WHO WILLL TAKE IT?
Media Institute of Southern Africa Botswana (MISA) will finally elect a new Board of Governing Council this weekend following a postponement amidst controversy over the eligibility of some candidates three months ago.
The elections, to be held at Maharaja Restaurant in Gaborone on Saturday, will be contested by two camps, Team Integrity and Team Reshaping MISA, after a fierce social media campaign for the heart and soul of the media advocacy organisation.
This is the first time that media personalities have shown so much interest in MISA elections. The Voice Reporter, DANIEL CHIDA, brings you the top four candidates from each camp.
TEAM INTEGRITY Tefo Pheage - Chairperson
Pheage is a practising journalist at Botswana Gazette and has been a Media Rights Advocate at MISA. He holds an Honours Degree in Broadcasting and Journalism from Limkokwing University and is currently working towards completion of his Master’s Degree in Politics and International Relations at the University of Botswana. He has also worked for Weekendpost and Mmegi/monitor newspapers. Pheage has reported extensively on Human Rights and Democracy in Botswana throughout his career spanning over a decade. He claims he was one of the individuals who once committed themselves to the resuscitation of MISA.
Angela Mdlalani - Vice Chairperson
Mdlalani works as a News Producer for the In Context segment at Btv news, where she has worked as a reporter, news anchor and programmes presenter. Passionate about the media, Angela has worked in print media, both as a reporter and a sub editor, and had a short stint in communications as a Communications Officer for the UNDP-UNEP PEI project. A versatile journalist, she has reported on issues of national development, communicating government policy as well as on social issues and health among others. She hopes to make a lasting impact on several causes, including women and youth empowerment. Angela advocates for a progressive, impartial and free media. She graduated with a
Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies at the University of Botswana.
Victor Baatweng - Secretary
Victor Baatweng works as Business Editor and senior journalist at the Sunday Standard and its sister publication, The Telegraph. Having studied Finance at the University of Botswana and Data Journalism at Rhodes University, Baatweng is a financial journalist with a consistent focus on national development, public economic affairs, and the financial markets. Baatweng has written extensively on government policies that seek to create an enabling environment for business and citizen enterprises development in Botswana over the past 14 years. Most importantly, Baatweng is passionate about improving financial literacy in Botswana, an area that can only be tackled via advocacy for a change in the media environment, particularly the dissemination of information from key state organs by journalists and other media practitioners. He is also passionate about media training and mentorship of young, professional journalists. He has previously served as Secretary General of the Botswana Media and Allied Workers Union (BOMAWU) and is one of five outgoing additional board members of the MISA Botswana.
Amantle Bradley Serojane - Treasurer
The youthful Serojane works for the Business Weekly and Review publication as an Accountant and Administrator. He is a qualified accountant having completed his Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) at Botswana Accountancy College. He is running for the Treasurer position.
TEAM RESHAPING MISA Thomas Tlhaloganyo Nkhoma - Chairperson
Nkhoma is a seasoned media practitioner with vast experience in the media industry spanning more than 30 years. He is a Media, Communications and Culture graduate from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Media and Communication at the University of Botswana where he is also employed as a media communications officer. Nkhoma has worked as a journalist for government media, starting his career as a cub reporter for the Botswana Press Agency (BOPA) and rising through the ranks to become Deputy Daily News Editor and ultimately Kutlwano Magazine Editor after which he quit to join the University of Botswana. He has travelled extensively with all three Botswana Presidents: Sir Ketumile Masire, Dr Festus Mogae and Ian Khama, on major assignments locally and abroad. He was once assigned to cover United States of America Presidents, Bill Clinton and George Bush, in 1998 and 2004 respectively. He is co-author of Sir Ketumile Masire’s compilation of quotes published in 2017 titled ‘Sir Ketumile Masire: Thus Spoke a Statesman’. Nkhoma was awarded MISA Botswana Sports Journalist of the Year and was first runner-up, Overall Journalist of the Year 2005. He is Chairman of the Nelson Mandela University Alumni Association (Botswana Chapter); Member of the University of Botswana Foundation Dinner Organising Committee; Member of a Committee that formulated a Presidential Media Communication Strategy in 2015; Member of the Department of Information Services Corruption Prevention Committee; Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology Work Improvement Team Performance based Reward System Trainer 2004-2006; part of a ten-member team that formulated the Department of Information and Broadcasting Workplace HIV/AIDS Policy in 2004.
Tshireletso Stoffel - Vice Chairperson
Stoffel is a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, Media and Culture graduate from Nelson Mandela University, South Africa. She is an excellent communicator, good team player, corporate communications presenter and has good negotiation and crisis management skills. She represented Botswana reporters at a climate change committee in 2004 in Zambia. Adding to Stoffel’s competencies, she was the Botswana representative during the SADC summit, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2009 and has also represented Botswana journalists at the international institute for journalism held in Johannesburg, November 2010. She enjoys reading, listening to and watching current affairs programmes on radio and television, reading nonfiction books, watching movies and doing community service.
Leatile Mmutle - Secretary
Mmutle has been in the media for more than 10 years, having started as a Sports Reporter then Assistant Programmes Manager, Digital Media Coordinator and is currently Head of News and Digital Media at Duma FM. Before Duma FM, Mmutle worked as Head of Sports at Global Post newspaper. He is also the President of Sports Writers Association and has been named in the Top 10 best sports broadcast journalists in the world by International Sports Press Association. He also won the BNSC Best Electronic Media Journalist in 2016 and mobilised Scholarship for five journalists after partnering with International Sports Press Association for Young Reporters Initiative and, from his efforts, one journalist from Botswana was flown outside the country for further training as a young reporter. He is the brains behind the Sports Press Association constitution and registering the association.
Tsaone Cono Basimanebotlhe - Treasurer
Basimanebotlhe is a political and investigative reporter with Mmegi/the Monitor newspapers. She understands the media landscape very well, having worked in the media industry for over 15 years. She has traversed the country’s newsrooms and her journey includes working as a reporter for Botswana Guardian, and Echo newspapers covering different beats. Basimanebotlhe has, throughout her stay in the industry, been advocating for media workers. She has previously served in one of the structures at Botswana Media and Allied Workers Union (BOMAWU) and also served as Treasurer for Dikgang Publishing Company (DPC) Staff Welfare Committee. The committee’s membership exceeds 250 employees. Basimanebotlhe has a Certificate in Media Management from Wits University, South Africa. She is currently furthering her studies with Limkokwing University of Creative Technology for her Honours Degree in Journalism and Broadcasting.