CA Hosts Media Workshop on Competition Law and policy

The Competition Authority in collaboration with the Press Council of Botswana hosted a Media Workshop on Competition Law and Policy at the Mokolodi Conference Centre on July 31st 2013.The Workshop was attended by over 20 participants from different media houses and Competition Authority staff.

The workshop was officially opened by the Chairperson of the Technical Committee of the Competition Commission, Mr. Tendekani E. Malebeswa. In his welcome remarks, he said “there is no doubt in my mind that many businesses and many Batswana are aware of the presence of the Competition Commission and the Competition Authority and this awareness is largely attributable to the supportive role that the media has rendered to us.” Commissioner Malebeswa also thanked the media for their gracious support.

In his presentation, the Chief Executive officer for the Competition Authority Mr Thula Kaira remarked that “antitrust laws are the Magna Carta of free enterprise. They are as important to the preservation of economic freedom and our free-enterprise system as the Bill of Rights is to the protection of our fundamental personal freedoms. He further said “there are certain times when we find ourselves in a situation that requires confidentiality of the case because once it becomes public, then evidence would be tampered with. Further, disclosure of information to the media is in some cases influenced by the need to protect the identity of the accused because certain allegations may adversely affect the competitive advantage of a business and its reputation.

For this reason, the Competition Authority is always striving to create a balance between disclosure of information and transparency on one hand, and disclosure of information and protection of the rights of business and individuals on the other hand. . Mr Kaira also implored the media to hold the Competition Authority to account. Giving closing remarks, - the Chairperson of the Press Council of Botswana Mr Tshireletso Motlogelwa, thanked the Authority for organising the workshop adding that it provided a good platform for close interaction with the media. He also said such workshops should be held regularly since the media industry suffers high staff turnover as media personnel leave for to join other sectors and this undermines institutional capacity.