Following the July changes to the exchange rate framework made by the Bank of Botswana (BoB), commercial banks have had greater room in the margins they charge both buyers and sellers of foreign currency (forex). In July, the BoB increased its margins for foreign currency trade with the banks from +/-0.5 percent to +/-7.5 percent, as a way of protecting further erosion of the official foreign exchange reserves managed by the BoB. The move, amongst other measures, made it more expensive for banks to resort to the BoB for forex and was also designed to encourage greater inter-bank trading of forex.
It is not uncommon in this part of the world for parents to actually punish their children when they show signs of depression associating it with issues of indiscipline, and as a result, the poor child will be lashed or given some kind of punishment. We have had many suicide cases in the country and sadly some of the cases included children and young adults. We need to start looking into issues of mental health with the seriousness it…
