insisting that the supplier carries the risk of these extra costs having to be expended by the relevant parties when the supplier delivers late. It is important to understand what your client requires of you in terms of delivery, and your client’s ideas around passing any losses that he suffers as a result of any late / incomplete deliveries.

Be cautious when accepting such liability and always ensure that if such liability is accepted, that is limited.

My next article will discuss the interesting position that suppliers find themselves in when they offer a particular warranty or guarantee on their product – subject to correct installation. While the warranty or guarantee usually favours the employer, suppliers have been finding themselves in sticky situations when it comes to monitoring the installation of such product on site. The contractor is the supplier’s customer, but how can the supplier then report back to the employer that the contractor is not installing the product correctly?

Til next time.

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Bontleng Futsal Park Project

By Tlotlo Tsamaase Continued from PAGE 3 Essentially, it’s just solar power generation. The Wi-Fi and every other electrical appliance will be solar powered. Sharp has the technology. It becomes a really sustainable park, we’re talking about the electricity and water aspect—those are the two of the biggest problems in our country right now. And to make a park that is so self-sufficient is excellent.

We’ve talked about having open mic nights, rap battle nights, local artists performing—things you’d want to have in a community center. And all of it being solar powered so when we set up our sound systems, we’re going to have our solar panels set up. So when they plug in it’s the same as they would in any place—the difference is it is off-the-grid.

How much rainfall does the underground cistern collect? Can you tell us about the implementation of the water harvesting system and how it works?

The concept is, “What is available and how can we use it?” The center piece of the project is the 5-a-side court, which is 670m2. With a court that size given the average rainfall in Gaborone, there’s a little of over 300,000 liters of water

that will actually fall on an area this big. That’s on average. That means that we can collect about 300,000 liters of water hypothetically that should fall directly on here. We estimate that even if we lose 60% of the water that will fall on the court we’re still going to have somewhere around the neighborhood of over 100,000 liters of water that we will be able to collect from the site. Even though when we think of southern Botswana as it being dry and that we have drought here. We dug a cistern, which is 45,000-50,000 liters. We will have a 5000 liter tank that we will hand-pump water so that we can use water around site.

In regards to the park’s consumption of water, how long will the stored water last?

The community is going to have to pay attention on the water consumption we’re using on site and how the year is going. This was a drought year, but the amount of rainfall that was falling even in the last few months since it’s picked up we’ve actually had enough to fill the tanks.

The amount of water that we’re using on site is minimal because the trees we’re planting are 21 stinkwood trees, and there’s a baobab—that was the one the president planted a few weeks ago. These trees don’t use that much water at

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all. We water them once a week, and by next month we’re only going to have water them once every three weeks. By Christmas we won’t have to water them again.

The aquaponics system is another sustainable method that is introduced in this environmentally friendly park.

How does it work?

Aquaponics is an almost-closed system where it’s a self-sustaining system of growing vegetables and harvesting fish. We’re going to be doing it in small manageable quantities using cubic meter water storage things. Basically you have fingerlings, which are small fish, and on top of that you have a garden section. That garden has vegetables, which are planted loosely in rocks.

The water from the fish is pumped into the rocks, so there’s a constant flow of water between them. The water that’s not being absorbed by the plants drains back to the fish so that there’s nothing being wasted. The waste from the vegetables is put off to the side. As it decomposes, it attracts grubs and worms, which are given to the fish. The waste from the fish goes back into the vegetables and then so on and so forth. It just goes in a cycle. The fish will eventually get big, and you will harvest them and put in new small fingerlings; and the vegetables will get big and you will harvest those. So you’re constantly getting fresh fish and fresh vegetables. The pump we’ll be using for that will be running from solar.

You have ridges of soil running through a section of the site. What function do these serve?

We talk about water usage here so if that much water is falling on this 670m2, this is just a fraction of the community. So that amount of water is falling all over the place. But where is it going? What happens is the water channels and floods out to the road. Eventually, it is lost out onto the street and the soil is eroded. What we’re doing on site is to display permaculture, which is trying to maximize water usage by shaping the land so that you can contain the water that’s flowing through it. We’ve come up with swales. What these swales do is they collect the water. So the water will flow from upstream and it will get trapped against the back of the swales. The water will soak into the ground. Eventually the soil is going to be enriched. So we’re going to be planting things all along here, and those things are going to be completely sustained just by rainwater. The ground is going to be transformed into good soil for growing here on the site.

We want to be able to make this park accessible for people. We want communities to be able to learn from this. For example, like permaculture, this is large scale but every yard here can do the exact same thing on a very small scale where they have small ways of storing water.

p18

GUEST COLUMNIST P17

BOIDUS FOCUS JUNE 2016

New Africa: Eco-architecture

by Lorraine Kinnear Continued from PAGE 2

also be clattering living spaces.

embracing greatly as more buyers and curators are interested in buying into this kind of art.

Certainly, the entire design body deserves applause for trending and contributing such a great role in ecological protection. We ought to realize the way in which this contribution is actually doing so much. Hypothetically speaking, 27 boxes on Melville is made out of 27 or more shipping containers that could have easily ended up washed up on a Chilean shore or at the Australian reefs, contributing to numerous marine life or just sitting somewhere clattering our cities. And also, hypothetically, the wood used in making eco-furniture could have easily been burned and their fumes could be burning away the ozone layer, otherwise they could

Another great initiative in the architecture and design field is recycling the recycled. Eco Furn is a local company which prides itself with a trading description of “Eco Furn manufactures hand crafted furniture from reclamation materials. Our aim is to stop deforesting for furniture manufacturing.” This is a leading example of companies that are considering an eco-conscious approach to both marketing their products and protecting the environment.

What they do essentially is try their level best to optimize the raw materials, from reusing old furniture in their contemporary design work to using recyclable wood and other raw materials to create aesthetically pleasing home furniture. It is admirable to see small and medium

enterprises taking such an active role in issues of environmental change and especially with regards to developing countries with little to no pollution because it then becomes a good deal of taking a preventative action to avoid ever having to cure the situation. What is also interesting about design models of such a nature is that you would expect the outcome to be hideous, because anything reaching the end of its product life cycle would naturally be ugly. But these companies put thought into making some of the best-looking designs. Several restaurants and other outing places in Gaborone have taken great stock out of these designs, these include places like No.1 Ladies Detective Agency Café, and also FLAVA just to name a few. This is a great model, not only that but it is also getting support from local enterprises so it becomes a sustainable business idea in the overall.

As most are already aware, some Asian steel industries have found Africa as a dumping ground

for their steel. In particular, “China is expected to have exported over 100m tonnes of steel this year. This dumping has been likened to a game of “whack-a-mole”, in which Chinese exporters avoid regions where anti-dumping measures are threatened in favour of targeting poorly protected markets. Kovacs argues that this makes some African countries vulnerable,” as per reported by the African Business Magazine earlier this year. If more constructions could focus more on raw-material sourcing from the raw materials that are already flooding Africa, then problems like the Chinese steel dumping never need arise. The attraction to being brought to such a situation is that we’re supposedly short of raw materials, and that we need to import while in fact we really just need to apply a little bit of creative application to construction models to better fit what it is that we have already.

In the end, this will save us a lot of resources and in turn help stabilize our markets.

There are already a number of benefits that can be paired with eco-architecture in terms of regional development. Some benefits may not be greatly visible now but in the long term could just be a way of finding permanent environmental solutions. Also, there is a lot that tourism industries can gain from this as well.

With this being applied more, infrastructural developments will take less time to finish and so this will see a great economic growth for the entire African region.

Lorraine Kinnear Photographer/Blogger

r partmonths Do youFo cus for 12

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Easements

By Obakeng Andreck and Akheel Jinabhai

Continued from PAGE 15 create that easement is by reservation. This is a less common, but perfectly acceptable, manner of creating easements.

Easements can run with the land meaning that, no matter who owns the real estate, the easement (or other covenant) benefits or burdens the successor owner of the property. In other words, a beneficial easement that runs with the land will benefit future owners, while a burdensome easement that runs with the land will burden future owners.

In the discussion of appurtenant easements and easements in gross, an appurtenant easement runs with the land of both the benefitted dominant and burdened servient estates/tenements. An easement in gross will run with the land as far as the burdened servient estate/tenement is concerned, but it will not run with the land of the benefited dominant estate/tenement, because an easement in gross is personal in nature, and is not tied to the benefited party’s property ownership.

An easement is a property right, and the benefited party has the right to enforce it just as they would have the right to enforce a deed conveyance or another type of land grant. If the nature of the enforcement is such that the benefited estate/ party is trying to compel the burdened estate/party to honour the rights granted by the easement, the best avenue of protection is making a title claim contemporaneously with a demand from the other party to the easement. If the nature of the enforcement is such that the burdened party is trying to compel the benefited party to comply with the terms of the easement, you would seek compliance like you would in any other contractual dispute. Some easements provide for arbitration as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism.

The above is meant only as a brief discussion around easements. The information given is general and is not intended as legal advice.

GUEST COLUMNIST P18

BOIDUS FOCUS JUNE 2016

Bontleng Futsal Park Project

By Tlotlo Tsamaase

education to the community in their various sectors. For example, the banking community coming in here and being able to teach people how to take care of their personal finances.

The bio-toilet is another interesting sustainable feature the park will use. Can you elaborate on its function?

Continued from PAGE 16 If everybody in Gaborone was doing that we wouldn’t have the same water crisis as last year.

The park also makes use of recycled materials as part of its construction. Can you elaborate on that process?

We’re going to be collecting recycled materials— bottles and cans and papers etc.—and asking the community to bring it. Then, we’re going to be doing our construction on site using those recycled materials. The construction that we’re doing here is basically the concrete that needs to be poured uses medical waste, which is literally latex and fabrics and plastics that are used in hospitals that will be thrown out in the garbage. But instead what they do is they sterilize them, for example, like a syringe they will sterilize it along with other materials together and then they’ll shred it into fine little pieces. That material is used as an aggregate for the concrete. Instead of having to use more stones or more concrete, you’re using this medical waste. The nice thing about the medical waste is it breathes well. Concrete always absorbs and releases moisture, but when you have this medical waste aggregate it allows it to breathe a little bit easier where it’s not retaining heat or retaining cold as much. For example, if it’s sitting out in the sun, and you’re walking barefoot, you’ll feel it’s still cool, or in the middle of winter you’ll feel that it’s still slightly warm. It also saves you on materials. We use cans and bottles instead of bricks, and these can be plastered over so you can’t tell how it’s been built. In some cases, you can take the bottles in particular and you can make it almost look like a stained glass wall. So the bio-toilets and the ecocafé are going to be built out of those materials.

What we’re going to do is at each area of the park, we’re going to be putting up signs describing what people are seeing. We also want to be able to use the eco-café for educational purposes. Some of our partners have asked the possibility of bringing

In the whole spirit of this place being completely self-sustaining, we don’t want it to be connected to powerlines, waterlines or sewage. We want to show how you can do it without being connected to those things. Bio-toilets, they’re doing them more in India now because they’ve been trying to innovate ways where a lot of people had been defecating out in public. It was something up to like 60% of the population in the past decades didn’t have a place to go to the toilet, and so they were trying to find out sustainable ways without having to have crazy infrastructure with sewage lines. So developed these bio-toilets where the waste materials get separated into solids and liquids. The solids are put on a tilted kind of a pan, and the liquids go down below and evaporate. The solids are basically moved down and dry out. Air is pumped through them, and there’s microbes (organic matter to allow the waste to break down) that are added. After some time, you are able to open a compartment at the other side and all you have is proper fertilizer that is sterilized. It doesn’t smell, and you can put it at the base of trees and.

What are the disadvantages of using bio-toilets?

It looks like a normal toilet. But, instead of just flushing a toilet, after a few months you have to go in there to harvest the fertilizer. That’s still an advantage because you get fertilizer out of it, but it’s a disadvantage because it means its extra work for you to do. Also if it’s not done well, there’s time where it’d smell like latrines. Ideally, what happens is there’s basically a fan system in the back. It’s basically just using natural heat, and the fan should be able to pump the smells out of the chimney.

We had a lot of struggles. The amount of hours we spent knocking on doors and talking to people and the amount of people we’ve been rejected by. For example, one company said, “What are you doing?

Go get a job.” It was basically ruder than that.

Finally, after two years of talking to people, cutting through the red tape, especially trying to get local sponsors, trying to get people to capture our vision was just so hard that when these sponsors stepped up, we can’t emphasize how amazing they are.

OIDUS FOCUS Boidus Team June 2016

By Jan Wareus

Continued from PAGE 9 It is interesting to examine the large scale use of solar and wind power as basis for industry and national power grids. I will in coming columns highlight some disturbing facts among many positive developments that I happened to find on various sites like e.g. Resilience, Post Carbon Institute and many personal blogs by dissident energy experts.

It is positive that that a few countries have taken the first steps on the “renewal road”.

We will have a quick look in coming columns and now I like to conclude this text with some basic points from Our Renewable Future book we are dealing with: • We have developed much during the industrial period and most was undertaken with the tacit assumption that societies always have more fossil energy with which to maintain and operate its ever expanding infrastructure – without any long-range planning guiding. The fossil-fueling of the economy happened bit by bit, each new element building on the last, with opportunity leading to innovation. What was technically possible became economically necessary…and hence normal; • There is a problem with the mindset with most of modern (voting) man – the ignorance of the realities of changing conditions for the future. Solar, wind, hydro and geothermal generators produce electricity, and we already have an abundance of technologies that rely on electricity. So why should we need to change the ways we use energy? Presumably all that’s

necessary is to unplug coal power plants, plug in solar panels and wind turbines and continue living as we do currently, they seem to think; • But the next few decades are forced to to see a profound and all-encompassing energy transformation throughout the world.

Whereas society now derives the great majority of its energy from fossil fuels, by the end of the century we will depend primarily on renewable sources like solar, wind, biomass and geotechnical power.

• How would a 100% renewable world look and feel? How might a future generation move through a typical day without using fossil fuels either directly or indirectly?

Where will the food come from? How will they move from place to place? What will the buildings they inhabit look like, and how will those buildings function? Visions of the future are always wrong in detail and often even in broad strokes; but sometimes they can be wrong in useful ways. Development professionals, architects and planners must start thinking about this to avoid too many mistakes done now that will constitute hindrances for a well functioning renewable future!

Our renewable future will have many problems and a few energy projects are already after some years indicating massive over-cost implications, doubtful environmental consequences and failures not predicted after just a few years of testing. We have to deal with these as well as the positive experiences in the next column.

Jan Wareus 16/06/2016 janwareus@yahoo.com

Can you talk about the early stages and the struggles the NGO faced in terms of getting this project off the ground and to this stage?

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MANAGING EDITOR H. Killion Mokwete

SALES & MARKETING MANAGER Oteng Ntshinogang

CONTENT COORDINATOR Tlotlo Tsamaase

SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE Tebogo Sekwenyane

GENERAL MANAGER Phenyo Motlhagodi

DISTRIBUTION & SUBSCRIPTION Mogapi Ketletseng

ACCOUNTS Ngwewabo Mokwete

GUEST COLUMNISTS Neltah Mosimanegape, Jan Wareus Obakeng Andreck & Akheel Jinabhai, Natalie Reyneke, Tumisang Baatshwana

ART DIRECTOR Bridget MacKean

Our Renewable Future [1]

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BOTSWANA’S BUILT ENVIRONMENT NEWSPAPER

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OIDUS FOCUS Registered at GPO as a Newspaper | Volume 3, Issue #8

BOTSWANA’S BUILT ENVIRONMENT NEWSPAPER 11 taurant Mixes Modern, Mexican Fusion Res-

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NEWS | page 02

SUSTAINABILITY | page 04

Icowork officially opens; a new concept for workspace in Botswana

Government to Promote Introduction of Residential Development into the CBD BOIDUS FEATURE >

Therapy

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PROF. PRACTICE | pages 18

Profile: Botswana’s Leading Building Material Suppliers

Defective Materials and Workmanship in Construction Projects - How to protect yourself?

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Building and Construction

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Boidus speaks to key stakeholders and looks the back New Ministers’ Agendas on another noteworthy year for the sector

A review of key year industry highlights that mark the success, challenges and future opportunities of the Botswana Property and Construction Industry.

by Killion Mokwete & Kibo Ngowi

Affordable Housing MarketUnchartered Territory

by H. Killion Mokwete

FNB Botswana takes the lead and brings together industry stakehold-

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Can Botswana Grow its Glass Production Industry?

by Kibo Ngowi glass supplier in Botswana shares his

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In an exclusive interview with Boi-

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run to the materials store to try and stock up as much as we can to make up for lost time. December has al-

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dus Focus a Director of the leading

It’s that time of the year again when those of us building homes in stages

Minister N. Molefhi

Imbalances are appearing, markets are distorted

• Danger of over investment • Leads to falling rental yields and poor returns for investors • Knock on impact on banks • Inadequate supply of affordable housing • unbalanced lending - too much lending for retail and commercial property, not enough for residential

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The New Revised Development Control Code 2013

by Boidus Admin

PLATFORMS

Boidus PLATFORMS OIDUS FOCUS

Registered at GPO as a Newspaper | Volume 3, Issue #4

NEWS | page 02

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Global Design Giant, AECOM Completes Takeover of DAVIS

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Government to Promote IntroHow ready is Botswana for duction of Residential DevelopInevitable BOIDUS EXCLUSIVE the FEATURE > Change towards ment into the CBD Global Decarbonisation targets?

Are Property Valuers influenced

by Borrowers and Lenders?

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

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Red East Construction: Award Winning Chinese Contractor

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Plagued with problems such as delays of up to days especially in rainy season, accidents and others, the bridging of

by Kibo Ngowi / H. Killion Mokwete Boidus Focus sat down with the Managing Director of Red East Construction, a Subsidiary of the Zhengtai Group Mr Zhu Dexiang to try and understand what has set this Chinese construction

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Birds-eye view

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the mighty Chobe River’s 400m width will soon be an issue of the past. The new proposed bridge will not only connect communities on both side of the Chobe and Botswana and Zambia but also open a corridor of trade and goods services to the heart of Africa. The bridge will complete the missing part in the so called ‘trans-Kalahari’ corridor. >>> CONTINUED PAGE 07

Government & Private Sector Sorting Out Construction

MIST, BOCCIM & Industry Professional Task Force

Public Piazza

reality in one area. views from across the City. Boidus With stakes high in Botswana ofwas recently given exclusive tour of ficeby market, KiboBotswana Ngowi Development The Iconic tower which has been the construction site to experience Corporation’s Fairscape Precinct is slowly the skyline such of as first hand this exciting project as it set After to raise the bar what reports quality and more thanof four nu-emerging sionaloff Associations AAB, ABCON, Fairgrounds is setting unmissable becomes reality. office space attempts is by delivering an Amerous by international conBIDP, BIE, TBBA, and other stakeholders view of a gleaming honey comb grade mixed use development which sultants to formulate and implement are laying out the foundation to what will lattice structure with unparalleled will see work, play and live become >>> CONTINUED PAGES 08, 13

regulatory standards for our ailing construction industry over the space of 20 years, the drive to put real action into solving the industry’s underlying problems be gaining momentum. A task force headed by MIST, through Deputy PSP, Ulf Sodderstrom, BOCCIM, Profes-

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Disentangling the Web – A Look at Infrastructure Project Management

BOIDUS EXCLUSIVE >

FNB’s CBD HQ – Intelligent Corporate Architecture

by Kibo Ngowi

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

the office facilities accommodating all the Bank’s divisions such as Electronic Banking, Private Banking, Property Finance, WesBank, Firstcard to mention but a few, customers get a full bouquet of FNBB products under one roof. >>> CONTINUED PAGE 07

Office of the President

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

by HK Mokwete

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

FNBB ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION - DECEMBER 2013 AFFORDABLE HOUSING MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

PRACTICE | pages 14, 18

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Botswana Property Consultative Index 2012 Indicates “Public Piazza, Mixed Use Podium and Sky gardens coming to Gaborone” Decline in Total Returns

by Kibo Ngowi & HK Mokwete

The Boidus Media, State of our CitiesCBD Executive Seminar recently held

out of office, in spite of leading one of the highest performing ministries, after failing to be re-elected.

manufacture of steel; the country’s second largest city Francistown unveiled its ambitions to develop into an economic

MEDIA EVENTS

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NEWS | page 02 Letlole Larona Breaks Ground at the Kromberg and Schubert Botswana (Pty) Plant

Bringing together key CBD stakeholders such as landowners and developers to engage on issues that affect their developments and investment The IPD

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

at Masa Centre was by any measure a resounding success. The Seminar event brought together for the first time ever in Botswana, key stakehold-

Some stories pointed to the shifting landscape of the country’s economy: Mining giant BCL changed its focus to the

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Event Feature: State of our Citiesforms Equity (DCI), Bonds CBD Executive Seminar Event(BBI) - IPD 2012

BOIDUS EXCLUSIVE FEATURE >

by Kibo Ngowi & HK Mokwete

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P. O. Box 50097, Gaborone Plot 2930, Ext. 10, Gaborone t +267 3182209 m +267 73805898 e mail@boidus.co.bw w www.boidus.co.bw

Realty Africa To Introduce New Real Estate Investment Model to the Country

the President (OP) is missing the bigger picture of what should be debated when procuring the office space for the ‘Highest Office in the Land.’ >>> CONTINUED PAGE 04

BREAKFAST FORUM SERIES - SEPTEMBER 2013 BOTSWANA PROPERTY MARKET STATE OF OUR CITIES - MAY 2013 CBD EXECUTIVE SEMINAR STATE OF OUR CITIES - APRIL 2012 DESIGNER’S FORUM

>>> CONTINUED PAGES 08,13

BREAKFAST SEMINAR SERIES - MARCH 2012 HOUSING AFFORDABILITY IN BOTSWANA

Boidus PLATFORMS

SOCIAL MEDIA

[

Professionals Information Seekers Students Organization Affiliations Visit us on our website:

]

www.boidus.co.bw Find us on:

Crowdfunding is a simple concept that is challenging traditional financing

ing platform specifically targeting property development projects in

required to get it off the ground.

which will be the first of its kind to become active in Botswana.

CONTINUED ON PAGES 6 & 18

models and rising in popularity across the world. Through this model a project or company is financially supported by many individuals each contributing only a small percentage of the total funding

rial supply companies in the country to learn from their first-hand business perspectives and to find out their

Realty Africa is an equity crowdfund-

Mathambo CONTINUED ONMinister PAGESK.4,15,16,17,19

Minister P. MaeleBoiformance of their stores overall?

Ministry of Lands and Housing (MLH)

Southern Africa and led by entrepreneurs Patrick Chella from Zimbabwe and Erik van Eeten from the Netherlands. Boidus Focus spoke with Chella to gain more insight into the company

Progress on the Road to Regulating the Construction Industry come evident in the dream of regulating the Botswana CI. 2014 was a bumper year for the regulation promise that

have been the specters haunting the sector since day one. Without formalised legal provisions to regulate

Focus speaks to some of the key players involved in establishing a regulated environment for the construction in-

The challenges of the construction industry will fall squarely on the shoulders of the newly appointed Minister

by Othata Batsetswe: Finance, Investment & Risk Management Specialist Botswana’s financial sector is now warming up to the needs of the economy, especially with regards to asset financing. For several years most financial institutions were focused on unsecured

lending in the form of personal loans while providing few options for asset finance. The change is highly welcome and has come at a much needed time.

>>> CONTINUED PAGE 05

Selibe Phikwe is synonymous with mining, but mineral wealth cannot last forever, so developing strategies to diversify the areas away from its dependence on mining activities has been a national priority for nearly three decades. We interview Selibe Phikwe Economic Diversification Unit (SPEDU) acting Coordinator, Mr Pako Kedisitse to learn more about the organisation ambitions to develop the region.

few years signs of progress have be-

ready has a history stretching back decades, including a long albeit ended period of government backed rapid development within the country. However, problems such as corruption, collusion and sub-standard workmanship

The Good, The Bad & The Risky

HOW SPEDU PLANS TO REVIVE THE SELEBI PHIKWE REGION

by Kibo Ngowi & Keeletsang P. Dipheko Botswana’s construction industry al-

Foreign Financing for Property Development

Ministry of Finance & Development Planning (MFDP)

saw organizations such as MIST and BOCCIM finally taking action to make a regulated industry a reality. Boidus

How Choppies Decides Where to Open Next

GCC ESTABLISHES GABS INSIDE F/TOWN’S AMBIMANAGEMENT COMPANY Ottapath TIOUS DEVELOPMENT PLAN CEO Ramachandran Opens UpcityAbout Botswana’s second largest is widely considered Gaborone City Council has established a private the Retail Giant’s Expansion Strategy management company to oversee the commerKibo Ngowi cialisation ofby activities under the Council’s mandate.

In business often saidTebogo that location We speak to GCC Principalit’sEconomist, Tshoswane toisfind out the Company’s ambitions. everything and none should under-

Forum as part of itscompetitive bid to position not been without controversy. Boidusmillion Focus Pula speaks to expansion in a bid to stay in the on the potential models Francistown Boidus Focus will serialize and discuss Botswana’s ‘Capital of the North’ as adopt to access funding for the suppliers and regulators in an effort to find out what country’s increasingly saturated commercial property market. can Boidus Focus presents a snapshot of the good, the bad and the professionals within the construcdustry in order to gain a clearer picture the new Code in the next three issues the lead economic hub in Southern important matter of infrastructure Now that the dust has settled on the 2014 General Elecof Infrastructure, Science and Technology (MIST) Mr. Nonbuyers needaccessible to keepand in mind to make it more ap- when choosing between the ugly of the building and construction industry in 2014. tion industry, weeding out the bad of where the dream stands today.

Africa by 2022. Boidus Focus presfunding. tions and the Cabinet Ministers have been announced, Boofo Molefhi and to tackle these issues effectively he’ll have localby orthe Chinese preciated buildingmaterials. industry.

Other stories highlighted that things don’t always turn out seeds and ensuring best practice has CONTINUED PAGES 03, 16 ents highlights of this first of its kind CONTINUED PAGE 18 tswana can turn its attention back to the pressing issues to get the buy in of several other ministries in addition to >>> CONTINUED PAGE 15 CONTINUED ON 04 ONpresents PAGESa06 & 08 of the most as planned: Five plots were repossessed from the urban always been a tall order but in the past his own.CONTINUED stillPAGE to be resolved.

Boidus Focus snapshot crucial issues this crop of ministers will have to confront in

PUBLICATION

MEDIA

precinct envisioned to become the economic centre of the Capital City, the new Gaborone CBD, and the founding Minister of Infrastructure, Science and Technology was forced

The Drive to Position Francistown as a Centre of Investment

Kibo Pula Ngowi of the region; billion international access route emerging property markets worldwide and the construcelement that hasyears a binding effect on In recent Botswana has seen a hub growing trend of the by all development environments all for theirKazungula Last began month construction; the City of Francistown and an insight Econlocal consumers turningin east building material Bridge officially and the larg- conference tion industry makingfrom great strides in establishing a reguplanning gazette areas. hosted the Francistown Investment omist Othata Batsetswe [see page 07] needs to Chinese suppliers and this development has

Finally, the long awaited Development Control Code 2013 [DCC] has come into effect as of November 2013. In development terms this is a big leap in advancing the terms that guide every development in the country. The DCC is the guiding document that regulates, land use activity, planning and planning applications. It is a critical

BOIDUS

The past year has been an interesting one for the building and construction industry with plenty of headline grabbing stories to keep tongues wagging.

Property Crowdfunding Comes To Botswana

by Kibo Ngowi

by Kibo Ngowi

Glass production has been identi-

Ministry of Infrastructure, Science & Technology

Plans are advanced for the setting up of an Industry Construction Regulator spearheaded by BOCCIM, MIST and Local Professionals Associations. The long awaited Botswana Construction Industry Act (BICA) will user amongst other things: ‘Registration and regulation of all Contractors operating in Botswana’s Construction Industry’

by Kibo Ngowi

Inside the Building Materials Supply Industry

A P120 million market with the potential to rise through exports

Stan Garrun

Towards a Regulated and Professional Construction Industry

BOIDUS EXCLUSIVE >

Boidus Focus profiles three of Botswana’s largest urban centres to explore their strategies for attracting investment

by Kibo Ngowi

by Boidus Admin

• Positive real returns • Especially attractive in an en¬vironment of low interest rates (negative real rates) • An important asset for both institutions and individuals • Still a large amount of invest¬ment in property

framework for PPPs in Botswana

F/Town and Selibe Phikwe The Unresolved Issues That Should Be at the TopGaborone, of

Property and Construction Industry

Property Market remains a good investment but weakness beginning to appear

BOIDUS EXCLUSIVE >

BOIDUS FEATURE >

BOIDUS EXCLUSIVE >

by Keeletsang Dipheko & Kibo Ngowi

Victor Senye

BOIDUS EXCLUSIVE >

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BOTSWANA’S BUILT ENVIRONMENT NEWSPAPER

order to safeguard Botswana’s construction industry.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 04

the ‘capital of the north’ but slump in developments in recent years has forced city leadership to formulate a

plan to reposition the city a vibranton metropolis. presence always has an as influence

stand this better than the company that seems to be around the corner in

consumer patterns and thus the value >>> CONTINUED PAGES 03, 04 of the commercial property in which it is located. Boidus Focus spoke to Chop-

As with any recognisable brand its

CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

just about every part of the country.

Choppies has grown to be the largest supermarket chain in Botswana with 71 stores within the country, 28 in South Africa and 14 in Zimbabwe.

pies CEO Ramachandran Ottappath about the decisive role that real estate PAGES 04, 08 >>> CONTINUED trends have played and will continue to play in his company’s expansion plans.

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How BIUST Plans to Drive Botswana’s Knowledge Economy

by Kibo Ngowi

The Government has embarked on a

mission to make Botswana a centre of innovation. The nation of only two million people has enjoyed rapid development in the past half century that has been mainly due to revenue gen-

erated from minerals that may soon be

depleted, so the call for diversification has become almost a cliché. As the lustre of the diamonds fades innovation is being touted as one of the sectors Bo>>> CONTINUED PAGE 15

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