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29 Jun 2009 20:32
Edition 466 26 June - 3 July, 2009
Floodwaters have turned the Kunyere River at Toteng into a spectacular stretch of water on both sides of the Maun-Sehitwa road. This picture, taken last Sunday the week previously the same area was almost dry - shows the extent of the water flowing in from the Okavango River to Lake Ngami, which is almost filled to capacity as a result of a surge of water that has seen some areas of the Okavango delta flooded for the first time in 50 years. The Thamalakane River passing through Maun has also increased in volume as it pushes towards the Boteti River and Motopi.
SCANDAL OF DIRTY SCHOOLS
The lives of students in the Okavango area could be in danger due to unhygienic and other serious problems. At least three boarding schools - Ngambao, Popagano, and Etsha 6 Junior Secondary - have malfunctioning toilets, a shortage of beds and mattresses, no electricity in some cases, and litter. Students are also having to use the surrounding bush to relieve themselves.
Reacting to an enquiry from The Ngami Times, the education department's West region chief education officer, Monthe Doba, acknowledged that the three faced problems of malfunctioning toilets but described the situation as exaggerated. He denied students used the bush even though there are few toilets and some overflowed with human waste.
He denied that the schools' grounds and surrounding bush are littered with waste and sanitary pads, saying there are plastic bags available for the latter. Doba said: Our schools are behind schedule with the cyclic maintenance. Most of our schools have not been attended to for more than 15 years and this year the matter is worsened by the economic recession we are experiencing as the government.
It was correct that Ngambao JSS is having problems with malfunctioning toilets and a shortage of beds as the school is also accommodating students from Kauxwi JSS.
Doba said at Ngambao there are 16 pit latrines used by 762 students in the academic area and 8 pit latrines used by 305 girls and 8 used by 305 boys in the hostels - and that the school is not affected by litter. According to Doba, the school is undergoing expansion with the building of 9 teachers' houses, a hostel block for boys and girls, an ablution block each girls and boys and a laundry block for each boys and girls hostel.
As for Etsha JSS, the situation is worse as the pit latrines are full, there is a blockage at the ablution blocks, malfunctioning gas and electrical stoves, poor drainage in the kitchen, poor collection of litter, and no electricity in the girls' hostels.
The school is, say parents, in a terrible state and is not conducive for learning. When questioned on whether the department was aware of the situation, Doba said the school is in great need of refurbishment, especially in the hostels and the kitchen.
Popagano JSS, like all the other schools, is experiencing the same problems of faulty toilets due to non-attendance to the problem and a shortage of mattresses allegedly brought about through theft and lack of security at the hostels, according to Doba who acknowledged a litter problem and that some minor works are being done to remedy the situation.
Some parents have told The Ngami Times that the authorities turn a blind eye and that school matrons never visit the hostels and in many cases are unaware of the problems.
Doba said with regard to boarding personnel not visiting hostels, (this) is not experienced in the schools(as) the matrons are always visiting the hostels on a daily basis and are always in the girls hostels. The school management is not aware of any complaint
The matrons do supervise cleaning in the hostels and are reinforced by teachers who have been appointed to carry out boarding duties.
Asked about the fact that parents are paying school fees, and why problems are not being attended to, Doba said though the place students are living in is not excellent, the money paid by parents is not meant for maintenance of boarding facilities.
Airport man on corruption charge
A 41-year-old man working as an Airport Officer at Maun airport has appeared before Maun magistrate Clifford Foroma charged with one count of corruption by a public officer.
Details of the matter reveal that Benjamin Leselwa, working for the Department of Civil Aviation, solicited P2 000 from Susan Smart, chief executive officer of Kwando Safaris, to speed up the inspection of an airstrip.
Leselwa will appear for mention on July 2.
UN donates to hospital
Maun's Letsholathebe II Memorial Hospital has received donations from the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) for equipment to be used in the maternity ward.
When handing over the equipment, UNFPA Planning Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Judith Shongwe said that their mandate is to promote the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a healthy life and enjoy equal opportunity.
Among the donations is a suction machine, an adjustable delivery bed, angle poise, an energy saver, a patient transport trolley, a weight scale, a blood pressure machine, three tape measures, 18 linen sheets, 18 blankets and a steriliser. The Deputy Matron for the hospital, Eva Lephirimile, said as a health facility we aim at offering the best quality care that can only be possible if the burden of the service care delivery can be shared by all.
Former officer found guilty
By Boniface Keakabetse
The Gumare P3000 corruption case is almost over but the case is not yet over.
A short declaration: I find you guilty delivered by Maun principal magistrate Clifford Foroma when handing out judgment on the case was enough to condemn Gasebatho Bohithilwe as guilty of official corruption.
Bohithilwe will have to wait before he can hear his sentencing as when passing judgment, Foroma told him he State was confirming whether he has any previous convictions.
Bohithilwe, a former North West District Council (NWDC) bye law officer at Gumare, was on trial soliciting and receiving an amount of P 3000 from the director of Wess Security Services, Khumo Dikgang.
Bohithilwe was nailed by officials of the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime at Gumare on July 15, 2007 after Dikgang had tipped off the DCEC about the deal. That day, in the privacy of his office, Bohithilwe accepted from Dikgang a sum of P 3 000 and put the cash in an inner pocket of his jacket unaware this transaction was a covert operation by Dikgang collaborating with the DCEC.
The court heard that when asked by DCEC officials whether he had any money on him before the search was made he replied that he did not have any cash. After the P3 000 was discovered in his possession he replied that the money was his as he is employed and therefore had money.
Bohithilwe later changed his statement and said he was framed by Dikgang who was bitter after he summoned him to his office to discuss Wess Security's bad performance saying the money was put on the table by the officials and it was never recovered from him.
Foroma said in finding the accused guilty that the evidence hinged on what transpired on the day. The magistrate noted that Bohithilwe never mentioned to DCEC officials of ever receiving any cash from Dikgang. He said all this proved Bohithilwe had a corrupt mind and was guilty of the offence.
Foroma said Dikgang proved he knew Bohithilwe which can be deduced from him knowing about Bohitlhilwe's wife going to school.
Moreover the P 20 000 money for the motorcycle Dikgang said was demanded by Bohithilwe showed that Dikgang's statement can be trusted since it showed that Bohithilwe knew about prices for motorcycles as he had been a traffic officer.
The state contention is that Bohithilwe solicited the money from Dikgang as payment to use his official position to influence the decision to award Wess Security the tender.
Unique dome house built in Maun
A unique cost-effective dome shaped house including an ensuite bedroom and a living area - has been built in Maun.
The house, which is made up of two 7 metres diameter domes, is built entirely of bricks covering a tarpaulin-type balloon which is inflated for the building work and then deflated.
The domes are cool and relatively maintenance free, said designer Tania Pretorius. Building a dome house is also quick and the beauty of this building method is that no timber is used.
There will be two Open Days next Tuesday and Wednesday (June 30 and July 1) from 4pm to 6pm. Pretorius will be available on cellphone number 71460461 from Tuesday for further information.
To get to the house, turn off from the new Disaneng road at Exit 3 towards the river and follow the track until it forks. Keep left.
Editorial
Schools of shame
The Ministry of Education stands guilty of allowing three Okavango schools to sink into serious disrepair and by so doing placing the lives of pupils at risk.
The West Region office of the Ministry describes some of the allegations as exaggerated and blames everyone except themselves for allowing Ngambao, Popagano, and Etsha 6 Junior Secondary schools to reach a stage where toilets are overflowing, the children are using surrounding bush for their toilet, there is no electricity in some cases, and beds and mattresses are in short supply in the boarding facilities.
The astonishing excuse is that maintenance work hasn't been carried out for 15 years.
Fifteen years of doing nothing for the youth trying to get an education in the face of such conditions!
An excuse given for the appalling conditions is the economic recession we are experiencing as a government. That is a breath-taking assertion as the economic recession is relatively new and wasn't in existence over the previous 15 years when Botswana was becoming a very wealthy nation indeed.
It is time now for Jacob Nkate, the Minister of Education and Development Skill, and MP for Ngami, to pay a personal visit to see for himself the conditions at the three schools and take along Vistor Moruti, the MP for Okavango .
Letters to the Editor
Mail: Private Bag BO30, Boseja, Maun
Tel: 6864807 Fax: 6860257 e-mail: tnt@info.bw
A radio in the library
Sir, - As I'm writing this, at 1311hrs, Tuesday afternoon, June 23, I'm having trouble trying to concentrate because the news from the radio is turned up so loud I can hardly think. It's hard to believe I'm in the library. That's right, the LIBRARY. I came here to do some work, and all of a sudden there was a boom as the radio was turned on, by the LIBRARIANS. There were shocked expressions all across the room, then a few giggles, our eyes asking each other is this really happening? After a while, as the loud newscaster went from one headline to the next, we began to feel annoyed. We felt like talking about it, but there's no talking allowed in the library. This didn't seem to bother the librarians on duty who were sitting right next to the radio attentively, the volume set so high, people on the road were listening as well. I called my brother and tried to talk to him over the sound of the radio but it was not easy. I had to say I'm in the library more than three times before he could hear me.
The librarians waited until the entire newscast was done before they switched it off.A few people had walked out in protest but they failed to catch the notice of the librarians listening to the news. I'm sure even if they tried waving at them and clapping their hands they wouldn't grab their attention from the situation in Gabon being broadcast.
I have probably been in over a dozen different libraries here at home and around the world and I have never seen this happen before. Which leads me to conclude that it's just one of those things that could only happen in Maun.
The correct Soweto riots figure
Sir, - Genuine tragedies need no exaggeration, and it is demeaning to the victims in the case of the Soweto Riots, hundreds of them to exaggerate their numbers.
The death of one child is a tragedy, especially when that child is shot by police during a legitimate protest against an injustice, so to what purpose does the Okavango International School claim, as they do in their advertisement that thousands died?
PETER SANDENBERGH
Maun
Editor's Note: The historical information as presented in the advertisement published last week was incorrect. Thousands of African school children were not killed on June 16, 1976. Te first person to be shot was Hastings Ndlovu , followed by 12-year-old Hector Pieterson . Reuters news agency reported there were more than 500 fatalities in the riots but the original government figure claimed only 23 students were killed that day. The number of wounded was estimated to be over 1 000 men, women, and children. Witnesses later said that between 15 000 and 20 000 students in school uniform marched in Soweto against the teaching of the Afrikaans language in schools.
Former Maun resident Sharon Kilbride is a gutsy gal!
The one-time manager of the Gunn's Camp headquarters is doing something a lot of others wouldn't dare do parachuting.
She sent Shuffle a laconic e-mail the other day which sums up the lady it reads like this:
Just to let you all know that I will be doing a parachute jump on the 1st Sept 2009 to raise funds for the Afghanistan Trust Fund.
This charity gives assistance to soldiers of The Parachute Regiment who were wounded in action, or the dependants of those killed in action in Afghanistan. It also sustains the memories of the loss of life and sacrifices made by the soldiers.
It achieves this through financial and welfare support. Please show your support, and think of me.
Yes, Sharon, we will be thinking of you!
** Interesting story that has come out of the Moremi Game Reserve area.
A tour group on a game viewing trip had the bad luck of their vehicle breaking down in an area where if one sees a vehicle a day, it is a lot.
Well, from what Shuffle hears, the group had no option but to hoof it to South Gate to raise the alarm only a mere 12km from where they were! There wasn't a radio on the vehicle (which one would have thought is prerequisite for any such journey.)
It must have been truly scary trudging through the bush as after all, the inhabitants of the Moremi are not particularly friendly.
The party got to safety and then proceeded to enjoy the rest of their weekend away.
We may not have seen the massive flood that had been forecast for the Boro and Thamalakane rivers. However, Lake Ngami is full and the rivers and streams feeding it are in flood.
This past weekend, Shuffle and Mrs Shuffle ventured to what must be little South Africa Ghanzi for those who don't know and saw at Toteng bridge that the river was in full spate. A wonderful sight.
While in Ghanzi, we watched the first rugby test between South Africa and the British and Irish Lions at Thakadu bush camp. It was an experience indeed as brawny farmers cheered on their team or should I say, The Team as the comments in Afrikaans obviously meant there were no true-blue Brits in the pub (apart from Chris the owner!).
An exhilarating afternoon indeed!
Just to show that we are not as dull as dishwater, here are a few stories to brighten up your day! Mrs Raymond Hackett and Miss Evelyn Fothergill gave a surprise pink and white shower for Mrs Mahlon Owens on the Eaton lawn, attended by 33 people. One feature of the programme was a Caesarian operation which proved amusing from a United States newspaper.
At a street corner in Los Angeles , the flood washed out electric light poles and live wives fell spluttering to the street New Zealand newspaper
Jack's Laundry Leave your clothes here ladies and spend the afternoon having a good time -Advertisement.
If two and two are put together the cat comes out of the bag Indian newspaper
The way to his heart may lie in the tricky art of cooking his liver She magazine
If a patient faints when standing up he collapses on to the ground First Aid manual
The Weekender
Ghanzi's Khawa Safari Lodge on the outskirts of the town is turning out to be a convenient stopping-off place for travellers from Maun to Gaborone or Namibia. The lodge, which has a spectacular thatched roof reputed to be one of the biggest in the country, is operated by the same company which owns the popular Toro Lodge at Kasane. The lodge offers various facilities, including a large bar and outside lounge area also under thatch as well as comfortable rooms, a restaurant with an extensive menu, volleyball court and a conference centre for 50 delegates. A larger state-of-the-art conference centre is under construction. Pictured (inset) is receptionist Tenego Tefo Boeng standing proudly with the lodge's logo and the main picture is of the front entrance to the building.
Litter will always exist'
By Bright Kholi
The Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources says the problem of litter and other pollutants that are deposited at the Maun educational park by water flowing from the Letsholathebe II Memorial Hospital's waste water treatment plant would exist even if the treatment plant did not exist. This is the latest development surrounding the treatment plant which is blamed for polluting the environment as water from it flows along an open trench, carrying all types of litter and deposits it at its point of entry at the Maun educational park. In the initial story about the issue published in The Ngami Times, this reporter could not get any satisfactory answer from all departments concerned as no one was willing to own up to the project. In our quest to get the information, we were referred to the Department of Water Affairs in Gaborone who passed on our questionnaire to the public relations unit in the ministry.
After a week we received a response from the ministry which says the Letsholathebe II hospital water treatment plant (bio filter purification plant) is part of the Maun Water Supply and Sanitation project conceived by the department in 2003. It also says the project was broken down into 3 phases, and phase one was the construction of the treatment plant.
The bio filter purification plant was built as a temporary measure, completed in September 2007, with the capacity to treat over 200m3 of waste water a day, the ministry says.
The plant was meant to alleviate the situation at the new hospital.
At a later stage, the Botswana Wildlife Training Institute was also connected to the plant to avoid the pollution of the natural waterways due to an over-flowing conservancy tank at the institute, the ministry said.
The treatment plant is under the supervision of Water Affairs and plans are underway to hand it over to those equipped with waste water operation and maintenance training and experience at the North West District Council.
Explaining how the plant works, the ministry says the plant discharges water into an open channel storm drainage adjacent to the hospital and disposes water into the Maun Educational Park - firstly it should be stated that water coming from the plant is treated. Periodic water quality tests of the effluent from the treatment at the new hospital are taken. The water from the plant was subjected to tests of quality as per Botswana Bureau of Standards, Standard BOS 93-2004 for disposal of water into natural waters, the ministry states.
No solids such as litter, it says, emanates from the treatment plant and adds that the department is concerned about the extent of litter contained in the water as it is disposed. Littering is a widespread problem in all our communities and the department appreciates the concern from the general public that such litter, when it comes into contact with a steady stream of the outflow and is transported and deposited at the overspill chamber, it can be an eyesore.
The problem will exist even if the treatment plant did not exist but we understand that it can be misconstrued as the source of the problem. Categorically, we wish to state that no litter originates at the treatment plant and the water quality is to the required quality, the ministry contends.
It says an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project was carried out. The ministry also confirmed that the plant once had technical breakdowns, but is now operational.
A technical team has been put in place to ensure the plant operates efficiently.
As is the case with any sanitation scheme, even a fully fledged scheme as the one planned, blockages and malfunctions will always result in environmental disasters, thus it is paramount to the operation of such schemes to prudently manage such, to limit the extent of the environmental impacts, the ministry says.
Meanwhile on whether the treated water is in a state to be discharged into the natural water ways, The Ngami Times obtained a chemical analysis report from the National Environmental Laboratory in the Department of Waste Management and Pollution Control.
According to the report, waste water outside Letsholathebe II Hospital is in compliance with the BOBS standards except for two parameters out of the 10 - fluoride and sodium are higher than the BOS 93:2004 waste water standard.
The sodium is at 835.03 mg/L as compared to the required 400mg/L while Fluoride is at 1.82mg/L as compared to required 1.5mg/L.
Red Cross donates to a family
By Molefi Manyepedza
Maun Red Cross has donated a tent, blankets, clothing and garden tools valued at P27 000 to a vulnerable family in Samedupi settlement, 10 km east of Maun.
All 12 members of the family are unemployed and exposed to poor housing conditions - a single hut without a door and with broken down walls.
According to family member Tirelo Motseokae, 26, their mother, and a single parent caring for the family, had left them to stay elsewhere.
Red Cross field officer Kamogelo Serefentse told The Ngami Times that elderly parent Moxhwa Mbwe struggled to support the family on her meagre old age pension. The family is not getting destitute assistance.
He said he will talk to council departments to make sure that the family's food problem is resolved.
Serefentse said the Red Cross got to know about the family after the Young Women's Christians Association (YWCA) provided counseling as the family had been unable to build a shelter asked for assistant from.
Serefentse said a tent will be used temporarily as efforts are being made to find money to build a permanent structure.
It is inhuman for us to see a family staying in an unhygienic environment and which has the potential of spreading diseases, Serefentse added.
Air Botswana manager transferred
The Air Botswana Maun branch manager Isaiah Mampane is leaving Maun on transfer to Gaborone after being promoted to the position of Passenger Services Manager.
Mochudi-born Mampane says he is leaving Maun a happy man as he has worked and interacted well with co-employees and residents during his stay, which he described as great. I really enjoyed being here, and Maun will always be my second home. I am going to miss those that I worked with, those that I befriended as well as our many customers who frequented the airport from around the world. Of course, there were ups and downs here and there but we always worked on alternatives simply because we relied solely on word of mouth, which I believe is what kept us going, he said. Questioned on the challenges while working at one of the busiest airports in the region, Mampane said they always found the right and most comfortable way of approaching customers, more especially when flights were delayed or late rather.
This, he says, they did so as to give customers a reason to always come back, looking at the good service delivery and the willingliness to assist whenever the need arose. For her part, Sally-Anne Solepp-Smith, of Okavango Wilderness Safaris, said that Mampane had always been supportive to the tourism industry and described him as a tremendous asset to Air Botswana. She says the industry will miss him, even though they are happy for him in being promoted.
Mampane is a down-to-earth person who is also very easy to approach and work with. He had a high level of communication and fully understands the service of urgency, and for this reason everyone in the industry was on first name basis with him, she added.
Operations centre established to fight crime
Maun's 911 Neighbourhood Watch organisation has set up an Operations Centre next to the Maun satellite police station.
The centre cellphone number is 71409686. The chairman of the organisation, Patrick Penstone, says that one of the activities being carried out is the collation of a data base on reckless or bad driving, and anyone who sees such incidents is asked to contact the centre. There is also an e-mail address ant;i-poaching@ngami.net.
Stubborn BMC hold league leaders
GABORONE - Log leaders Gaborone United labored to a 1-0 over a stubborn BMC outfit at the Lobatse Stadium on Saturday in a tense Be Mobile Premier League game that had all the ingredients of a humdinger.
Current form had pointed to a GU win. BMC' patchy form in their last three games had read draw, lose, draw while GU's had two wins and a draw.
With Gaborone United trying to shake off the challenges of the free-scoring Mochudi Centre Chiefs, BMC had looked like fodder for the Gaborone outfit. However, BMC seems to be slowly regaining their early season form and this should have been a warning for GU.
GU coach Mike Sithole inexplicably played the erratic Kenny Shoes' Ledikwe as rightback while Gabriel Bokhutlo crushed ice on the bench. Kabo Branco' Molokwane also started as a central defender instead of his usual left back position. You would not have guessed this but Bosarutweng Booster' Magola, a defender was also played as a midfielder. The chief architect of GU's stupendous form this season, Sageby Sandaka did not even make the bench.
Needless to say, the tinkering of the lineup did not help GU's cause and a goalless first half galvanized the GU bench to ring the changes in the second half. In came the irrepressible Tshepho Schoolboy' Molefe for Magola while the ineffective Tiroyamodimo Mohambi made way for Ronald Chikomo. Bokhutlo was then introduced for Boitumelo Bashin' Modisaotsile and assumed his rightback position while Molokwane switched to left back and Ledikwe pushed to a more offensive position and GU then started playing like real championship contenders. Mlamuli Phakathi lost the ball to Steven Maposa who fed Chikomo and the latter easily beat the BMC goalminder Chenjerai Dube with only 3 minutes remaining on the clock.
The win must have also sobered the GU faithful into looking at their league ambitions in perspective. Moyagoleele has a much tougher run-in than their closest rivals Chiefs who have an easier programme to wind up the league. There were no such problems for vintage Chiefs as it swept aside a bewildered Great North Tigers 6-0 in a game where Moemedi Jomo' Moatlhaping rejuvenated his quest to win the top goal scorer award as he netted 4 to cut down Master Masitara's lead to 3 goals. Township Rollers then got back to winning ways as they cruised past Boteti Young Fighters 3-1. Poor Fighters, the global economic crunch has surely taken its toll on the team from the mining town as they have leaked 20 goals in their last 3 games.
Tafic surged up the table when they beat Extension Gunners through goals from Alphonse Modisaotsile and Teko Molapisi. Naughty Boys surprised all and sundry when they defeated Mogoditshane Fighters 2-1.
On Sunday, two goals from Dennis Kaelo and David Makakaba ensured that the jungle kings return from the second city with the three points as Ecco City Greens replied through Mandlaenkosi Sibanda. BDF XI compounded Flamengo Santos woes as they beat the latter 2-1 with goals from Ernest Amos and Peter Ngwenya while Santos solitary goal was scored by Mogakolodi Tsotso' Ngele.
Maun Heroes ready for the challenge
Newly-promoted Maun Heroes seem to be ready for the new life in the Nhabe first division regional league.
The team was formed in 2003 after they broke away from Delta Winds.
It has been a long road to travel as they had to wait for almost 6 years to be part of the elite Nhabe league. Founder member and team manager Norman Sebele said: It was not easy to put together this team. I was team manager at Delta Winds during the time when they were playing at Matlapaneng in 2003 and certain issues made me to part ways with them. I moved on with about 11 players, and Maun Heroes was formed, he said.
Having spent most of their time playing in the BOFWA league and tournaments around Maun, they made a break through to competitive football after joining the newly formed 2 nd division. After realising the potential of players we had, we decided to join the second division league so that we could expose our players to a higher level of football. We have quality players, some of them were loaned out to the top teams in Maun but all are back with us and I believe with the experience they have, I am optimistic that we will not struggle in the top league, he added.
It has been difficult for new teams to survive in the top league - Boseja Chiefs and Zungu have come and gone but Sebele said they have a mission to accomplish. It's never easy when you are new, but I have confidence in the players I have. We have been playing against teams like Gaegolelwe and Boseja Chiefs and beating those teams shows that we can match any other team in the league. Sebele also urged business people in Maun to make a change to football.
Without support from our business community we will not succeed, and we need them to support us so that we can achieve our vision, Sebele added.
Iran Squad to meet Zebras next week
Botswana's Zebras national side is stepping up preparations for their clash with Iran in Gaborone on Sunday (July 5).
The recent friendly match against New Zealand was a first step in this direction and the
Botswana Football Association (BFA) has widened its horizons by inviting Iran to play against the Zebras.
After the match in Gaborone, the Iran squad will return to South Africa where they will play another friendly game against South Africa's Absa Premiership side Kaizer Chiefs in Bloemfontein on July 12.
Much has been said about our national team.
They have been criticised for playing games against teams which are still far from developing and this criticism has acted as a wake-up call for the BFA which is now doing all they can to bring tough football nations to the country.
Playing against Iran will expose the players to international standards. On the world rankings, Iran is currently 52nd and they have a very strong base of population which is close to 68 million. They have 449 644 registered players and 120 football clubs.
Iran is ranked among Asia's most prominent football nations. Their successes include gold medals at the Asian Games in 1998 and 2002.
They are supreme masters of the game of futsal, having won successive confederation championships between 1999 and 2002, so it was therefore no surprise to see Iran as the only Asian team keeping abreast with the world's best at the FIFA Futsal World Championship in Guatemala in 2000.
Botswana is not to be underrated. They rose to stardom during the Jelusic Vaseline era and since then have dominated in Southern African football as one of the strongest squads.
With a world ranking of position 118, there is enough room for improvement based on the current crop of players and the teams performance in their recent match against New Zealand .
National team coach Stanley Tshosane said that playing against the Asian nations gives them more competition.
This is a learning curve which I believe will help us in assessing the players that we have in camp. We need to be ready and stay focused, said Tshosane
A 22 member squad of home based players is in camp ahead of the Iran match. All the players who played in the New Zealand game have been recalled and only one more has been added. He is Joseph Phetogo.
Tshosane also added that he is happy with the team's preparations - we have played three games now without conceding defeat, and that alone tells that we are going in the right direction and obviously we are looking ahead to the Iran game
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