24 May 2018

A total of P180 million has been spent on putting up infrastructure to facilitate implementation of the digital migration project, Ntlo ya Dikgosi has been told.

Assistant Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Machana Shamukuni, who was responding to a question, said the infrastructure included upgrading of Botswana Television studio facilities, acquisition of content, 45 digital transmitters and satellite uplink system.

He said the project continued to experience challenges with the availability of set top boxes because companies approved by Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) for supplying and distributing the gadgets insisted on tax rebates, subsidy or market protection for certain periods, which government was constrained to provide.

Tswapong Region Kgosi Galeakanye Modise had asked for an update on the amount spent on the transition from analogue to digital.

Kgosi Modise also wanted to know if the project was still within budget and to state where set top boxes could be purchased.

Meanwhile, Mr Shamukuni has also informed dikgosi that the responsibility to appoint Botswana Public Officers Pension Fund (BPOPF) board members did not lie solely with government.

He was responding to another  question from Kgosi Modise, who had asked if he was aware that the Department of Tribal Administration staff, especially dikgosi, had no representative in the BPOPF board.

Mr Shamukuni said out of the board’s 11 trustees, government was only responsible for appointing five, explaining that it was the responsibility of pensioners, trustees and members of the fund themselves to appoint the rest.

He assured the house that government would continue to ensure that there was diversity of skills in the appointments.

“The current employer trustees were appointed based on the expertise in Human Resource Management, Public Relations, Military, Finance and Law. ENDS